Here you find a description of the transcriptions of the Old Babylonian Letter corpus (AbB), the Text-Fabric model in general, and the node types, features of the AbB corpus in particular.
See also about text-fabric
Below is a description of document transcriptions in ATF (see below) and an account how we transform them into Text-Fabric format by means of tfFromAtf.py.
There are various pages with documentation on ATF at the ORACC site, notably:
One of the observations during conversion of this corpus from ATF to TF is, that the match between patterns described in the docs and the patterns seen in the sources is often difficult to make, and not always perfect.
The Text-Fabric model views the text as a series of atomic units, called slots. In this corpus signs are the slots.
On top of that, more complex textual objects can be represented as nodes. In this corpus we have node types for: sign, word, cluster, line, face, document.
The type of every node is given by the feature otype. Every node is linked to a subset of slots by oslots.
Nodes can be annotated with features. See the table below.
Text-Fabric supports up to three customizable section levels. In this corpus we use: document and face and line.
(Keep this under your pillow)
Node type sign
Basic unit containing a single reading and/or grapheme and zero or more flags.
There are several types of sign, stored in the feature type.
| type | examples | description |
|---|---|---|
reading |
ma qa2 |
normal sign with a reading (lowercase) |
unknown |
x |
representation of an unknown sign |
numeral |
5(disz) 5/6(disz) |
a numeral, either with a repeat or with a fraction |
ellipsis |
... |
representation of an unknown number of missing signs |
grapheme |
ARAD2 GAN2 |
sign given as a grapheme (uppercase) |
empty |
$ blank space # reading la-mi! proposed by Von Soden |
empty sign to fill a comment or meta line |
complex |
szu!(LI) isx(USZ) |
complex sign with reading, operator and given grapheme |
comment |
($ blank space $) |
comment sign to represent an inline comment |
| feature | values | in ATF | description |
|---|---|---|---|
| after | - : . / + |
ha:a-am a-di ma-di |
what comes after a sign before the next sign |
| aftere | ␣ |
in those cases where two signs are adjacent | |
| afteru | : . / + |
what comes after a sign before the next sign when represented with unicode characters | |
| atf | qa2 ARAD2 5/6(disz) ba?!(GESZ) |
idem | full atf of a sign, also complex signs, with flags but without clustering characters |
| atfpost | }_ |
{ki}_ |
clustering characters attached at the end of a sign |
| atfpre | { |
{ki}_ |
clustering characters attached at the start of a sign |
| collated | 1 |
_8(gesz2)* |
indicates the presence of the collated flag * |
| comment | blank space |
($ blank space $) |
value of an inline comment; for such a comment a sign of type comment has been constructed; the atf feature of such a sign contains the full comment, including the delimiters ($ and $) |
| damage | 1 |
isz-ta#-a-lu |
indicates the presence of the damage flag # |
| det | 1 |
{d}suen asza5{a-sza3} |
indicates whether the sign is a determinative gloss, marked by being within braces { } |
| excised | 1 |
<<ma>> <<ip-pa-ar-ra-as>> |
whether a sign is excised by the editor, marked by being within double angle brackets << >> |
| fraction | 5/6 |
5/6(disz) |
the fraction part of a numeral |
| grapheme | ARAD2 GAN2 LI USZ |
ARAD2 GAN2 szu!(LI) isx(USZ) |
the grapheme name of a sign when its atf is capitalized or when the grapheme is shown between brackets after an operator |
| langalt | 1 |
_{d}suen_ |
whether the sign is in the alternate language in this corpus Sumerian. See also the document feature lang. ATF marks alternate language by enclosing signs in _ ... _ |
| missing | 1 |
[ki-im] |
whether a sign is missing, marked by being within square brackets [ ] |
| operator | ! x |
szu!(LI) isx(USZ) |
the type of operator in a complex sign |
| question | 1 |
DU6~b? |
indicates the presence of the question flag ? |
| reading | suen |
idem | reading (lowercase) of a sign; the sign may be simple or complex |
| remarkable | 1 |
lam! |
indicates the presence of the remarkable flag ! |
| repeat | 5 |
5(disz) |
marks repetition of a grapheme in a numeric sign |
| sym | essential parts of a sign, composed of reading, grapheme, repeat, fraction, operator, also defined for words | ||
| supplied | 1 |
<pa> i-ba-<asz-szi> |
whether a sign is supplied by the editor, marked by being within angle brackets < > |
| type | type of sign, see table above | ||
| uncertain | 1 |
[x (x)] [li-(il)-li] |
whether a sign is uncertain, marked by being within brackets ( ) |
| unicode | reading or grapheme of a sign represented as unicode characters |
Node type word
Sequence of signs separated by -. Sometimes the - is omitted. Very rarely there is an other character between two signs, such as : or /. Words themselves are separated by spaces.
| feature | values | in ATF | description |
|---|---|---|---|
| atf | {disz}sze-ep-_{d}suen |
idem | full atf of a word, including flags and clustering characters |
Node type cluster
Grouped sequence of signs. There are different types of these bracketings. Clusters may be nested. But clusters of different types need not be nested properly with respect to each other.
The type of a cluster is stored in the feature type.
| type | examples | description |
|---|---|---|
langalt |
_ _ |
alternate language |
det |
{ } |
gloss, determinative |
uncertain |
( ) |
uncertain |
missing |
[ ] |
missing |
supplied |
< > |
supplied by the editor in order to get a reading |
excised |
<< >> |
excised by the editor in order to get a reading |
Each cluster induces a sign feature with the same name as the type of the cluster, which gets value 1 precisely when the sign is in that cluster.
Node type line
Subdivision of a containing face. Corresponds to a transcription or comment line in the source data.
| feature | values | in ATF | description |
|---|---|---|---|
| col | 1 |
@column 1 |
number of the column in which the line occurs; without prime, see also primecol |
| comment | rest broken |
$ rest broken |
the contents of a structural comment (starting with $); such a line has a single empty slot |
| ln | 1 $ # |
1. [a-na] $ rest broken # reading la-mi! proposed by Von Soden |
ATF line number of a transcription line; for comment lines it is $, for meta lines it is #; without prime, see also primeln |
| lnno | combination of col, primecol, ln, primeln to identify a line | ||
| primecol | 1' |
whether the column number has a prime ' |
|
| primeln | 1' |
whether the line number has a prime ' |
|
| remarks | reading la-mi! proposed by Von Soden |
# reading la-mi! proposed by Von Soden |
the contents of a remark targetedto the contents of a transcription line; the remark feature is present on the line that is being commented; multiple remark lines will be joined with a newline |
| srcLn | 1. [a-na x]-da-a-a |
idem | see source data |
| srcLnNum | 29908 | not represented | see source data |
| trans | 1 |
indicates whether a line has a translation (in the form of a following meta line (#)) |
|
| translation@en | was given (lit. sealed) to me— |
#tr.en: was given (lit. sealed) to me— |
English translation in the form of a meta line (#) |
Node type face
One of the sides of an object belonging to a document document. In most cases, the object is a tablet, but it can also be an envelope, or yet an other kind of object.
| feature | values | in ATF | description |
|---|---|---|---|
| face | obverse reverse seal 1 envelope - seal 1 |
@obverse @reverse @seal 1 |
type of face, if on an object different from a tablet, the type of object is prepended |
| object | tablet envelope |
@tablet @envelope |
object on which a face is situated; seals are not objects but faces |
| srcLn | @obverse |
idem | see source data |
| srcLnNum | 29907 | not represented | see source data |
Node type document
The main entity of which the corpus is composed, representing the transcription of all objects associated with it.
| feature | values | in ATF | description |
|---|---|---|---|
| collection | AbB |
&P509373 = AbB 01, 059 |
the collection of a document |
| docnote | Bu 1888-05-12, 200 |
&P365091 = CT 02, pl. 10, Bu 1888-05-12, 200 |
additional remarks in the document identification |
| docnumber | 059 |
&P509373 = AbB 01, 059 |
the identification of a document as number within a collection - volume |
| lang | akk sux |
the language the document is written in. akk = Akkadian, sux = Sumerian. See the sign feature langalt for the language of smaller portions of the document |
|
| pnumber | P509373 |
&P509373 = AbB 01, 059 |
the P-number identification of a document |
| srcfile | AbB-primary or AbB-secondary | not represented | see source data |
| srcLn | &P494060 = AbB 14, 226 |
idem | see source data |
| srcLnNum | 29904 | not represented | see source data |
| volume | 01 |
&P509373 = AbB 01, 059 |
the volume of a document as number within a collection |
All nodes that correspond directly to a line in the corpus, also get features by which you can retrieve the original transcription.
For documents and faces the line refers to the source line where the encoding starts.
- srcfile the name of the source file, it does not occur as such in the source data;
- srcLn the literal contents of the line in the source;
- srcLnNum the line number of the corresponding line in the source file, not the ATF line number, but n as in the n-th line in the file, it does not occur as such in the source data.
Slots are the textual positions. They can be occupied by individual signs or inline comments ($ ccc $).
We have inserted empty slots on comment lines (starting with $) in order to anchor these lines at the right
place in the text sequence.
We discuss the node types we are going to construct. A node type corresponds to a textual object. Some node types will be marked as a section level.
This is the basic unit of writing.
The node type sign is our slot type in the Text-Fabric representation of this corpus.
All signs have the features atf, atfpre, atfpost and after.
Together they are the building blocks by which the complete original ATF sequence for that sign can be reconstructed:
atfpre + atf + atfpost + after
atf contains the encoding of the sign itself, including possible flags.
atfpre and atfpost contain the bracketing characters before and after the sign.
after contains the linking characters with the next sign, usually a - or a .
For analytical purposes, there is a host of other features on signs, depending on the type of sign.
The defining trait of a sign is its reading and/or optionally its grapheme.
We will collect the name string of a sign, without variants and flags, and store it in the sign feature reading if it is lowercase, and grapheme if it is uppercase.
The type of such signs is reading or grapheme.
Simple signs may be augmented with flags (see below).
The letters x and X in isolation stand for an unknown signs.
The type of such signs is unknown.
If the value is x, it will stored in reading, if it is X in grapheme.
The value ...stands for an unknown number of missing signs.
The type of such signs is ellipsis.
The grapheme feature will be filled with ....
Signs, especially those with a numeric meaning, may be repeated.
5(disz)
Numeric signs may also be preceded with a fraction:
5/6(disz)
We store the integral number before the brackets in the feature repeat, and the fraction in the feature fraction.
If the repeat is n, it means that a number is missing.
We store it as repeat = -1, so repeats always have an integer value.
In a numeral, within the brackets you find the reading or grapheme, depending on whether it is lowercase or uppercase..
Numeral signs have type numeral.
After the closing bracket the numeral may be augmented with flags.
There are two constructs that have the same shape, but not the same meaning. Both lead to a complex sign.
Correction:
szu!(LI)
Operator (x):
isx(USZ)
In both cases we see a reading, followed by an operator (! or x),
followed by a grapheme.
The type of such signs is complex.
The grapheme might be quite complex: an expression with or without surrounding | |,
and with operators . inside.
We have not broken down these graphemes in our conversion, they are stored as is in grapheme.
Within a transcription line, you might encounter expressions of the form ($ ccc $).
These are inline comments, not to be confused with structural line comments ($ lines)
or other line comments (# lines) which occupy a line of their own.
Such comments will be converted to single signs, of type comment, and the comment itself
goes into the feature comment.
The comment, surrounded by the ($ $) goes into the feature atf.
Empty signs have been artificially added to comment lines ($ lines) in order to
anchor them to the textual sequence.
The type of such signs is empty and they have no other features.
The comment text of the line goes into the feature comment of the line, not of the sign.
Empty signs may also have been generated as the result of faulty inputs. The conversion program detects these errors and issues messages about them. The current run of the conversion has not detected such empty signs.
Signs may have flags. In transcription they show up as a special trailing character. Flags code for signs that are damaged, questionable (in their reading), remarkable, or collated.
Example:
- 8(gesz2)* sze gur i-ib-szu-u2
Here the numeral 8(gesz2) is collated.
Only if the ! is not followed by (GGG)
Example:
8. a-di isz!-ti i-na-an-na
Here the reading isz is remarkable.
Questionable identification.
Example:
6. sza a-na ti?-bi a-bi-ka be-li szu-um-szu
Here the reading ti is questionable.
Example:
10. _ma2_ a-na ra-ka-ab s,u2-ha-ar-tim#
Here the reading tim is damaged.
One or more signs may be bracketed by _ _ or by ( ) or by [ ] or by < > or by << >>:
together they form a cluster.
Each pair of boundary signs marks a cluster of a certain type. This type is stored in the feature type.
Clusters are not be nested in clusters of the same type.
Clusters of one type in general do not respect the boundaries of clusters of other types.
Clusters do not cross line boundaries.
Clusters may contain just one sign.
In Text-Fabric, cluster nodes are linked to the signs it contains.
So, if c is a cluster, you can get its signs by
L.d(c, otype='sign')
More over, every type of cluster corresponds to a numerical feature on signs with the same name
as that type.
It has value 1 for those signs that are inside a cluster of that type and no value otherwise.
Marks a switch to the alternate language.
In this corpus, the documents are mainly in Akkadian (akk). The alternate language is Sumerian (sux).
Marks a glosses of the determinative kind.
Marks uncertain readings.
Marks missing signs.
Marks signs that have been excised by the editor in order to arrive at a reading.
Marks signs that have been supplied by the editor in order to arrive at a reading
Words are sequences of signs joined by - or occasionally : or /.
Words themselves are separated by spaces .
They have only one feature: atf, which contains the original ATF source, including cluster characters that are glued to the word or occur inside it.
This node type is section level 3
A node of type line corresponds to a numbered line with transcribed
material or to a line with a structural comment (which starts with $).
Lines that start with a # are comments to the previous line or metadata to the document.
Their contents are turned into document and line features, but they do not give rise
to line nodes.
Lines get a column number from preceding @column i lines (if any), and this gets stored in
col.
There is no node type corresponding to columns.
The ATF number at the start of the line goes into ln, without the ..
If primes ' are present on column numbers and line numbers, they will not get stored on
col and ln, but instead the features primcol and primeln will receive a 1.
The number of the line in the source file is stored in srcLnNum, the unmodified contents of the line, including the ATF line number goes into srcLn.
If the line is a structural comment ($), the contents of the line goes into comment.
If a line has a comment in the form of one or more following lines that start with # ,
then these lines will be joined with newlines and collectively go into remarks.
If a line has a translation, say in English, marked by a following line starting with
#tr.en:, then the contents of the translation will be added to translation@en.
If a line has any translation at all, in whatever language, the feature trans becomes 1.
This node type is section level 2
Faces are marked by lines like
@obverse
or
@reverse
or
@seal 1
There are a few other possibilities, such as:
@left edge
@upper edge
A node of type face corresponds to the material after a face specifier and before the next face specifier or the end of an object or document.
Note that objects, such as tablets, envelopes and eyestones are also
marked by @ lines.
Whenever the object is not a tablet, the type of object will prepended to the name of the face:
The obverse of an envelope is
@envelope - obverse
whereas
@obverse
is the obverse of a tablet.
Seals are faces, not objects.
The resulting face type is stored in the feature face.
The object on which a face resides, goes to the feature object.
Faces also have features srcLn and srcLnNum, like lines. In this cases, they refer to the line where a face starts.
This node type is section level 1.
Faces are grouped into documents.
Documents are started by lines like
&P510635 = AbB 12, 112
Here we collect
P002174as the pnumber of the document,AbBas the collection,12as the volume,112as the docnumber
If this line has irregular content, we put the irregular material into docnote:
&P497776 = Fs Landsberger 235- collection, volume, docnumber undefined;
- docnote =
Fs Landsberger 235
&P479394 = CT 33, pl. 26, BM 097405- collection =
CT - volume =
33 - docnumber =
26 - docnote =
BM 097405
- collection =
We also add the name of the source file as a feature srcfile, with possible values:
AbB-primaryfor documents whose primary publication isAbB;AbB-secondaryfor documents whose secondary publication(s) hasAbB.
This corpus is just a set of documents. The position of a particular document in the whole set is not meaningful. The main identification of documents is by their pnumber, not by any sequence number within the corpus.
The following text formats are defined (you can also list them with T.formats).
| format | description |
|---|---|
| text-orig-full | the full atf, including flags and cluster characters |
| text-orig-plain | the essential bits: readings, graphemes, repeats, fractions, operators, no clusters, flags, inline comments |
| text-unicode-full | unicode characters, hyphens are suppressed |