Abstract

Digital tools and methods have been central to the AnonymClassic project from the start: this is an effort to build a database of manuscripts of Kalīla wa-Dimna, and to create editions of their contents that reflect their participation in a sprawling, complex textual tradition. In order to pursue this work, we have needed to invest in the development of our own software solutions, as well as adapting pre-existing tools to fit our use cases. We have, for example, a multifaceted digital platform that enables us to curate metadata for the manuscripts that we have collected, and to transcribe their text in a consistent format.

What has become clear over time, however, is that a research project of this kind will benefit from digital infrastructure and workflows at many levels. One member of our team has written Python scripts for batch- processing images of manuscript folios. Another has built a simple web application that facilitates the comparative reading of passages in different published versions of Kalīla wa-Dimna. When we think of digital humanities research, we often have in mind the construction of large datasets and the analysis thereof with computational methods. Indeed, the AnonymClassic project fits that model in some ways. But there is a broader conversation to be had about the tools that we can develop and integrate into our work, as we become more thoroughly “digital humanists.”

In this panel, members of the AnonymClassic team will speak about their contributions to digital aspects of the project, from architecting our core infrastructure to workaday scripting.

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