Skip to content

2 Superstructure IDs (SSID)

Jump to bottom
goerss edited this page Jul 22, 2025 · 29 revisions

The superstructure is a set of IDs that can be used to identify and address the various elements of the compendium. The set has 5 subsets:

  • Nodes
  • Texts
  • Diagrams
  • Pictures
  • Diagrams

Every subset of IDs follows a specific ruleset in order to ensure consistency and expandability (since there are additional elements in certain manuscripts (e.g. Admont, Benediktinerstift, Cod. 128).

In the sections below the rules for these subsets are described.

Nodes & Texts Rules

Basis of the Rules:

  1. For the spelling of names, three of the oldest witnesses were consulted:
  1. Additionally the spelling was also compared with:
  1. Wikidata was also consulted.

In general, the name creation follows 3 core aspects:

  • majority/frequency
  • simplicity
  • taste (common philological practice)

Orthography issues (##Agnese how were those issues resolved?):

i/j/y c/ch u/v ll/l; nn/n; s/ss

  1. Every ID starts with the item abbreviation followed by a hyphen (n- for nodes, t- for texts)
  2. One person, one or double first name - lower case name or camleCase double name:

Ada --> n-ada

Tubal Cain --> n-tubalCain


  1. Same name different people - chronological enumeration without hyphen:


Delbora, daughter of Adam and Eve --> n-delbora1
Delbora, the judge and biblical prophetess --> n-delbora2
Maria, sister of moses (Miriam) --> n-maria1
Maria, mother of John and Jacob (Mary Salome) --> n-maria2

  1. Same name different people, but are usually accompanied by an attribute in the MS - chronological enumeration without hyphen, attribution in formalized editorial name:

Ptolemy, the son of Lagus --> n-ptolomeus1 (formalized editorial name: Ptolomeus filius Lagi)

Ptolemy II, king of the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt --> n-ptolomeus2 (formalized editorial name: PPtolomeus Philadelfus)

  1. Same person, given more than one name within a single medallion/node --> alternatives only appear in the editorial name:

Sale uel Cainan --> n-sale (formalized editorial name: Sale uel Cainan)

Jechonias uel Eliachim uel Joachim --> n-jeconias (formalized editorial name: Jechonias uel Eliachim uel Joachim)


  1. Same person in different roles occurring in more than one medallion

In the case of Christ
Christus Natus (Birth if Christ) --> n-natus (formalized editorial name: Christus natus)
Christus Puer (Christ as a child) --> n-puer (formalized editorial name: Christus puer)
Christus Passus (Crucified Christ) --> n-passus (formalized editorial name: Christus (passus))
Christus resurgens (Ressurrected Christ) --> n-resurgens (formalized editorial name: Christus (resurgens))
In other cases, letters are added
Phares, placed on the Linea Christi --> n-phares
Phares, placed directly under his mother --> n-pharesA

  1. Same person playing different roles; always in separate medallions, in MSS without a label (only Hely and St Joseph) - roles are attributed in camelCase: 


Eli, as a priest --> n-helyPontifex (formalized editorial name: Hely (pontifex))
Eli, as a judge --> n-helyJudex (formalized editorial name: Hely (judex))
Saint Joseph, as a pater --> n-joseph2Pater (formalized editorial name: Joseph (pater)) >> #note, that also rule 3 applies here
Saint Joseph, as a coniux --> n-joseph2Coniux (formalized editorial name: Joseph (coniux)) >> #note, that also rule 3 applies here

  1. People recognisable only by their attribute - the attribute is added in camelCase: 


Julius Cesar --> n-juliusCesar

Pontius Pilatus --> n-pontiusPilatus

  1. People, who in the manuscript tradition and also according to the canon (and wiki) are always together within a single medallion) - names are written together in camelCase:

Ophni et Phinees --> n-ophniPhinees

  1. People, who occur in some MSS in one medallion and in other MSS have there own medallion each (or are missing), e.g ‘Heliseus alius Helias’ and ‘Eva et Adam’ -

Eve, alone --> n-eua
Adam, alone --> n-adam
Adam and Eve in one medallion --> n-adamEua
Elisha, a prophet of Israel --> n-heliseus
Elija, a prophet of Israel --> n-helias2
Elisha, the other Elijah, a prophet of Israel --> n-heliseusHelias2

(##Agnese - could you explain the Heliseus alius Helias' thing to me ? )

Additional rules for textblocks

  1. Text blocks are associated with the nodes to which they refer, replacing n- with t-:

n-cain --> t-cain

  1. When a text block is unrelated, the first words of the text are used or the topic is summarized:

t-sexcentesimoAnno
t-prologue
t-filiiNoe

Diagrams

The IDs of the diagrams are made up of the prefix “d-” and the short version of the diagram name.

Short versions of diagram names:

  • Cross-section of the Ark -> ark

d-ark

  • 42 Encampments -> encampments

d-encampments

  • 12 Tribes of Israel -> tribes

d-tribes

  • Plan of Jerusalem -> jerusalem

d-jerusalem

The diagrams are also divided into different types, which are labelled with a capital letter after the diagram name. For example:

d-tribesA --> is the Twelve Tribes diagramm in Quatrefoil form

A list of all the diagram IDs can be found here.

If it was not possible to determine a type (not enough information/images of the MS), but there is for sure a certain diagram in the Manuscript, the id without a specific upper case letter is used:

d-tribes --> if there is a tribe diagramm, e.g. according to a catalogue, but images are missing to be sure which type.

The diagram typing was developed by Team Tübingen and a more elaborate explanation can be found here.

Pictures

Picture ids start with the prefix "p-'. When the picture illustrates a note, the node id after the prefix is used:

illustrated node of Noah - n-noe --> p-noe

If there are multiple iconographies identified in the manuscripts for a given note, upper case letters are added at thge end of the ID to indicate a certain iconography, e.g:

p-noe = unspecified iconography of Noah BUT p-noeB = Noah in the Vineyard

If other pictures are identified, those are given descriptive ID's in english such as:

p-towerBabel = Picture of the Tower of Babel

A list of all the identified iconographies and pictures can be found here.

Element Groups

Unlike the other subsets, the Element Groups are an editorial decision made by the project team. Element Groups comprise a section of the Compendium's graph (including both texts and nodes) for the purpose of breaking up the work for easier display in the critical apparatus. These Element Groups form the basis for the second layer of the Visual Edition.

The groups, based on the proximity and logical adherence of the elements, are either

  1. familial or dynastic groupings (e.g. Adam and Eve and their children)
  2. graphic/spatial groupings (e.g. group of kings of Judah and Israel [grouped together] vs. groups of the kings of Judah and Israel [divided into two for spatial reasons])

Clone this wiki locally