6. Attributes and Values
Below are the values of the attributes as defined in the SigiDoc schema. Enforcing consistency through a set of rules defined in the schema for the edition of seals in SigiDoc is crucial because it ensures uniformity in data entry and interpretation. This consistency allows for accurate data analysis, easier collaboration among scholars, and the reliable sharing of information across digital platforms, which is essential for the integrity of historical research and Digital Humanities projects. When using an XML editor such as Oxygen, these values will be displayed automatically in a drop-down menu if the files are associated with SigiDoc's schema. The latest RNG version of the schema can be found at this link: https://sigidoc.github.io/Schema/schema/latest/sigidoc.rng.
Collection
The following values belong to the @type attribute, which is a mandatory attribute of the <collection> element. The purpose of these values, whose list can be expanded, is to explain, in a machine-actionable way, the status of the collection being edited.
TO BE ADDED
| Values | Description |
|---|---|
loaned |
Private collection in (permanent) loan to a holding institution. |
private |
For a private collection. |
public |
For a public collection. |
undetermined |
For the undetermined nature of a collection's ownership. |
This <rs> element has a prefixed @type's value of "collection-name". This element is a child of <collection type="">. The purpose of this value is to give, in a machine-actionable way, the name by which the collection to which the seal belongs is known.
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
collection-name |
The name of the collection the object belongs to: this is a prefixed value. |
This <persName> element has a prefixed @type's value of "collector". This element is a child of <rs type="collection-name">. The purpose of this value is to contribute to identify, in a machine-actionable way, the owner of the collection a seal belongs to.
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
collector |
The role of the owner of the collection the object belongs to: this is a prefixed value. |
Condition
The following values belong to the @rend attribute, which is a mandatory attribute of the <condition> element. Multiple values are allowed. The purpose of these values is to explain, in a machine-actionable way, the state of preservation of the seal, which can be described with more detailed and multilingual prose in the following <p> element.
<condition rend="well-preserved well-struck chipped">
<p xml:lang="en">The seal is well preserved and well struck; slightly chipped at the channel opening.</p>
<p xml:lang="fr">Le sceau est bien conservé et bien frappé; légèrement échancré aux orifices du canal.</p>
</condition>| Values | Description |
|---|---|
blank-too-large |
Blank is too large for the matrix. |
blank-too-small |
Blank is too small for the matrix. |
broken |
Seal is broken due to involuntary mechanical damage (no matter it is preserved in its entirety or in a fragmentary state. |
chipped |
Seal is chipped or indented (e.g. at channel openings). |
clipped |
Seal has been clipped on purpose. |
corroded |
Seal is corroded. |
crushed |
Seal is crushed. |
cut |
Seal has been cut on purpose. |
deformed-blank |
Seal is deformed. |
double-struck |
Seal struck at least twice with the same imprint. |
fragment |
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX |
graffitied |
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX |
mistruck |
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX |
not-centered |
Imprint is not centered. |
overstruck |
Seal struck with at least one different imprint. |
obliterated |
Seal is obliterated. |
pierced |
Seal has been pierced and has one or more holes. |
torn-channel |
Channel is torn. |
well-preserved |
Seal is well preserved. |
well-struck |
Seal is well struck. |
worn-edge |
Seal is worn on the edge. |
Dating criteria
Two attributes are concerned here: @type and @evidence.
The following values belong to the @type attribute, which is a mandatory attribute of the <origDate> element. The purpose of these values is to explain, in a machine-actionable way, how the date of a seal has been established.
| Values | Description |
|---|---|
analysis |
For a dating based on editor's assessment. |
internal |
For a dating based on a date on the seal. |
The following values belong to the @evidence attribute, which is a mandatory attribute of the <origDate> element and of the <corr> element nested inside <date>. Multiple values are allowed. The purpose of these values is to explain, in a machine-actionable way, the criteria by which a seal has been dated or its dating has been corrected.
| Values | Description |
|---|---|
archaeological-context |
Seal dated according to the archaeological context. |
attached-document |
Seal dated according to the document to which it is still attached. |
coinage |
Seal dated according to the numismatic evidence. |
decoration |
Seal dated according to the decoration elements. |
epigraphy |
Seal dated according to the form of writing. |
iconography |
Seal dated according to the iconography. |
historical-context |
Seal dated according to the historical context. |
internal-date |
Seal dated according to the internal date (e.g., indiction). |
linguistic-features |
Seal date according to lignguistic features. |
monogram-type |
Seal date according to the type of monogram. |
onomastics |
Seal dated according to the onomastics (e.g., first names and family names). |
overstrike |
Seal dated according to the overstrike. |
parallel |
Seal dated according to a parallel. |
prosopography |
Seal dated according to known prosopographical information. |
reign |
Seal dated according to an emperor's reign. |
related-seal |
Seal dated according to a related or similar seal (but not a parallel). |
terminology |
Seal dated according to the terminology employed in the legend. |
titulature |
Seal dated according to the titles or offices mentioned in the legend. |
understrike |
Seal dated according to the understrike. |
undetermined |
Seal dated according to undetermined criteria. |
<origDate type="analysis" when="1192" evidence="epigraphy historical-context" cert="high" resp="#MCP">
<seg xml:lang="en">1192 CE</seg>
<seg xml:lang="fr">1192</seg>
</origDate><origDate type="analysis" notBefore="1067" notAfter="1100" evidence="epigraphy historical-context
onomastics prosopography titulature" cert="high" resp="#MCP #JCC">
<seg xml:lang="en">Last third of the 11th century</seg>
<seg xml:lang="fr">Dernier tiers du XIe siècle</seg>
</origDate>Dimensions
The following values belong to the @type attribute, which is a mandatory attribute of the <dimensions> element. The purpose of these values is to explain, in a machine-actionable way, the feature of what is commonly called a seal the measurements refer to.
| Values | Description |
|---|---|
support |
The dimensions of the whole seal (object). |
written |
The dimensions of the impression. |
The following values belong to the @unit attribute, which is a mandatory attribute of the <dimensions> element. The purpose of these values is to explain, in a machine-actionable way, the unit used to express the dimensions of the whole seal or of the impression. Default value is mm, but other values can be added according to the different units of measurement adopted.
| Values | Description |
|---|---|
mm |
Millimetre: indicating the unit used for the measurement. |
The following values belong to the @type attribute, which is a mandatory attribute of the <dim> element, child of <dimensions>. The purpose of these values is to explain, in a machine-actionable way, which dimnesional specification the measurement refers to. Default value is diameter, but other values can be added according to the different type of objets edited.
| Values | Description |
|---|---|
diameter |
The measurement of the diameter (whole seal or imprint), for round objects. |
Other measures
The following values belong to the @type and @unit attributes, which are mandatory attributes of <measure>, child of the <support> element. The purpose of these values is to describe, in a machine-actionable way, some material peculiarities of a seal and the unit of measure used to expresse them.
@type |
Additional attribute | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| "weight" | @unit |
Weight of the object and unit of mesaure to express it: the predefined value is "g" for "grams", but other measuring systems are allowed.
|
| "axis" | @unit="clock" |
Directional relationship between the obverse and reverse described with the clock unit as predefined value. |
| "overstrikeOrient" | @unit="clock" |
Orientation of the overstrike is based on the understrike and described with the clock unit as predefined value; this element should be used only when describing the understrike. |
| "channelOrient" | @unit="clock" |
Channel orientation described with the clock unit as predefined value: 2 points of the clock (12-6, 1-5, etc.) should be mentioned. |
| "countermark" | @unit="clock" |
Countermark orientation described with the clock unit as predefined value. |
Execution
This <rs> element has a prefixed @type's value of "execution". This element is a child of <layout n="whole">. The purpose of this value is to explain, in a machine-actionable way, how the seal has been made.
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
execution |
The method of production of the seal: this is a prefixed value. |
Languages
The following values belong to the @mainLang attribute, which is a mandatory attribute of the <textLang> element for obverse and reverse; an optional @otherLangs attribute can be used in case of more than one language per face. The purpose of these values is to explain, in a machine-actionable way, what is the language(s) and possibly script(s) in which the legend of a seal is written, either on the obverse or reverse.
| Values | Description |
|---|---|
@mainLang, @otherLangs
|
The language(s) and script(s) of the seal's legend: the values should be choosen according to the IANA languages and script subtypes. |
Matrix
The following values belong to the @subtype attribute, which is a mandatory attribute of the <rs type="matrix"> element. This element is a child of <layout n="whole">, referring to the matrix of the whole seal, and can be child of <layout n="r"> and <layout n="v"> in the case of assembled boulloteria. Default value is not-surviving. The purpose of these values is to explain, in a machine-actionable way, whether the seal's matrix is available in physical form (in the rare case that the boulloterion which created the seal being published has survived) or reconstructed, through the presence of parallel specimens.
| Values | Description |
|---|---|
surviving |
Matrix is surviving. |
not-surviving |
Matrix is not surviving. |
The following values belong to the @type attribute, which is an attribute of the <idno> element, a child of <rs type="matrix">.
| Values | Description |
|---|---|
PBW |
An ID given to the matrix of the seal edited in the XML file as established by the Prosopography of the Byzantine World: this is an optional value, to be used if applicable. |
SigiDoc |
An automatically generated ID given to the matrix of the seal edited in the XML file; this is a fixed value because all matrices should have a SigiDoc ID. |
<rs type="matrix" subtype="not-surviving">
<idno type="SigiDoc"/>
<idno type="PBW"/>
</rs><rs type="matrix" subtype="surviving">
<idno type="SigiDoc"/>
<idno type="PBW" corresp="http://pbw2016.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/boulloterion/1922/">1922</idno>
</rs>Provenance
The following values belong to the @type and @subtype attributes, which are mandatory attributes of the <provenance> element. The purpose of these values is to explain, in a machine-actionable way, the circumstances of the finding of the seal and the subsequent occasions on which the object was researched, observed, studied and which left information useful for tracing its history. The choice of a specific value for the @type attribute implies that of the @subtype.
@type's values |
@subtype's values |
Description |
|---|---|---|
1. found
|
The findspot of the seal. | |
discovered |
||
rediscovered |
||
first-seen |
||
first-recorded |
||
2. observed
|
Modern observations subsequent to the find date. | |
seen |
||
recorded |
||
identified |
||
photographed |
||
autopsied |
||
squeeze-taken |
||
rubbing-taken |
||
ink-transfer-taken |
||
reported |
||
built-into |
||
reappeared |
||
3. not-observed
|
About a specific, unsuccessful attempt to locate an object in a presumed or previously recorded location. | |
lost |
||
stolen |
||
destroyed |
||
drawn |
||
reported-lost |
||
reported-stolen |
||
reported-destroyed |
||
4. transferred
|
About documentable modern relocations of the item (auctions, donations, etc.) before its acquisition by its current holding institution. | |
moved |
||
sold |
||
given |
||
loaned |
||
auctioned |
||
donated |
This <rs> element has a prefixed @type's value of "circumstances". This element is a child of <provenance type="found">. The purpose of this value is to explain, in a machine-actionable way, the circumstances of the finding of the seal.
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
circumstances |
General information about the circumstances of the finding: this is a prefixed value. |
Publication information
The following values belong to the @role attribute, which is a mandatory attribute of the <editor> element. The purpose of these values is to explain, in a machine-actionable way, the role played by the different persons in charge of an edition.
| Values | Child of | Description |
|---|---|---|
digital-editor |
<editionStmt> |
The creator of the digital record. |
seal-editor |
<titleStmt> |
The editor of the seal. |
The following values belong to the @type attribute, which is an attribute of <idno> element, a child of <publicationStmt>. The purpose of these values is to give, in a machine-actionable way, different kind of identifiers for the publication.
| Values | Description |
|---|---|
filename |
To give a name to each XML file. |
SigiDocID |
To attribute a unique identification number to each seal; this task is done automatically using an IDs generator and the alphanumerical string thus created is preceded by a prefix "s" for "seal". |
sequence |
To give a simple sequence of numbers (0001, 0002, ...) to allow navigation within the corpus from a page with an edition of seals to the next or previous one, to be compiled automatically. |
Shape
This <rs> element has a prefixed @type's value of "shape". This element is a child of <layout n="whole">. The purpose of this value is to explain, in a machine-actionable way, the shape of the object.
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
shape |
The shape of the object: this is a prefixed value. |
Edition
The edition of a seal's legend and all accompanying section are encoded in different <div>s, each bearing mandatory @type and @subtype attribues.
@type |
@subtype |
Description |
|---|---|---|
apparatus |
- | XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX |
bibliography |
edition, parallels, discussion
|
See Bibliography. |
commentary |
text, footnotes
|
See Commentary. |
edition |
editorial, diplomatic
|
See Legend. |
translation |
- | XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX |
Textpart
The following values belong to the @subtype attribute, which is a mandatory attribute of the <div type="textpart"> element. This element is a child of both <div type="edition" subtype="editorial"> and <div type="edition" subtype="diplomatic">. Only one value is allowed. Therefore, if a seal has, for example, an iconography with a label in a column (@subtype="label") and a circular legend (@subtype="face"), the entire div type="textpart" element must be repeated. The purpose of these values is to explain, in a machine-actionable way, the form and position of the text on the seal. This attribute is closely linked to the @rend attribute, which describes the text layout. On the @rend attribute see Inscription layout. On the @xml:lang attribute see Languages and scripts.
<div type="edition" subtype="editorial" xml:space="preserve">
<div type="textpart" subtype="label" n="obv" rend="columns" xml:lang="grc">
<ab>
<cb n="a"/>Ὁ ἅγιος
<cb n="b"/>Νικόλαος
</ab>
</div>
<div type="textpart" subtype="face" n="obv" rend="circular" xml:lang="grc">
<ab>
<lb n="1"/>
...
</ab>
</div>| Values | Description |
|---|---|
label |
Text part consists of a label (e.g., ὁ ἅγιος Γεώργιος, ἡ Μαχαιρωθεῖσα etc.). Only possible @rend value is columns. |
sigla |
Text part consists of a sigla (e.g., Μήτηρ Θεοῡ). Only possible @rend value is columns. |
face |
Text part consists of a legend. Possible @rend values are linear, circular, cross, monogram-block, monogram-cross, monogram-other, undetermined. |
The following values belong to the @n attribute, which is a mandatory attribute of the div type="textpart" element. The purpose of these values is to explain, in a machine-actionable way, which face of the seal is concerned by the edition.
| Values | Description |
|---|---|
obv |
For the edition of the obverse. |
rev |
For the edition of the reverse. |
Inscription layout
The following values belong to the @rend attribute, which is a mandatory attribute of the <div type="textpart"> element. This element is a child of both <div type="edition" subtype="editorial"> and <div type="edition" subtype="diplomatic">. Only one value is allowed. Therefore, if a seal has, for example, an iconography with a label in a column (@rend="columns") and a circular legend (@rend="circular"), the entire div type="textpart" element must be repeated. The purpose of these values is to explain, in a machine-actionable way, the layout of the text on the seal. This attribute is closely linked to the @subtype attribute, which describes form and position of the text. See also Textpart.
<div type="edition" subtype="editorial" xml:space="preserve">
<div type="textpart" subtype="label" n="obv" rend="columns" xml:lang="grc">
<ab>
<cb n="a"/>Ὁ ἅγιος
<cb n="b"/>Νικόλαος
</ab>
</div>
<div type="textpart" subtype="face" n="obv" rend="circular" xml:lang="grc">
<ab>
<lb n="1"/>
...
</ab>
</div>| Values | Description |
|---|---|
linear |
Inscription is in lines. Only possible @subtype value is face. |
circular |
Inscription is circular. Only possible @subtype value is face. |
columns |
Inscription is in columns. Possible @subtype values are label and sigla. |
cross |
Inscription is in a cross shape. Only possible @subtype value is face. |
monogram-block |
Inscription is a block monogram. Only possible @subtype value is face. |
monogram-cross |
Inscription is a cruciform monogram. Only possible @subtype value is face. |
monogram-other |
Inscription is a monogram, but neither a cruciform nor a block monogram. Only possible @subtype value is face. |
undetermined |
An inscription is there, but it cannot be discerned what kind. Possible @subtype values are label, sigla, and face. |
Bibliography
The following values belong to the @subtype attribute, which is a mandatory attribute of the <div type="bibliography"> element. The purpose of these values is to explain, in a machine-actionable way, the type of bibliographic references we are referring to.
<div type="bibliography" subtype="discussion">
<p>
<bibl>
<ptr target="Seyrig"/>, <citedRange unit="page">p. 143</citedRange>.
</bibl>
</p>
</div>| Values | Description |
|---|---|
edition |
Bibliography relating to the edition of the current seal. |
parallels |
Bibliography relating to the edition of the parallels of the current seal. |
discussion |
Further bibliographic references, without publication, about the current item or its parallels. |
Commentary
The following values belong to the @subtype attribute, which is a mandatory attribute of the <div type="commentary"> element. The purpose of these values is to explain, in a machine-actionable way, the part of the commentary we are referring to.
| Values | Description |
|---|---|
footnotes |
The footnotes related to the text of the historical commentary of a seal's edition. |
text |
The main text of the historical commentary to the seal's edition: to differentiate the commentary from its footnotes. |
Legend
The following values belong to the @subtype attribute, which is a mandatory attribute of the <div type="edition"> element. The purpose of these values is to explain, in a machine-actionable way, the nature of the transcription/edition we are referring to.
| Values | Description |
|---|---|
diplomatic |
The diplomatic transcription of the legend. |
editorial |
The editorial interpretation of the legend's transcription. |
The following values belong to the @ana attribute, which is a recommended attribute of the <ab> element, a child of the <div type="textpart"> element. The purpose of these values is to explain, in a machine-actionable way, the grammatical cases in which the legend has been written.
| Values | Description |
|---|---|
| acc | Legend written in the accusative case. |
| dat | Legend written in the dative case. |
| gen | Legend written in the genitive case. |
| nom | Legend written in the nominative case. |
| voc | Legend written in the vocative case. |
| acc-dat | Legend written in the accusative-dative case. |
| acc-gen | Legend written in the accusative-genitive case. |
| acc-nom | Legend written in the accusative-nominative case. |
| acc-voc | Legend written in the accusative-vocative case. |
| dat-gen | Legend written in the dative-genitive case. |
| dat-nom | Legend written in the dative-nominative case. |
| dat-voc | Legend written in the dative-vocative case. |
| gen-nom | Legend written in the genitive-nominative case. |
| gen-voc | Legend written in the genitive-vocative case. |
| nom-voc | Legend written in the nominative-vocative case. |
| und | Legend written in an undefined case. |
Concerning the double cases, it should be noticed that the order in which they appear is not meaningful.
Issuer's milieu
The following value belong to the @type attribute, which is a mandatory attribute of the <listPerson> and <listOr> elements. The purpose of these values is to explain, in a machine-actionable way, the role of issuer or owner of the seal of a physical person or of an institution.
| Values | Description |
|---|---|
issuer |
The issuer or owner of the seal. It is a predefined value for both <listPerson> and <listOrg>. |
The following values belong to the @role attribute, which is a mandatory attribute of the <person> element. This element is a child of <listPerson type="issuer">. Up to two values are allowed. The purpose of these values is to explain, in a machine-actionable way, the social environment of the seal's issuer as depicted by the seal itself. These value have to be given in accordance to the content of Seal's category.
<person gender="M" role="aristocracy civil">
<persName xml:lang="grc">
<forename>Χριστοφόρος</forename>
<surname>Ῥαδηνός</surname>
</persName>
<persName xml:lang="en">
<forename>Christophoros</forename>
<surname>Radenos</surname>
</persName>
...
</person>| Values | Description |
|---|---|
imperial |
For rulers only (not the imperial family). |
civil |
Holder of an office in the civil administration. |
military |
Holder of an office in the military apparatus. |
aristocracy |
When the legend does not allow a safe choice especially between ‘civil’ and ‘military’. |
secular-church |
Holder of an office in the secular church. |
monastic |
Pertaining to the monastic milieu. |
civic |
Pertaining to the municipal level. |
corporate |
For institutions of different nature; not for “category”, where the choice will depend on the nature of the institution. |
private |
Without dignities or offices in the State or the Church, or in case of an anonymous legend, such as Οὗ δῶρόν εἰμι τὰς γραφὰς βλέπων νόει. |
undetermined |
Issuer's milieu cannot be determined. |
The following values belong to the @role and @type attributes, which are a mandatory attribute of the <org> element, to be used when the issuer is an institution. This element is a child of <listOrg type="issuer">. Up to two values are allowed. The purpose of these values is to explain, in a machine-actionable way, the social environment of the seal's issuer as depicted by the seal itself. These value have to be given in accordance to the content of Seal's category.
| Attribute | Values | Description |
|---|---|---|
@role |
corporate | It is a fixed value highlighting that the issuer is an institution. |
@type |
(see the previous list for the <person> element) |
Gender
The following values belong to the @gender attribute, which is a mandatory attribute of the <person> element. The purpose of these values is to explain, in a machine-actionable way, the gender that can be associated to the issuer.
| Values | Description |
|---|---|
E |
The gender of the seal's issuer: eunuch. |
F |
The gender of the seal's issuer: female. |
M |
The gender of the seal's issuer: male. |
U |
The gender of the seal's issuer: undetermined. |
Prosopographical IDs
The following values belong to the @type attribute, which is an attribute of the <idno> element, a child of <person>. The purpose of these values is to attribute, in a machine-actionable way, to the issuer any identifier assigned to them by existing prosopographical repertories, whether online or not.
| Values | Description |
|---|---|
PBW |
An ID given to the issuerof the seal edited in the XML file as established by the Prosopography of the Byzantine World. |
PmbZ |
An ID given to the issuerof the seal edited in the XML file as established by the Prosopographie der mittelbyzantinischen Zeit Online. |
PBE |
An ID given to the issuerof the seal edited in the XML file as established by the Prosopography of the Byzantine Empire. |
PLP |
An ID given to the issuerof the seal edited in the XML file as established by the Prosopographisches Lexikon der Palaiologenzeit. |
PcBE |
An ID given to the issuerof the seal edited in the XML file as established by the Prosopographie chrétienne du Bas-Empire. |
PLRE |
An ID given to the issuerof the seal edited in the XML file as established by the Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire. |
PIB |
An ID given to the issuerof the seal edited in the XML file as established by the Prosopografia dell'Italia Bizantina. |
Taktikon |
An ID given to the issuer of the seal edited in the XML file as established by the Taktikon project. |
Images
The following values belong to the @type attribute, which is an attribute of the <graphic> element, a child of <surface>. The purpose of these values is to describe, in a machine-actionable way, the nature of the images associated with the edition of a seal.
| Values | Description |
|---|---|
photo |
The digital photograph of the seal itself. |
drawing |
The digital reproduction of a drawing of a seal. |
analog |
The digital reproduction of/from an analog photograph of a seal (microfilm, film negatives, traditional printed photos, etc.). |
RTI |
The image of a seal produced with the Reflectance Transformation Imaging technique. |
3D-model |
The 3D model of a seal. |
Fixed values
| Attribute | In element | Values | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
@n |
<summary> |
whole, r, v
|
The classification of the seal, or the mention "Obverse" / "Reverse" in any choosen language. |
@n |
<layout> |
whole, r, v
|
The layout of the whole seal, or of the obverse and reverse. |
@n |
<handNote> |
r, v
|
Epigraphic description of obverse and reverse. |
@n |
<figDesc> |
r, v, decoR, decoV
|
Description of the iconography and decoration of the obverse and reverse. |
@n |
<msPart> |
r, v
|
Information about the two faces of the seal. |
@n |
<textLang> |
r, v
|
The language of obverse and reverse. |
@n |
<surface> |
r, v
|
The images of obverse and reverse. |