Historical Events Database - Coordination

[Approaching Infinity]

Just want to chime in and say this looks great, Data! I had a chance to read the manual, but I want to go over it one more time and make some notes for myself, a kind of flow chart, so I get a better handle on what to do first. I'll try to get started today or tomorrow.

 

[Gaby]

This is incredible, Data. Thank you!

I entered an "easy" one. Once I review the feedback and other user's corrections, I'll do "difficult" entries.

 

[Mikey]

This is incredible, Data. Thank you!

I entered an "easy" one. Once I review the feedback and other user's corrections, I'll do "difficult" entries.

Hey Gaby, thanks for getting it ready for review, and you did a good job (especially the uploaded photo)! There was just 1 problem, and I added 2 suggestions via the feedback system. When you go to your Feedback Listing screen, you'll see what I mean. If you need more info, just reply to my feedback in the HED. I think we'll be able to set it to "Review passed" fairly quickly (before, you have to set it to "Reviewing" again). :)

 

[shijing]

Hi Data,

Just wanted to let you know that I had planned to get a test entry done last night, but my internet went down yesterday afternoon (I'm posting from outside right now). I have a service appointment scheduled for later this week, and will hopefully get it done by the end of the week. I agree that everything looks great so far, and thanks for putting so much work into getting this set up!

 

[Dirgni]

I just have to repeat - it is really looking great. A lot of design and implementation work went into this and it always worked fine. I know normally you see issues with applications like this one but not with the HED. Thank you for giving us the base.

I started getting familiar with the new version of the HED and found I have to start with the source to get it right before going to the events. Could I fill in an ISBN number in one of the Aux URL fields? I put it in notes field.

With my copy of Fredegar I have got issues to fill in the source.

The original edition was from 1960, Oxford University Press and with author and translator John Michael Wallace-Hadrill. The copyrights are:
(C) J. M. Wallace-Hadrill, 1960
(C) Oxford University Press, 1960

My copy is "Reprinted in 1981 by Greenwood Press" and the ISBN number 0-313-22741-1 seems to be connected with it.

Could you please check it if I interpreted your directions right, Data? Thank you!
http://historicalevents.thebigrede.net/sources/56/edit

 

[Mikey]

I just have to repeat - it is really looking great. A lot of design and implementation work went into this and it always worked fine. I know normally you see issues with applications like this one but not with the HED. Thank you for giving us the base.

You're welcome, and I'm glad it works!

I started getting familiar with the new version of the HED and found I have to start with the source to get it right before going to the events. Could I fill in an ISBN number in one of the Aux URL fields? I put it in notes field.

Yes, working on a Source should naturally be the first thing. Putting the ISBN in the Notes field is better, but URLs to Amazon or Google Books should be enough, because they have all these details. The ISBN is not really an authority because ISBNs may change over time.

With my copy of Fredegar I have got issues to fill in the source.

The original edition was from 1960, Oxford University Press and with author and translator John Michael Wallace-Hadrill. The copyrights are:
(C) J. M. Wallace-Hadrill, 1960
(C) Oxford University Press, 1960

My copy is "Reprinted in 1981 by Greenwood Press" and the ISBN number 0-313-22741-1 seems to be connected with it.

Put the details as they are given in the actual, physical copy you have. If this book is available in the public domain as a PDF or HTML page, then you should prefer that, because it can be uploaded into the HED and accessed by all of us. But I couldn't find Fredegar's text online. Maybe you have a PDF or HTML page?

 

[Zadius Sky]

I just did my first entry - I didn't realize that there were four sources to this one event, others must have added more sources. I had to find them to get proper citations. That was tough. I hope the event is sent to you for reviewing, Data.

 

[Mikey]

I just did my first entry - I didn't realize that there were four sources to this one event, others must have added more sources. I had to find them to get proper citations. That was tough. I hope the event is sent to you for reviewing, Data.

Thanks for getting it into Reviewing! You did a very good job, because you specified PDF URLs for Sources, and so I was able to quickly find all the excerpts at the correct page numbers. I've uploaded the PDFs to the Sources for others to easily access. Maybe you can upload PDFs in the future too?

However, I had to add 2 feedbacks because of formatting (for book titles, you should use the "Title" button instead of the "Italic" one), and so I had to fail the Review unfortunately. But you can quickly fix it, and then re-set your Event to Reviewing. After that I'll pass it. :D

Edit: Yes, others probably have added to your original Event. This was done in the old HED. Now, it's not possible any more to edit each others entries.

 

[Approaching Infinity]

OK, I think I've got a handle on the process now. Just need some practice. I'll continue working on the Caesar database until I get some entries to review on the Chronicle DB.

For the Caesar database, I'm wondering how to proceed. Here was my battle plan originally:

-create an event entry for each event personally involving Caesar, using at least one original source
-start with Plutarch and Suetonius, getting their full bios of Caesar inputted into these events
-expand out to all other ancient sources talking about these events (Sallust, Dio, Appian, etc.) and gradually get all of them entered in the existing events
-expand with modern commentaries and interpretations (short excerpts from relevant modern bios/articles)

So it is still very much a work in progress. Even for the events early in Caesar's life, where I have entered all the texts relevant to those events, I will probably still end up adding more modern texts (or ancient ones that I missed) eventually.

So should I set any of these events to the reviewing state, if I will just continue to update them in the future? Or would it be a good idea to focus on periods of Caesar's life in sequence, e.g., fully completing his early years, then moving on to his political career, then Gallic wars period, civil wars, and final years? That way, because the project is so big, we might be able to publish a "volume 1" that just focuses on Caesar's early years, then publish further volumes as the work gets completed.

 

[Dirgni]

Thanks for clarification, Data.

I started getting familiar with the new version of the HED and found I have to start with the source to get it right before going to the events. Could I fill in an ISBN number in one of the Aux URL fields? I put it in notes field.

Yes, working on a Source should naturally be the first thing. Putting the ISBN in the Notes field is better, but URLs to Amazon or Google Books should be enough, because they have all these details. The ISBN is not really an authority because ISBNs may change over time.

ISBN change over times but for one book / edition they should be unique.

With my copy of Fredegar I have got issues to fill in the source.

The original edition was from 1960, Oxford University Press and with author and translator John Michael Wallace-Hadrill. The copyrights are:
(C) J. M. Wallace-Hadrill, 1960
(C) Oxford University Press, 1960

My copy is "Reprinted in 1981 by Greenwood Press" and the ISBN number 0-313-22741-1 seems to be connected with it.

Put the details as they are given in the actual, physical copy you have. If this book is available in the public domain as a PDF or HTML page, then you should prefer that, because it can be uploaded into the HED and accessed by all of us. But I couldn't find Fredegar's text online. Maybe you have a PDF or HTML page?

I took the data for the source from the older, original book from 1960 and mentioned the "Reprinted in 1981 by Greenwood Press" into the edition field. Together with the Amazon URL the book should be identifiable.

For Fredegar's text I have got only the book. I will try to scan and upload it as pdf asap. Hopefully this is OK because of the copyright.

There is an issue with some of the Fredegar entries. Originally zadig included them with his translations from a French book. Later on I edited them with Wallace-Hadrill's translations. I often left zadigs tranlations.

Following events have only my later additions: ID 660, 578
Following have zadigs and my quotes: ID 587, 583, 582

zadigs entries should be connected with a "source" "Histoire des Francs – Grégoire de Tours et Frédégaire". Should I make new entries for my additions or could you assign the entries to me?

 

[Dirgni]

FYI - I completed the source for the Kronk Cometography today. This source is connected to quite a lot events from 5 owners.

It is already frozen (event 488).

 

[Zadius Sky]

Thanks for getting it into Reviewing! You did a very good job, because you specified PDF URLs for Sources, and so I was able to quickly find all the excerpts at the correct page numbers. I've uploaded the PDFs to the Sources for others to easily access. Maybe you can upload PDFs in the future too?

However, I had to add 2 feedbacks because of formatting (for book titles, you should use the "Title" button instead of the "Italic" one), and so I had to fail the Review unfortunately. But you can quickly fix it, and then re-set your Event to Reviewing. After that I'll pass it. :D

Thanks. I thought I uploaded PDFs? It was on Source page in "PDF urls" field, or were you referring to the event page itself?

I just fixed the formatting and set it back to "reviewing". :)

 

[Palinurus]

Data, I dived into the project again after once more thoroughly studying your manual. I decided to first do proper research into the sources available, to complete now what I already had found out about a year ago and I immediately ran into big trouble again.

The works of Flavius Josephus are mentioned on the Loebolus list but they are not complete.

Missing are book 15-20 from Antiquities of the Jews (no PDF's available) which probably contain the translations NOT done by St. John Thackeray but by his assistant successors. Furthermore, the edition they found and used is from 1926 which is bi-lingual Greek-English and the PDF-file of the copy I inspected for try-out is not in the best of shape, but fairly readable.

For several reasons I won't go into now, this translation should be preferred above the one William Whiston made much earlier. Nevertheless, I didn't use it because of its rare availability. There are quite some differences between those two translations, although most of them are minor IMO.

The William Whiston translation that I did use is available in many versions and formats: as a rather obscure (edition wise) PDF-file from several 'Christian' websites (I've got one of those), in several Kindle editions (I've got one of those as well, but not the most recent), on several university websites (two of which I regularly consulted) and as a printed book in many editions (new and used alike; I have none of those).

I also did a search on the Archive website and got plenty results -- too much to handle in one evening. See for yourself here.

Please advise about the proper course of action.

Note: All quotes filed by me in the database are from the Kindle edition of 2010, which is already mentioned in the Source but only for Antiquities of the Jews, astonishingly; not for Wars of the Jews and the minor works.

 

[shijing]

Data, I just submitted Event 133 to you for review -- I'll be waiting for your feedback to see what needs to be improved.

I edited both the Yeomans (1991) and Parkenier, Xu & Jiang (2008) sources -- I notice for the latter, that the system recreates it as "Xu,, David W. Pankenier, Zhentao & Jiang, Yaotiao" instead of the expected "Pankenier, David W., Zhentao Xu & Yaotiao Jiang". I thought maybe it was because the original source listed the authors as "David W. Pankenier, Zhentao Xu, and Yaotiao Jiang", and that the comma before the "and" messed it up. I'm locked out for now while you review, so just wanted to make a note of it.

 

[Mikey]

So should I set any of these events to the reviewing state, if I will just continue to update them in the future? Or would it be a good idea to focus on periods of Caesar's life in sequence, e.g., fully completing his early years, then moving on to his political career, then Gallic wars period, civil wars, and final years? That way, because the project is so big, we might be able to publish a "volume 1" that just focuses on Caesar's early years, then publish further volumes as the work gets completed.

I would go with focussing by time periods, e.g. his early life first, and then packing as much secondary and tertiary information as possible. The project we've undertaken is so big that we may get nowhere if we spread ourselves too thin. So yes, let's set as our aim to get a "Volume 1" ready -- the same applies for the "Chronicle of the Fall".

You don't have to get any Event into Reviewing for now if you expect to add more information later. But you can ask me to have a look at the entries. I can give you feedback nevertheless.