How are digital methods changing research in the study of the classical world? An EpiDoc case study

Abstract

Classics as a discipline has always taken advantage of digital methods in research, with projects dating back to the 1970s and earlier. This article examines the integration of classics and computing, and presents a case study of EpiDoc, a markup language used in epigraphy. Positive evidence can be found for EpiDoc’s influence on collaboration, with several current collaborative projects, and the nature of the technology encouraging open, reusable scholarship. The Inscriptions of Aphrodisias project illustrates much of the potential of electronic publishing. EpiDoc’s effect on research questions themselves remains inconclusive, although definite possibilities for the future are apparent. Opening up these conclusions to the wider digital classics community shows a trend towards collaboration in recent publications and projects, as well as a gradual uptake of electronic publication.