Session 3

SunoikisisDC Digital Classics, Summer 2023

Session 3: Wikidata for Classicists. The Example of the International (Digital) Dura-Europos Archive

Thursday June 15, 2023, starting at 17:15 CEST (for 90 minutes)

Convenors: Monica Berti (University of Leipzig), Gabriel Bodard (ICS London), Anne Chen (Bard College)

Youtube link

Slides

Outline

The goal of this session is to present concrete examples of the use of Wikidata resources to meet Linked Open Data (LOD) requirements in the IDEA project, the aim of which is to reassemble and re-contextualize archaeological data from Dura-Europos.

The session will address the following topics:

• Review of Linked Open Data (LOD): Triples + Related Wikidata Terms.
• Brief Intro to the site of Dura-Europos and the IDEA Project: https://duraeuroposarchive.org/.
• Wikidata as a Microcosm within the “Web of Knowledge”.
• What’s the difference between Wikidata + Wikibase, and why does it matter?
  • Hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation vs. self-hosted.
  • Open editorial system vs. closed editorial system.
• Cultural heritage and ethics of access.
  • Metadata and Multilingualism.
  • Collaborative Curation.
• Gazetteers: a “backbone” for digital reassembly, recontextualization, accessibility.
  • The Pleiades gazetteer and Wikidata.
  • Recreating archaeological assemblages:
    • Wikidata Query Service (+ helper) vs. Wikidata Query Buildier.
  • Clarify findspots for complex legacy data.
  • Allow native-language/local concept searchability.
  • IDEA examples in action:
    • Temple.
    • Lapidary inscription today in a museum.
    • Graffito and the archival document that records its appearance: (Graffito) (archival doc).
    • Wall painting today in a museum.
    • Archival photos: ex. 1; ex. 2.
      • Image Annotation in Wikidata: Wikidata Image Positions Tool.
• Summary of Wikidata pros.
• Notes of caution:
  • Ethics and Images.
  • Coordinates and Non-Scientific Excavation.
  • Open vs. closed editorial systems.
  • Reverts + history of changes recorded in Wikidata.
  • Schemas for automating review of edits.

Resources

• IDEA:
  • https://duraeuroposarchive.org/
  • https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:WikiProject_IDEA
• Gazetteers:
  • Pleiades (ancient Med/western Asia)
  • World Historical Gazetteer
  • Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
• Wikidata:
  • Wikidata Professional Development Training Modules
  • [Wikidata Query Service tutorial
  • SQID: Tool to look up WD properties:
    • Wikidata Image Positions Tool
    • Wikidata Query Service (+ helper)
    • Wikidata Query Buildier

References

• Schmidt, Sophie C., Florian Thiery, and Martina Trognitz. 2022. "Practices of Linked Open Data in Archaeology and Their Realisation in Wikidata." Digital 2 (3): 333–64. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/digital2030019.
• Tharani, Karim. 2021. "Much More than a Mere Technology: A Systematic Review of Wikidata in Libraries." The Journal of Academic Librarianship 47 (2): 102326. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2021.102326.
• Zhu, Lihong, Amanda Xu, Sai Deng, Greta Heng, and Xiaoli Li. 2023. "Entity Management Using Wikidata for Cultural Heritage Information." Cataloging & Classification Quarterly 61 (1): 20–46. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01639374.2023.2188338.

Other Resources

In order to become familiar with the topics covered in this session, it is suggested to consult the Wikidata Professional Development Training Modules.

Exercise

• Find a Wikidata item for something you know about. Add references to support existing statements.
• Want to contribute to the enrichment of Dura data in Wikidata? Consider contributing to IDEA's citizen science project. All you have to be able to do is read scholarly articles in English--our data collection form steps you through the rest.
• Further, on Open Refine batching to Wikidata:
  • Documentation links: https://openrefine.org/docs/manual/wikibase/overview
  • Video tutorial on data cleaning and batch edits with Wikidata: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HlPol_-n3o