Database Overview<\/h4>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_4″][et_pb_text use_border_color=”off” module_alignment=”left” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial” _builder_version=”3.19.3″ border_color_all=”#ffffff”]\n
In the 3rd century BCE, Greek literary culture took a decisive turn with the establishment of the first massive libraries. These substantial collections, of which the library at Alexandria in Egypt was most prominent, enabled scholars to engage in new levels of research and, most importantly for us, provided a context in which authoritative editions of canonical literary works could be produced through the careful collation of extant versions. Closely allied with this project of textual criticism was the construction of extensive line-by-line commentaries to explain the text and to justify any proposed emendations. These hypomnemata<\/em>\u00a0(\u201cnotes\u201d), as they were called, existed in separate papyrus rolls that were linked to the text via lemmata, and they addressed a broad range of topics\u2014lexicography, mythology, ethnography, literary criticism, and more\u2014all in service of illuminating the text for the reader.<\/p>\n Sadly, we possess none of these commentaries in their original form, but they initiated a rich tradition of exegetical scholarship that continues today.\u00a0 <\/span>Over the centuries these original Alexandrian commentaries were copied, adapted, epitomized, and expanded according to the needs of an ever-changing readership, and eventually they found their way into the margins of the same medieval manuscripts that transmit the ancient literary works themselves.\u00a0 <\/span>Although transformed in many ways over the years, at their core the \u201cscholia,\u201d as the notes are called, share the same DNA as their Alexandrian predecessors, and there is ample reason to believe that they accurately communicate the principles and methods–if not always the exact language–of ancient scholars.\u00a0 <\/span>(Indeed, the tradition appears to have been fairly conservative in its transmission, a notion supported in part by the papyrus record, as some unearthed hypomnemata<\/i> fragments bear a very close resemblance to the medieval marginalia.)\u00a0 <\/span>It is therefore possible to see in these copious scholia a holistic picture of ancient exegetical practices, even if it is often impossible to connect the notes with specific times, people, and places.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Some marginal comments to the opening verse of the Iliad<\/em>, found in the famous Venetus A manuscript (10th cent. CE). The first question addressed is why Homer would begin his epic with \u201cwrath,\u201d an ill-omened word.<\/p><\/div>\n One of the most prominent aspects of this tradition is the illumination of a text by the inclusion of literary citations.\u00a0 These references–which perform a variety of functions that include justifying idiosyncratic verb usage, providing background myths, exemplifying poetic techniques, and much more–are usually<\/span>\u00a0regarded as the most valuable aspect of the ancient commentary tradition, since they preserve many fragments of works that would otherwise be totally lost to us, or give variant readings for texts we possess in another form.\u00a0 Yet, despite a recent renewal of interest in the scholia sua gratia<\/em> as a window into the world of ancient literary criticism, there has been no significant study of the practice of citation itself as an interpretive tool. <\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>My project is an attempt to break some new ground within this topic by examining an important subset of the data: citations of Homeric poetry used in the scholia to other ancient authors.<\/span><\/p>\n The great Alexandrian scholar Aristarchus of Samothrace is often credited with one of the most famous principles of ancient exegesis: Hom\u0113ron ex Hom\u0113rou saph\u0113nizein<\/i>, \u201cto clarify Homer by Homer\u201d\u2014that is, to solve obscurities and difficulties in a Homeric passage by using other Homeric passages as a basis for comparison.\u00a0 <\/span>This system of exegesis is rooted in two assumptions: 1) Homer is consistent in his diction, style, and technique.\u00a0 <\/span>2) Homer is an authoritative source of knowledge for the form and content of poetry.\u00a0 <\/span>In service to this end, the Homeric scholia (by far the most massive corpus of ancient commentaries still extant) contain thousands of cross-references to other Homeric verses in order to explicate a given word, verse, or passage.\u00a0 <\/span>But in truth Homer\u2019s shadow loomed much larger than this, for the scholia to many other authors (both prose and poetry) employ hundreds of their own Homeric citations to explain or enrich the text at hand.\u00a0 <\/span>While by no means the only citations therein (the scholia to Euripides, for example, cite many authors in varying concentration and for varying purposes), the Homeric citations are the most numerous and the most prominent.\u00a0 <\/span>Well over 2000, in fact, may be found spread throughout the scholia to about two dozen authors, ranging from the great lights of Pindar and Sophocles to the lesser known Oppian and Nicander.\u00a0 <\/span>These citations testify to the wide use of an amplified version of the Aristarchan dictum: \u201cto clarify all authors by Homer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n It is an unfortunate fact that the scholia resist any clean chronological analysis.\u00a0 <\/span>Known provenance is indeed a rarity, and even when a known scholar is named, we may not be looking at the exact words of the original. On the other hand, with such a massive amount of data available, it is possible to speak confidently about the characteristics, limits, and trajectories of the tradition as a whole. In this way each citation gains importance as an echo from the polyphonous scholarly past: if these reverberations are difficult to interrogate individually, together they have much to tell us about the ancient art of citing Homer.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Heurist’s Role” background_layout=”light” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” module_alignment=”left” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial” _builder_version=”3.0.89″ border_color_all=”#ffffff” border_style_all=”solid”]\n Heurist has provided a fluid framework in which to handle such a diverse body of material involving so many discrete factors.<\/span><\/p>\n Three major record types are used in analyzing the data:<\/p>\n An example of the first type appears below: here a commentator cites Iliad <\/i>Book 2 in order to explain the mention of a particular island in Book 4 of Apollonius\u2019 Argonautica<\/i>.\u00a0 <\/span>The record contains reference information for both passages, as well as the Greek text of the scholion, my translation, and any relevant notes I wish to add.\u00a0 <\/span>Two other fields allow for more specialized marking.\u00a0 <\/span>1) A \u201cCategory\u201d entry shows the topic of the question at hand; here the issue is the naming of an island, hence \u201cGeography\u201d (elsewhere Myth, Grammar, Poetic Technique, and several others).\u00a0 <\/span>2) A \u201cQualification\u201d field allows the scholion to be tagged with a keyword so that it may be compared with others of its kind; here \u201cAllusion,\u201d because the scholion suggests explicitly that Apollonius consciously followed Homer – a special type of note, as most scholia simply provide a parallel without laying bare the commentator\u2019s thoughts on the connection).<\/span><\/p>\n A sample Scholion record<\/p><\/div>\n From this scholion record it is easy to bring up examples of the second and third types.\u00a0 <\/span>One may view the target text to which the scholion applies by clicking the link for Apollonius above, yielding the result below.\u00a0 <\/span>Here one finds the reference information, the Greek text with my translation, and, at the bottom, the link back to the scholion record (which also records the special tags described above).<\/span><\/p>\n A sample record of the passage to which the scholion was attached<\/p><\/div>\n From the scholion record, clicking on the Homeric reference brings up an example of the third record type (Source Text).\u00a0 <\/span>Again, text and translation are readily available, along with a space for any notes needed to contextualize the passage.\u00a0 <\/span>At the bottom one finds links to other scholia that refer to this same Homeric passage.\u00a0 <\/span>As can be seen below, Iliad <\/i>2.829 is cited three times to make a geographical point in the scholia to Apollonius; the links provide access to the records for each scholion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The Homeric passage referred to in the scholion<\/p><\/div>\n Now that the database is nearing completion, it can provide answers to some important questions:<\/p>\n 1)<\/strong> For what purposes is Homer cited (see the \u201cCategory\u201d description above), and with what frequency?<\/p>\n 2)<\/strong> What parts of Homer are most well known to the commentators? For example, which book of the Iliad<\/em> is cited most? Are there any \u201cgolden\u201d passages that are cited with tremendous frequency across the scholia to different authors?<\/p>\n 3)<\/strong> How much does the genre of the target text affect the way Homer is cited? E.g., how do the citations to Apollonius differ from those made in connection to the texts of Demosthenes?<\/p>\n 4)<\/strong> To what extent do ancient readers use Homer as a standard by which to judge other authors? What happens when an author goes against a Homeric precedent? (Relevant scholia can be marked by the \u201cComparison\u201d tag for\u00a0easy assemblage of evidence.)<\/p>\n 5)<\/strong> Perhaps most importantly, to what extent did ancient readers conceive of authors as looking to Homer for guidance? Where do the commentaries lay bare an assumption that the text that they are explaining can be understood only in light of other interconnected\u00a0artifacts\u00a0from the Greek literary universe? In short, can the citations help us to tease out an ancient form of \u201cintertextuality\u201d? (The \u201cAllusion\u201d tag allows ready retrieval of examples.)<\/p>\n Additionally, the database may be useful to scholars wanting to know about the afterlife of a given Homeric passage within the commentary tradition, and it is easily searchable to this end, either by reference number or keyword. Those interested more broadly in the role of citation as an exegetical practice, or in the history of citation from antiquity to the Byzantine period, will also find meaningful analysis here. Finally, it is hoped that the inclusion of translations to all entries will be useful to newcomers in the world of scholia, where translations are not yet in vogue, and where the often compressed and idiosyncratic language of the commentaries can at times be particularly difficult.<\/p>\n In these\u00a0ways\u00a0the Heurist platform will serve\u2014true to its etymology\u2014as the discovery mechanism for the role of citation in the tradition of the ancient literary commentary. By tackling this traditional philological problem from the perspectives offered by the Digital Humanities, we can develop a new understanding of the history of Homer’s readers and, given the extent of his shadow, even the history of reading itself.<\/p>\n Special thanks to Ian Johnson and his team for their continued help in organizing and maintaining the database.<\/em><\/p>\n Joshua M. Smith This page provides details of example infrastructure projects that Heurist has been involved in.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" This page provides a sample of the range\u00a0of uses\u00a0to which Heurist can be put<\/p> [symple_divider style=\"solid\" margin_top=\"20px\" margin_bottom=\"20px\"]<\/p> Heurist is used to manage content for the Dictionary of Sydney<\/a>, a unique city historical encyclopaedia based on a permanent historical digital repository, that aims to gather resources on every aspect of human habitation in the greater Sydney area from the first arrival of people to the present. The Dictionary website is also a forum for public discussion and controversy, an aide to teaching and learning, and a source of information and entertainment.<\/p> [symple_button color=\"gray\" url=\"http:\/\/heuristnetwork.org\/?page_id=1563\" title=\"Details\" border_radius=\"\"]Heurist's Involvement[\/symple_button]<\/p> [symple_divider style=\"solid\" margin_top=\"20px\" margin_bottom=\"20px\"]<\/p> The Digital Harlem<\/a> website presents information, drawn from legal records, newspapers and other archival and published sources, about everyday life in New York City's Harlem neighbourhood (primarily arrests and related court records) in the years 1915\u20131930\u00a0(Black Metropolis' ARC project).\u00a0The database is being extended with a specific study of the events of 1935 ('Year of the Riot' ARC project).<\/p> [symple_button color=\"gray\" url=\"http:\/\/heuristnetwork.org\/?page_id=1566\" title=\"Details\" border_radius=\"\"]Heurist's Involvement[\/symple_button]<\/p> [symple_divider style=\"solid\" margin_top=\"20px\" margin_bottom=\"20px\"]<\/p> The Beyond 1914<\/a> website (developed by David Jessup, Gregory Poole and Nick Evans from the University\u2019s Marketing department), provides an interactive biographical database of students, staff and alumni who served in the First World War, based on the extensive archives and personal papers of the University of Sydney and its Colleges. A large part of this\u00a0information was provided to the University between 1915 and 1938 by more than 2000 former staff, students, graduates and their families (later published in the University\u2019s Book of Remembrance).<\/p> [symple_button color=\"gray\" url=\"http:\/\/heuristnetwork.org\/?page_id=1509\" title=\"Details\" border_radius=\"\"]Heurist's Involvement[\/symple_button]<\/p> [symple_divider style=\"solid\" margin_top=\"20px\" margin_bottom=\"20px\"]<\/p> {image to be provided}<\/p> A comprehensive database of collections of Balinese paintings leading to a public website the Virtual Museum of Balinese Paintings (soon to be updated with faceted search and improved layout).<\/p> [symple_divider style=\"solid\" margin_top=\"20px\" margin_bottom=\"20px\"]<\/p> Gallipoli The First Day<\/a>\u00a0is\u00a0the award winning ABC 3D documentary site about the WW1 ANZAC landing at Gallipoli, on 25 April 1915.<\/p> [symple_button color=\"gray\" url=\"http:\/\/heuristnetwork.org\/?page_id=1569\" title=\"Details\" border_radius=\"\"]Heurist's Involvement[\/symple_button]<\/p> [symple_divider style=\"solid\" margin_top=\"20px\" margin_bottom=\"20px\"]<\/p> The Medieval Cookbook<\/a> database was developed entirely by Catalina Macias, a Columbian student doing a European Masters in Alimentation History, starting from a simple database structure (Menus containing Recipes containing Ingredients) prepared by the Heurist team. With a couple of follow-up assistance emails, the entire project took us less than three hours, and was used in a successfully completed thesis. One of her fellow students, Lina Cuellar Wills, is now using Heurist to build a directory of 19th century South American Guias de Forasteros (Foreigners Guides).<\/p> [symple_button color=\"gray\" url=\"http:\/\/heuristnetwork.org\/?page_id=1572\" title=\"Details\" border_radius=\"\"]Heurist's Involvement[\/symple_button]<\/p> [symple_divider style=\"solid\" margin_top=\"20px\" margin_bottom=\"20px\"]<\/p>![\"Scholion\"](\"https:\/\/heuristnetwork.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/ancient-text-2.jpg\")
\u00a0<\/h4>\n
Citations in the Ancient Commentary<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Heurist’s Role<\/h4>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_4″][et_pb_text background_layout=”light” use_border_color=”off” module_alignment=”left” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial” _builder_version=”3.0.90″ border_color_all=”#ffffff”]\n
Structure of the Database<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/heuristnetwork.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Image1.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/heuristnetwork.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Image2.jpg\")
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Aims of the Project<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/i><\/span>Assistant Professor, Classics
<\/i><\/span>Johns Hopkins University
<\/i><\/span>jmsmith@jhu.edu<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dictionary of Sydney<\/span><\/h4>
![\"DictionaryOfSydney\"](\"http:\/\/heuristnetwork.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/DictionaryOfSydney1.png\")
<\/p>Digital Harlem<\/h4>
![\"Digital](\"http:\/\/heuristnetwork.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Digital-Harlem1.png\")
<\/p>Beyond 1914<\/h4>
![\"Screen\"](\"http:\/\/heuristnetwork.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Screen-1024x753.png\")
<\/a><\/p>Bali Paintings<\/h4>
Gallipoli The First Day<\/h4>
![\"Gallipoli\"](\"http:\/\/heuristnetwork.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Gallipoli.png\")
<\/p>Medieval Cookbook<\/h4>
![\"Medieval](\"http:\/\/heuristnetwork.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Medieval-Cookbooks.png\")
<\/a><\/p>Roehampton Campus Project<\/h4>
![\"Rohampton](\"http:\/\/heuristnetwork.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Rohampton-Examplar-II-1024x487.png\")
<\/a><\/p>