Definition of the
CIDOC
Conceptual Reference Model

Produced by the ICOM/CIDOC
Documentation Standards Group,
continued by the
CIDOC CRM Special Interest Group

Version 3.4.9
30th November 2003

Editors: Nick Crofts, Martin Doerr, Tony Gill, Stephen Stead, Matthew Stiff.

Copyright © 2003 ICOM/CIDOC CRM Special Interest GroupTable of Contents

Introduction.............................................................................................................................................................. i
Objectives of the CIDOC CRM ............................................................................................................................... i
Scope of the CIDOC CRM ..................................................................................................................................... ii
Compatibility with the CRM................................................................................................................................... ii
Applied Form ......................................................................................................................................................... iii
Terminology .........................................................................................................................iii
Property Quantifiers..............................................................................................................viii
Naming Conventions ............................................................................................................... x
Modelling principles ............................................................................................................................................... x
Monotonicity .......................................................................................................................... x
Minimality ............................................................................................................................ xi
Shortcuts .............................................................................................................................. xi
Disjointness .......................................................................................................................... xi
About Types.......................................................................................................................... xi
Extensions ........................................................................................................................... xii
Coverage ............................................................................................................................. xii
Examples.............................................................................................................................................................. xiii
Class & Property Hierarchies................................................................................................................................ xv
CIDOC CRM Class Hierarchy .................................................................................................... xvi
CIDOC CRM Property Hierarchy: .............................................................................................xviii
CIDOC CRM Class Declarations............................................................................................................................ 1
E1 CRM Entity ....................................................................................................................... 2E2 Temporal Entity ................................................................................................................. 2E3 Condition State................................................................................................................... 3E4 Period ............................................................................................................................... 3E5 Event................................................................................................................................ 4E6 Destruction ........................................................................................................................ 4E7 Activity ............................................................................................................................ 5E8 Acquisition Event ............................................................................................................... 6
E9 Move................................................................................................................................ 6
E10 Transfer of Custody ........................................................................................................... 7
E11 Modification Event............................................................................................................ 7
E12 Production Event .............................................................................................................. 8
E13 Attribute Assignment ......................................................................................................... 8
E14 Condition Assessment ........................................................................................................ 9
E15 Identifier Assignment......................................................................................................... 9
E16 Measurement Event ......................................................................................................... 10E17 Type Assignment ............................................................................................................ 10
E18 Physical Stuff ................................................................................................................. 11
E19 Physical Object............................................................................................................... 11E20 Biological Object ............................................................................................................ 12
E21 Person........................................................................................................................... 12E22 Man-Made Object ........................................................................................................... 13
E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff ................................................................................................. 13E25 Man-Made Feature .......................................................................................................... 13
E26 Physical Feature.............................................................................................................. 14
E27 Site .............................................................................................................................. 14
E28 Conceptual Object ........................................................................................................... 15

E29 Design or Procedure ........................................................................................................ 15
E30 Right ............................................................................................................................ 16
E31 Document ...................................................................................................................... 16
E32 Authority Document ........................................................................................................ 16
E33 Linguistic Object ............................................................................................................ 17
E34 Inscription ..................................................................................................................... 17
E35 Title ............................................................................................................................. 18
E36 Visual Item .................................................................................................................... 18
E37 Mark ............................................................................................................................ 19
E38 Image ........................................................................................................................... 19
E39 Actor ............................................................................................................................ 19
E40 Legal Body .................................................................................................................... 20
E41 Appellation .................................................................................................................... 20
E42 Object Identifier.............................................................................................................. 21
E44 Place Appellation ............................................................................................................ 21
E45 Address ......................................................................................................................... 21
E46 Section Definition ........................................................................................................... 22
E47 Spatial Coordinates ......................................................................................................... 22
E48 Place Name .................................................................................................................... 23
E49 Time Appellation ............................................................................................................ 23
E50 Date ............................................................................................................................. 23
E51 Contact Point ................................................................................................................. 23
E52 Time-Span ..................................................................................................................... 24
E53 Place ............................................................................................................................ 24
E54 Dimension ..................................................................................................................... 25
E55 Type ............................................................................................................................. 26
E56 Language....................................................................................................................... 27
E57 Material ........................................................................................................................ 27
E58 Measurement Unit ........................................................................................................... 27
E59 Primitive Value .............................................................................................................. 28
E60 Number ......................................................................................................................... 28
E61 Time Primitive ............................................................................................................... 29
E62 String............................................................................................................................ 29
E63 Beginning of Existence .................................................................................................... 29
E64 End of Existence ............................................................................................................. 30
E65 Creation Event................................................................................................................ 30
E66 Formation Event ............................................................................................................. 30
E67 Birth ............................................................................................................................. 31
E68 Dissolution .................................................................................................................... 31
E69 Death ............................................................................................................................ 31
E70 Stuff ............................................................................................................................. 32
E71 Man-Made Stuff ............................................................................................................. 32
E72 Legal Object .................................................................................................................. 32
E73 Information Object .......................................................................................................... 33
E74 Group ........................................................................................................................... 33
E75 Conceptual Object Appellation .......................................................................................... 34
E77 Persistent Item ................................................................................................................ 34
E78 Collection ...................................................................................................................... 35
E79 Part Addition.................................................................................................................. 35
E80 Part Removal ................................................................................................................. 36

E81 Transformation ............................................................................................................... 36
E82 Actor Appellation............................................................................................................ 37
E83 Type Creation................................................................................................................. 37
E84 Information Carrier ......................................................................................................... 37
CIDOC CRM Property Declarations..................................................................................................................... 39
P1 is identified by (identifies) .................................................................................................. 40
P2 has type (is type of) ........................................................................................................... 40
P3 has note........................................................................................................................... 40
P4 has time-span (is time-span of) ............................................................................................ 41
P5 consists of (forms part of) ................................................................................................... 41
P7 took place at (witnessed) .................................................................................................... 42
P8 took place on or within (witnessed) ...................................................................................... 42
P9 consists of (forms part of) ................................................................................................... 42
P10 falls within (contains) ....................................................................................................... 43
P11 had participant (participated in) .......................................................................................... 43
P12 occurred in the presence of (was present at) .......................................................................... 43
P13 destroyed (was destroyed by) ............................................................................................. 44P14 carried out by (performed) ................................................................................................ 44
P15 was influenced by (influenced) .......................................................................................... 44
P16 used specific object (was used for) ...................................................................................... 45
P17 was motivated by (motivated) ............................................................................................ 45
P19 was intended use of (was made for):.................................................................................... 45
P20 had specific purpose (was purpose of) ................................................................................. 46
P21 had general purpose (was purpose of) .................................................................................. 46
P22 transferred title to (acquired title through) ............................................................................ 46
P23 transferred title from (surrendered title through) .................................................................... 47
P24 transferred title of (changed ownership through) .................................................................... 47
P25 moved (moved by) .......................................................................................................... 47
P26 moved to (was destination of) ............................................................................................ 48
P27 moved from (was origin of) ............................................................................................... 48
P28 custody surrendered by (surrendered custody through)............................................................ 48
P29 custody received by (received custody through) .................................................................... 49
P30 transferred custody of (custody transferred through) ............................................................... 49
P31 has modified (was modified by) ......................................................................................... 49
P32 used general technique (was technique of) ............................................................................ 50
P33 used specific technique (was used by) ................................................................................. 50
P34 concerned (was assessed by).............................................................................................. 50
P35 has identified (identified by) .............................................................................................. 50
P36 registered (was registered by) ............................................................................................ 51
P37 assigned (was assigned by) ................................................................................................ 51
P38 deassigned (was deassigned by) ......................................................................................... 51P39 measured (was measured by): ............................................................................................ 52
P40 observed dimension (was observed in)................................................................................. 52
P41 classified (was classified by) ............................................................................................. 52
P42 assigned (was assigned by) ................................................................................................ 52
P43 has dimension (is dimension of) ......................................................................................... 53
P44 has condition (condition of) ............................................................................................... 53
P45 consists of (is incorporated in) ........................................................................................... 53P46 is composed of (forms part of) ........................................................................................... 54P47 is identified by (identifies) ................................................................................................ 54

P48 has preferred identifier (is preferred identifier of) .................................................................. 55
P49 has former or current keeper (is former or current keeper of).................................................... 55
P50 has current keeper (is current keeper of)............................................................................... 55
P51 has former or current owner (is former or current owner of) ..................................................... 56
P52 has current owner (is current owner of) ................................................................................ 56
P53 has former or current location (is former or current location of) ................................................ 56
P54 has current permanent location (is current permanent location of) ............................................. 57
P55 has current location (currently holds) .................................................................................. 57
P56 bears feature (is found on): ................................................................................................ 58
P57 has number of parts ......................................................................................................... 58
P58 has section definition (defines section) ................................................................................ 58
P59 has section (is located on or within) .................................................................................... 59
P62 depicts (is depicted by) ..................................................................................................... 59
P65 shows visual item (is shown by) ......................................................................................... 59
P67 refers to (is referred to by)................................................................................................. 60
P68 usually employs (is usually employed by): ........................................................................... 60
P69 is associated with ............................................................................................................ 61
P70 documents (is documented in)............................................................................................ 61
P71 lists (is listed in) .............................................................................................................. 61
P72 has language (is language of) ............................................................................................. 61
P73 has translation (is translation of) ......................................................................................... 62
P74 has current or former residence (is current or former residence of) ............................................ 62
P75 possesses (is possessed by) ................................................................................................ 62
P76 has contact point (provides access to) .................................................................................. 62
P78 is identified by (identifies) ................................................................................................ 63
P79 beginning is qualified by................................................................................................... 63P80 end is qualified by ........................................................................................................... 63
P81 ongoing throughout ......................................................................................................... 63
P82 at some time within ......................................................................................................... 64
P83 had at least duration (was minimum duration of) ................................................................... 64
P84 had at most duration (was maximum duration of) .................................................................. 64
P86 falls within (contains) ....................................................................................................... 64
P87 is identified by (identifies) ................................................................................................ 65
P88 consists of (forms part of) ................................................................................................. 65P89 falls within (contains) ....................................................................................................... 65
P90 has value ....................................................................................................................... 66
P91 has unit (is unit of) .......................................................................................................... 66
P92 brought into existence (was brought into existence by) ........................................................... 66
P93 took out of existence (was taken out of existence by).............................................................. 66
P94 has created (was created by) .............................................................................................. 67
P95 has formed (was formed by) .............................................................................................. 67
P96 by mother (gave birth) ...................................................................................................... 67
P97 from father (was father for) ............................................................................................... 68
P98 brought into life (was born) ............................................................................................... 68
P99 dissolved (was dissolved by) ............................................................................................. 68
P100 was death of (died in) ..................................................................................................... 69
P101 had as general use (was use of) ......................................................................................... 69
P102 has title (is title of) ......................................................................................................... 69
P103 was intended for (was intention of) ................................................................................... 69
P104 is subject to (applies to) .................................................................................................. 70

P105 right held by (has right on) .............................................................................................. 70
P106 is composed of (forms part of).......................................................................................... 70
P107 has current or former member (is current or former member of) .............................................. 71
P108 has produced (was produced by) ....................................................................................... 71
P109 has current or former curator (is current or former curator of) ................................................. 71
P110 augmented (was augmented by) ........................................................................................ 71
P111 added (was added by) ..................................................................................................... 72
P112 diminished (was diminished by) ....................................................................................... 72
P113 removed (was removed by) .............................................................................................. 72
P114 is equal in time to .......................................................................................................... 73
P115 finishes (is finished by) ................................................................................................... 73
P116 starts (is started by) ........................................................................................................ 73
P117 occurs during (includes) .................................................................................................. 73
P118 overlaps in time with (is overlapped in time by) ................................................................... 74
P119 meets in time with (is met in time by) ................................................................................ 74
P120 occurs before (occurs after) ............................................................................................. 74
P121 overlaps with ................................................................................................................ 75
P122 borders with ................................................................................................................. 75
P123 resulted in (resulted from) ............................................................................................... 75
P124 transformed (was transformed by) ..................................................................................... 76
P125 used object of type (was type of object used in) ................................................................... 76
P126 employed (was employed in) ........................................................................................... 76
P127 has broader term (has narrower term) ................................................................................ 76
P128 carries (is carried by) ...................................................................................................... 77
P129 is about (is subject of)..................................................................................................... 77
P130 shows features of (features are also found on) ..................................................................... 77
P131 is identified by (identifies) ............................................................................................... 78
P132 overlaps with ................................................................................................................ 78
P133 is separated from ........................................................................................................... 78
P134 continued (was continued by) ........................................................................................... 78
P135 created type (was created by) ........................................................................................... 79
P136 was based on (supported type creation) .............................................................................. 79
P137 is exemplified by (exemplifies) ........................................................................................ 79
P138 represents (has representation) ......................................................................................... 80
P139 has alternative form........................................................................................................ 80
P140 assigned attribute to (was attributed by) ............................................................................. 80
P141 assigned (was assigned by) .............................................................................................. 81
References:............................................................................................................................................................ 82
APPENDIX........................................................................................................................................................... 83
Editorial notes ....................................................................................................................................................... 83
Amendments to version 3.3 .................................................................................................................................. 84
Amendments to version 3.3.1................................................................................................................................ 85
Amendments to version 3.3.2................................................................................................................................ 86
Amendments to version 3.4 .................................................................................................................................. 90
Amendments to version 3.4.1................................................................................................................................ 93
Amendments to version 3.4.2................................................................................................................................ 93

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model
Introduction
This document is the formal definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model (“CRM”), a formal
ontology intended to facilitate the integration, mediation and interchange of heterogeneous cultural heritage
information. The CRM is the culmination of more than a decade of standards development work by theInternational Committee for Documentation (CIDOC) of the International Council of Museums (ICOM). Workon the CRM itself began in 1996 under the auspices of the ICOM-CIDOC Documentation Standards Working
Group. Since 2000, development of the CRM has been officially delegated by ICOM-CIDOC to the CIDOC
CRM Special Interest Group, which collaborates with the ISO working group ISO/TC46/SC4/WG9 to bring theCRM to the form and status of an International Standard.

Objectives of the CIDOC CRM
The primary role of the CRM is to enable information exchange and integration between heterogeneous sourcesof cultural heritage information. It aims at providing the semantic definitions and clarifications needed totransform disparate, localised information sources into a coherent global resource, be it within a larger
institution, in intranets or on the Internet.
Its perspective is supra-institutional and abstracted from any specific local context. This goal determines theconstructs and level of detail of the CRM.
More specifically, it defines and is restricted to the underlying semantics of database schemata and document
structures used in cultural heritage and museum documentation in terms of a formal ontology. It does not define
any of the terminology appearing typically as data in the respective data structures; however it foresees thecharacteristic relationships for its use. It does not aim at proposing what cultural institutions should document.
Rather it explains the logic of what they actually currently document, and thereby enables semanticinteroperability.
It intends to provide an optimal analysis of the intellectual structure of cultural documentation in logical terms.
As such, it is not optimised to implementation-specific storage and processing aspects. Rather, it provides themeans to understand the effects of such optimisations to the semantic accessibility of the respective contents.
The CRM aims to support the following specific functionalities:• Inform developers of information systems as a guide to good practice in conceptual modelling, in order
to effectively structure and relate information assets of cultural documentation.
• Serve as a common language for domain experts and IT developers to formulate requirements and toagree on system functionalities with respect to the correct handling of cultural contents.
• To serve as a formal language for the identification of common information contents in different data
formats; in particular to support the implementation of automatic data transformation algorithms fromlocal to global data structures without loss of meaning. The latter being useful for data exchange, data
migration from legacy systems, data information integration and mediation of heterogeneous sources.
• To support associative queries against integrated resources by providing a global model of the basic
classes and their associations to formulate such queries.
• It is further believed, that advanced natural language algorithms and case-specific heuristics can takesignificant advantage of the CRM to resolve free text information into a formal logical form, if that isregarded beneficial. The CRM is however not thought to be a means to replace scholarly text, rich inmeaning, by logical forms, but only a means to identify related data.
Users of the CRM should be aware that the definition of data entry systems requires support of communityspecific terminology, guidance to what should be documented and in which sequence, and application-specificconsistency controls. The CRM does not provide such notions.
By its very structure and formalism, the CRM is extensible and users are encouraged to create extensions for theneeds of more specialized communities and applications.

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference ModeliScope of the CIDOC CRM
The overall scope of the CIDOC CRM can be summarised in simple terms as the curated knowledge ofmuseums.
However, a more detailed and useful definition can be articulated by defining both the Intended Scope, a broad
and maximally-inclusive definition of general application principles, and the Practical Scope, which is expressedby the overall scope of a reference set of specific identifiable museum documentation standards and practices
that the CRM aims to encompass, however restricted in its details to the limitations of the Intended Scope.
The Intended Scope of the CRM may be defined as all information required for the exchange and integration ofheterogeneous scientific documentation of museum collections. This definition requires further elaboration:
•

•

•

•
•

The term “scientific documentation” is intended to convey the requirement that the depth and quality ofdescriptive information that can be handled by the CRM should be sufficient for serious academic
research. This does not mean that information intended for presentation to members of the generalpublic is excluded, but rather that the CRM is intended to provide the level of detail and precision
expected and required by museum professionals and researchers in the field.
The term “museum collections” is intended to cover all types of material collected and displayed bymuseums and related institutions, as defined by ICOM1. This includes collections, sites and monuments
relating to fields such as social history, ethnography, archaeology, fine and applied arts, natural history,
history of sciences and technology.
The documentation of collections includes the detailed description of individual items withincollections, groups of items and collections as a whole. The CRM is specifically intended to covercontextual information: the historical, geographical and theoretical background that gives museum
collections much of their cultural significance and value.
The exchange of relevant information with libraries and archives, and the harmonisation of the CRM
with their models, falls within the Intended Scope of the CRM.
Information required solely for the administration and management of cultural institutions, such as
information relating to personnel, accounting, and visitor statistics, falls outside the Intended Scope of
the CRM.

The Practical Scope2 of the CRM is expressed in terms of the current reference standards for museum
documentation that have been used to guide and validate the CRM’s development. The CRM covers the same
domain of discourse as the union of these reference standards; this means that data correctly encoded according
to any of these museum documentation standards can be expressed in a CRM-compatible form, without any lossof meaning.

Compatibility with the CRM
Users intending to take advantage of the semantic interoperability offered by the CRM may want to make partsof their data structures compatible with the CRM. The respective parts should pertain either to the associations
by which users would like their data to be accessible in an integrated environment, or to contents intended fortransport to other environments, so that the meaning encoded by its structure is preserved in another target
system.
In that sense, the CRM is not aimed at proposing a complete matching of user documentation structures with theCRM, nor that a user should always implement all CRM concepts and associations; rather it is intended to leaveroom for all kinds of extensions to capture the richness of cultural information, but also for simplifications forreasons of economy.
Further, the CRM is a means to interpret structured information in a way, so that large amounts of data contents
can be transformed or mediated automatically. As a consequence, the CRM aims not at resolving free text
information into a formal logical form. In other terms, it does not intend to provide more structuring than theusers have done before, and free text information does not fall under the scope of compatibility considerations.
1

The ICOM Statutes provide a definition of the term “museum” at http://icom.museum/statutes.html#2
The Practical Scope of the CIDOC CRM, including a list of the relevant museum documentation standards, isdiscussed in more detail on the CIDOC CRM website at http://cidoc.ics.forth.gr/scope.html
2

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

ii

The CRM foresees however the associations to transport such information in relation to structured information.
The CRM is a formal ontology, expressible in terms of logic or a suitable knowledge representation language. Its
concepts can be instantiated as sets of statements that form models of the assumed reality referred to in a
structured document. Any encoding of CRM instances in a formal language that preserves the relations to theCRM classes, properties and inheritance rules among them is regarded a “CRM-compatible form”.
A part of a documentation structure is compatible with the CRM, if a deterministic logical algorithm can befound, that transforms any data correctly encoded in this structure into a CRM-compatible form without loss of
meaning. No assumptions are made about the nature of this algorithm. It may in particular draw on other formal
ontologies expressing background knowledge such as thesauri. The algorithm itself can only be found andverified intellectually by understanding the meaning intended by the designer of the data structure and the CRM
concepts. By the term “correctly encoded” we mean that the data are encoded so that the meaning intended by
the designer of the data structure is correctly applied to the intended meaning of the data.
Information system implementers may choose to provide export facilities of selected data into a CRMcompatible form. They may further choose to provide a service to access selected data by querying with CRM
concepts. It is not regarded a loss of compatibility, if certain subclasses and subproperties of the CRM are notsupported in such a service. In that case it is regarded essential that the services publishes the set of CRM
concepts it supports.

Applied Form
The CRM is a domain ontology in the sense used in computer science. It has been expressed as an objectoriented semantic model, in the hope that this formulation will be comprehensible to both documentation experts
and information scientists alike, while at the same time being readily converted to machine-readable formats
such as RDF Schema, KIF, DAML+OIL, OWL, STEP, etc. It can be implemented in any Relational or objectoriented schema. CRM instances can also be encoded in RDF, XML, DAML+OIL, OWL and others.
Although the definition of the CRM provided here is complete, it is an intentionally compact and concise
presentation of the CRM’s 81 classes and 132 unique properties. It does not attempt to articulate the inheritanceof properties by subclasses throughout the class hierarchy (this would require the declaration of several thousandproperties, as opposed to 132). However, this definition does contain all of the information necessary to infer andautomatically generate a full declaration of all properties, including inherited properties.
Terminology
The following definitions of key terminology used in this document are provided both as an aid to readers
unfamiliar with object-oriented modelling terminology, and to specify the precise usage of terms that are
sometimes applied inconsistently across the object oriented modelling community for the purpose of thisdocument. Where applicable, the editors have tried to consistently use terminology that is compatible with that of
the Resource Description Framework (RDF)3, a recommendation of the World Wide Web Consortium. The
editors have tried to find a language which is comprehensible to the non-computer expert and precise enough forthe computer expert so that both understand the intended meaning.
Class

3

A class is a category of items that share one or more common traits serving as criteria to
identify the items belonging to the class. These properties need not be explicitly
formulated in logical terms, but may be described in a text (here called a scope note) thatrefers to a common conceptualisation of domain experts. The sum of these traits is called
the intension of the class. A class may be the domain or range of none, one or more
properties formally defined in a model. The formally defined properties need not be part ofthe intension of their domains or ranges: such properties are optional. An item that belongs
to a class is called an instance of this class. A class is associated with an open set of reallife instances, known as the extension of the class. Here “open” is used in the sense that it
is generally beyond our capabilities to know all instances of a class in the world and indeed
that the future may bring new instances about at any time (Open World). Therefore a classcannot be defined by enumerating its instances. A class plays a role analogous to agrammatical noun, and can be completely defined without reference to any other construct

Information about the Resource Description Framework (RDF) can be found at http://www.w3.org/RDF/

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Modeliii

(unlike properties, which must have an unambiguously defined domain and range). In somecontexts, the terms individual class, entity or node are used synonymously with class.
For example:
Person is a class. To be a Person may actually be determined by DNA characteristics, but
we all know what a Person is. A Person may have the property of being a member of aGroup, but it is not necessary to be member of a Group in order to be a Person. We shallnever know all Persons of the past. There will be more Persons in the future.
subclass

A subclass is a class that is a specialization of another class (its superclass). Specializationor the IsA relationship means that:
1. all instances of the subclass are also instances of its superclass,2. the intension of the subclass extends the intension of its superclass, i.e. its traits
are more restrictive than that of its superclass and3. the subclass inherits the definition of all of the properties declared for its
superclass without exceptions (strict inheritance), in addition to having none, one
or more properties of its own.
A subclass can have more than one immediate superclass and consequently inherits theproperties of all of its superclasses (multiple inheritance). The IsA relationship or
specialization between two or more classes gives rise to a structure known as a classhierarchy. The IsA relationship is transitive and may not be cyclic. In some contexts (e.g.
the programming language C++) the term derived class is used synonymously with
subclass.
For example:
Every Person IsA Biological Object, or Person is a subclass of Biological Object.
Also, every Person IsA Actor. A Person may die. However other kinds of Actors, such ascompanies, don’t die (c.f. 2).
Every Biological Object IsA Physical Object. A Physical Object can be moved. Hence a
Person can be moved also (c.f. 3).

superclass

A superclass is a class that is a generalization of one or more other classes (its subclasses),
which means that it subsumes all instances of its subclasses, and that it can also haveadditional instances that do not belong to any of its subclasses. The intension of thesuperclass is less restrictive than any of its subclasses. This subsumption relationship or
generalization is the inverse of the IsA relationship or specialization.
In some contexts (e.g. the programming language C++) the term parent class is usedsynonymously with superclass.
For example:“Biological Object subsumes Person” is synonymous with “Biological Object is asuperclass of Person”. It needs fewer traits to identify an item as a Biological Object than
to identify it as a Person.

intension

The intension of a class or property is its intended meaning. It consists of one or morecommon traits shared by all instances of the class or property. These traits need not be
explicitly formulated in logical terms, but may just be described in a text (here called ascope note) that refers to a conceptualisation common to domain experts. In particular theso-called primitive concepts, which make up most of the CRM, cannot be further reduced
to other concepts by logical terms.

extension

The extension of a class is the set of all real life instances belonging to the class that fulfil
the criteria of its intension. This set is “open” in the sense that it is generally beyond ourcapabilities to know all instances of a class in the world and indeed that the future may
bring new instances about at any time (Open World). An information system may at any
point in time refer to some instances of a class, which form a subset of its extension.

scope note

A scope note is a textual description of the intension of a class or property.
Scope notes are not formal modelling constructs, but are provided to help explain theintended meaning and application of the CRM’s classes and properties. Basically, they

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Modeliv

refer to a conceptualisation common to domain experts and disambiguate between different
possible interpretations. Illustrative example instances of classes and properties are also
regularly provided in the scope notes for explanatory purposes.
instance

An instance of a class is an item that has the traits that match the criteria of the intensionof the class.
For example:
The painting known as the “The Mona Lisa” is an instance of the class Physical Man Made
Object.
An instance of a property is a factual relation between an instance of the domain and an
instance of the range of the property that matches the criteria of the intension of theproperty.
For example:“The Louvre is current owner of The Mona Lisa” is an instance of the property “is current
owner of”.

property

A property serves to define a relationship of a specific kind between two classes. The
property is characterized by an intension, which is conveyed by a scope note. A property
plays a role analogous to a grammatical verb, in that it must be defined with reference toboth its domain and range, which are analogous to the subject and object in grammar(unlike classes, which can be defined independently). It is arbitrary, which class is selected
as the domain, just as the choice between active and passive voice in grammar is arbitrary.
In other words, a property can be interpreted in both directions, with two distinct, but
related interpretations. Properties may themselves have properties that relate to otherclasses (This feature is used in this model only in order to describe dynamic subtyping ofproperties). Properties can also be specialized in the same manner as classes, resulting in
IsA relationships between subproperties and their superproperties.
In some contexts, the terms attribute, reference, link, role or slot are used synonymouslywith property.
For example:“Physical Man-Made Stuff depicts CRM Entity” is equivalent to “CRM Entity is depictedby Physical Man-Made Stuff”.

subproperty

A subproperty is a property that is a specialization of another property (itssuperproperty). Specialization or IsA relationship means that:
1. all instances of the subproperty are also instances of its superproperty,
2. the intension of the subproperty extends the intension of the superproperty, i.e. its
traits are more restrictive than that of its superproperty,
3. the domain of the subproperty is the same as the domain of its superproperty or a
subclass of that domain,
4. the range of the subproperty is the same as the range of its superproperty or a
subclass of that range,
5. the subproperty inherits the definition of all of the properties declared for its
superproperty without exceptions (strict inheritance), in addition to having none,
one or more properties of its own.
A subproperty can have more than one immediate superproperty and consequently inherits
the properties of all of its superproperties (multiple inheritance). The IsA relationship or
specialization between two or more properties gives rise to the structure we call a property
hierarchy. The IsA relationship is transitive and may not be cyclic.
Some object-oriented languages, such as C++, have no equivalent to the specialization ofproperties.

superproperty

A superproperty is a property that is a generalization of one or more other properties (itssubproperties), which means that it subsumes all instances of its subproperties, and that it
can also have additional instances that do not belong to any of its subproperties. The
intension of the superproperty is less restrictive than any of its subproperties. The

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Modelvsubsumption relationship or generalization is the inverse of the IsA relationship or
specialization.
domainThe domain is the class for which a property is formally defined. This means that
instances of the property are applicable to instances of its domain class. A property musthave exactly one domain, although the domain class may always contain instances forwhich the property is not instantiated. The domain class is analogous to the grammaticalsubject of the phrase for which the property is analogous to the verb. It is arbitrary, whichclass is selected as the domain and which as the range, just as the choice between active
and passive voice in grammar is arbitrary. Property names in the CRM are designed to besemantically meaningful and grammatically correct when read from domain to range. In
addition, the inverse property name, normally given in parentheses, is also designed to besemantically meaningful and grammatically correct when read from range to domain.

range

The range is the class that comprises all potential values of a property. That means that
instances of the property can link only to instances of its range class. A property must haveexactly one range, although the range class may always contain instances that are not thevalue of the property. The range class is analogous to the grammatical object of a phrase
for which the property is analogous to the verb. It is arbitrary, which class is selected as
domain and which as range, just as the choice between active and passive voice ingrammar is arbitrary. Property names in the CRM are designed to be semanticallymeaningful and grammatically correct when read from domain to range. In addition the
inverse property name, normally given in parentheses, is also designed to be semanticallymeaningful and grammatically correct when read from range to domain.

inheritance

Inheritance of properties from superclasses to subclasses means that if an item x is an
instance of a class A, then
1. all properties that must hold for the instances of any of the superclasses of A mustalso hold for item x, andall optional properties that may hold for the instances of any of the superclasses of A may
also hold for item x.

strictinheritance

Strict inheritance means that there are no exceptions to the inheritance of properties fromsuperclasses to subclasses. For instance, some systems may declare that elephants are
grey, and regard a white elephant as an exception. Under strict inheritance it would hold
that: if all elephants were grey, then a white elephant could not be an elephant. Obviously
not all elephants are grey. To be grey is not part of the intension of the concept elephant
but an optional property. The CRM applies strict inheritance as a normalization principle.

multipleinheritanceMultiple inheritance means that a class A may have more than one immediate superclass.
The extension of a class with multiple immediate superclasses is a subset of theintersection of all extensions of its superclasses. The intension of a class with multiple
immediate superclasses extends the intensions of all its superclasses, i.e. its traits are more
restrictive than any of its superclasses. If multiple inheritance is used, the resulting “classhierarchy” is a directed graph and not a tree structure. If it is represented as an indented list,
there are necessarily repetitions of the same class at different positions in the list.
For example, Person is both, an Actor and a Biological Object.

instance

An instance of a class is a real world item that fulfils the criteria of the intension of theclass. Note, that the number of instances declared for a class in an information system istypically less than the total in the real world. For example, you are an instance of Person,
but you are not mentioned in all information systems describing Persons.

endurant,
perdurant“The difference between enduring and perduring entities (which we shall also callendurants and perdurants) is related to their behaviour in time. Endurants are whollypresent (i.e., all their proper parts are present) at any time they are present. Perdurants, on
the other hand, just extend in time by accumulating different temporal parts, so that, at any
time they are present, they are only partially present, in the sense that some of their proper
temporal parts (e.g., their previous or future phases) may be not present. E.g., the piece of
paper you are reading now is wholly present, while some temporal parts of your reading

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Modelviare not present any more. Philosophers say that endurants are entities that are in time, while
lacking however temporal parts (so to speak, all their parts flow with them in time).
Perdurants, on the other hand, are entities that happen in time, and can have temporal parts(all their parts are fixed in time).” (Gangemi et al. 2002, pp. 166-181).
shortcut

A shortcut is a formally defined single property that represents a deduction or join of adata path in the CRM. The scope notes of all properties characterized as shortcuts describe
in words the equivalent deduction. Shortcuts are introduced for the cases where common
documentation practice refers only to the deduction rather than to the fully developed path.
For example, museums often only record the dimension of an object without documenting
the Measurement Event that observed it. The CRM allows shortcuts as cases of lessdetailed knowledge, while preserving in its schema the relationship to the full information.

monotonic
reasoning

Monotonic reasoning is a term from knowledge representation. A reasoning form ismonotonic if an addition to the set of propositions making up the knowledge base neverdetermines a decrement in the set of conclusions that may be derived from the knowledge
base via inference rules. In practical terms, if experts enter subsequently correct statements
to an information system, the system should not regard any results from those statements asinvalid, when a new one is entered. The CRM is designed for monotonic reasoning and soenables conflict-free merging of huge stores of knowledge.

disjoint

Classes are disjoint if the intersection of their extensions is an empty set. In other words,
they have no common instances in any possible world.

primitive

The term primitive as used in knowledge representation characterizes a concept that isdeclared and its meaning is agreed upon, but that is not defined by a logical deduction fromother concepts. For example, mother may be described as a female human with child. Thenmother is not a primitive concept. Event however is a primitive concept.
Most of the CRM is made up of primitive concepts.

Open World

The “Open World Assumption” is a term from knowledge base systems. It characterizes
knowledge base systems that assume the information stored is incomplete relative to theuniverse of discourse they intend to describe. This incompleteness may be due to theinability of the maintainer to provide sufficient information or due to more fundamental
problems of cognition in the system’s domain. Such problems are characteristic of cultural
information systems. Our records about the past are necessarily incomplete. In addition,
there may be items that cannot be clearly assigned to a given class.
In particular, absence of a certain property for an item described in the system does notmean that this item does not have this property. For example, if one item is described as
Biological Object and another as Physical Object, this does not imply that the latter may
not be a Biological Object as well. Therefore complements of a class with respect to asuperclass cannot be concluded in general from an information system using the OpenWorld Assumption. For example, one cannot list “all Physical Objects known to the systemthat are not Biological Objects in the real world”, but one may of course list “all items
known to the system as Physical Objects but that are not known to the system as Biological
Objects”.

complement

The complement of a class A with respect to one of its superclasses B is the set of all
instances of B that are not instances of A. Formally, it is the set-theoretic difference of theextension of B minus the extension of A. Compatible extensions of the CRM should notdeclare any class with the intension of them being the complement of one or more otherclasses. To do so will normally violate the desire to describe an Open World. For
example, for all possible cases of human gender, male should not be declared as thecomplement of female or vice versa. What if someone is both or even of another kind?

query containment

Query containment is a problem from database theory: A query X contains another queryY, if for each possible population of a database the answer set to query X contains also theanswer set to query Y. If query X and Y were classes, then X would be superclass of Y.

interoperability

Interoperability means the capability of different information systems to communicate

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Modelvii

some of their contents. In particular, it may mean that
1. two systems can exchange information, and/or
2. multiple systems can be accessed with a single method.
Generally, syntactic interoperability is distinguished from semantic interoperability.
Syntactic interoperability means that the information encoding of the involved systems andthe access protocols are compatible, so that information can be processed as describedabove without error. However, this does not mean that each system processes the data in amanner consistent with the intended meaning. For example, one system may use a tablecalled “Actor” and another one called “Agent”. With syntactic interoperability, data fromboth tables may only be retrieved as distinct, even though they may have exactly the same
meaning. To overcome this situation, semantic interoperability has to be added. The CRM
relies on existing syntactic interoperability and is concerned only with adding semanticinteroperability.
semantic
interoperability

Semantic interoperability means the capability of different information systems tocommunicate information consistent with the intended meaning. In more detail, theintended meaning encompasses
1. the data structure elements involved,
2. the terminology appearing as data and3. the identifiers used in the data for factual items such as places, people, objects etc.
Obviously communication about data structure must be resolved first. In this caseconsistent communication means that data can be transferred between data structureelements with the same intended meaning or that data from elements with the same
intended meaning can be merged. In practice, the different levels of generalization indifferent systems do not allow the achievement of this ideal. Therefore semanticinteroperability is regarded as achieved if elements can be found that provide a reasonably
close generalization for the transfer or merge. This problem is being studied theoretically as
the query containment problem. The CRM is only concerned with semanticinteroperability on the level of data structure elements.

propertyquantifiers

We use the term property quantifiers for the declaration of the allowed number of
instances of a certain property that an instance of its range or domain may have. These
declarations are ontological, i.e. they refer to the nature of the real world described and not
to our current knowledge. For example, each person has exactly one father, but collected
knowledge may refer to none, one or many.

universal

The fundamental ontological distinction between universals and particulars can beinformally understood by considering their relationship with instantiation: particulars areentities that have no instances in any possible world; universals are entities that do haveinstances. Classes and properties (corresponding to predicates in a logical language) areusually considered to be universals. (after Gangemi et al. 2002, pp. 166-181).

Property Quantifiers
Quantifiers for properties are provided for the purpose of semantic clarification only, and should not be treatedas implementation recommendations. The CRM has been designed to accommodate alternative opinions andincomplete information, and therefore all properties should be implemented as optional and repeatable for their
domain and range (“many to many (0,n:0,n)”). Therefore the term “cardinality constraints” is avoided here, as it
typically pertains to implementations.
The following table lists all possible property quantifiers occurring in this document by their notation, together
with an explanation in plain words. In order to provide optimal clarity, two widely accepted notations are used
redundantly in this document, a verbal and a numeric one. The verbal notation uses phrases such as “one tomany”, and the numeric one, expressions such as “(0,n:0,1)”. While the terms “one”, “many” and “necessary”
are quite intuitive, the term “dependent” denotes a situation where a range instance cannot exist without an
instance of the respective property. In other words, the property is “necessary” for its range.

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Modelviii

many to many
(0,n:0,n)

Unconstrained: An individual domain instance and range instance of this property can havezero, one or more instances of this property. In other words, this property is optional andrepeatable for its domain and range.

one to many
(0,n:0,1)

An individual domain instance of this property can have zero, one or more instances of thisproperty, but an individual range instance cannot be referenced by more than one instance of
this property. In other words, this property is optional for its domain and range, but repeatablefor its domain only. In some contexts this situation is called a “fan-out”.

many to one(0,1:0,n)

An individual domain instance of this property can have zero or one instance of this property,
but an individual range instance can be referenced by zero, one or more instances of thisproperty. In other words, this property is optional for its domain and range, but repeatable for
its range only. In some contexts this situation is called a “fan-in”.

many to many,necessary(1,n:0,n)

An individual domain instance of this property can have one or more instances of thisproperty, but an individual range instance can have zero, one or more instances of thisproperty. In other words, this property is necessary and repeatable for its domain, andoptional and repeatable for its range.

one to many,necessary(1,n:0,1)

An individual domain instance of this property can have one or more instances of thisproperty, but an individual range instance cannot be referenced by more than one instance of
this property. In other words, this property is necessary and repeatable for its domain, andoptional but not repeatable for its range. In some contexts this situation is called a “fan-out”.

many to one,necessary(1,1:0,n)

An individual domain instance of this property must have exactly one instance of thisproperty, but an individual range instance can be referenced by zero, one or more instances ofthis property. In other words, this property is necessary and not repeatable for its domain, andoptional and repeatable for its range. In some contexts this situation is called a “fan-in”.

one to many,
dependent(0,n:1,1)

An individual domain instance of this property can have zero, one or more instances of thisproperty, but an individual range instance must be referenced by exactly one instance of thisproperty. In other words, this property is optional and repeatable for its domain, but necessaryand not repeatable for its range. In some contexts this situation is called a “fan-out”.

one to many,necessary,dependent(1,n:1,1)

An individual domain instance of this property can have one or more instances of thisproperty, but an individual range instance must be referenced by exactly one instance of thisproperty. In other words, this property is necessary and repeatable for its domain, andnecessary but not repeatable for its range. In some contexts this situation is called a “fan-out”.

many to one,necessary,dependent(1,1:1,n)

An individual domain instance of this property must have exactly one instance of thisproperty, but an individual range instance can be referenced by one or more instances of thisproperty. In other words, this property is necessary and not repeatable for its domain, andnecessary and repeatable for its range. In some contexts this situation is called a “fan-in”.

one to one(1,1:1,1)

An individual domain instance and range instance of this property must have exactly one
instance of this property. In other words, this property is necessary and not repeatable for its
domain and for its range.

The CRM defines some properties as being necessary for their domain or as being dependent from their range,
following the definitions in the table above. Note that if such a property is not specified for an instance of therespective domain or range, it means that the property exists, but the value on one side of the property is
unknown. In the case of optional properties, the methodology proposed by the CRM does not distinguishbetween a value being unknown or the property not being applicable at all. For example, one may know that an
object has an owner, but the owner is unknown. In a CRM instance this case cannot be distinguished from thefact that the object has no owner at all. Of course, such details can always be specified by a textual note.

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Modelix

Naming Conventions
The following naming conventions have been applied throughout the CRM:
• Classes are identified by numbers preceded by the letter “E” (historically classes were sometimes referred toas “Entities”), and are named using noun phrases (nominal groups) using title case (initial capitals). For
example, E63 Beginning of Existence.
• Properties are identified by numbers preceded by the letter “P,” and are named in both directions using verbal
phrases in lower case. Properties with the character of states are named in the present tense, such as “hastype”, whereas properties related to events are named in past tense, such as “carried out.” For example, P126
employed (was employed by).
• Property names should be read in their non-parenthetical form for the domain-to-range direction, and inparenthetical form for the range-to-domain direction.
• Properties with a range that is a subclass of E59 Primitive Value (such as E1 CRM Entity. P2 has note: E62
String, for example) have no parenthetical name form, because reading the property name in the range-todomain direction is not regarded as meaningful.
• Properties that have identical domain and range are either symmetric or transitive. Instantiating a symmetricproperty implies that the same relation holds for both the domain-to-range and the range-to-domain
directions. An example of this is E53 Place. P122 borders with: E53 Place. The names of symmetricproperties have no parenthetical form, because reading in the range-to-domain direction is the same as thedomain-to-range reading. Transitive asymmetric properties, such as E4 Period. P9 consist of (forms part of):
E4 Period, have a parenthetical form that relates to the meaning of the inverse direction.
• The choice of the domain of properties, and hence the order of their names, are established in accordancewith the following priority list:• Temporal Entity and its subclasses• Stuff and its subclasses• Actor and its subclasses• OtherModelling principles
The following modelling principles have guided and informed the development of the CIDOC CRM.
Monotonicity
Because the CRM’s primary role is the meaningful integration of information in an Open World, it aims to be
monotonic in the sense of Domain Theory. That is, the existing CRM constructs and the deductions made fromthem must always remain valid and well-formed, even as new constructs are added by extensions to the CRM.
For example:
One may add a subclass of E7 Activity to describe the practice of an instance of group to use a certain name for aplace over a certain time-span. By this extension, no existing IsA Relationships or property inheritances arecompromised.
In addition, the CRM aims to enable the formal preservation of monotonicity when augmenting a particular
CRM compatible system. That is, existing CRM instances, their properties and deductions made from them,should always remain valid and well-formed, even as new instances, regarded as consistent by the domain
expert, are added to the system.
For example:
If someone describes correctly that an item is an instance of E19 Physical Object, and later it is correctly
characterized as an instance of E20 Biological Object, the system should not stop treating it as an instance of E19
Physical Object.
In order to formally preserve monotonicity for the frequent cases of alternative opinions, all formally definedproperties should be implemented as unconstrained (many:many) so that conflicting instances of properties are
merely accumulated. Thus knowledge integrated following the CRM serves as a research base, accumulating
Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Modelxrelevant alternative opinions around well-defined entities, whereas conclusions about the truth are the task of
open-ended scientific or scholarly hypothesis building.
For example:
El Greco and even King Arthur should always remain an instance of E21 Person and be dealt with as existing
within the sense of our discourse, once they are entered into our knowledge base. Alternative opinions aboutproperties, such as their birthplaces and their living places, should be accumulated without validity decisions
being made during data compilation.
Minimality
Although the scope of the CRM is very broad, the model itself is constructed as economically as possible.
• A class is not declared unless it is required as the domain or range of a property not appropriate to its
superclass, or it is a key concept in the practical scope.
• CRM classes and properties that share a superclass are non-exclusive by default. For example, an object
may be both an instance of E20 Biological Object and E22 Man-made Object.
• CRM classes and properties are either primitive, or they are key concepts in the practical scope.
• Complements of CRM classes are not declared.
Shortcuts
Some properties are declared as shortcuts of longer, more comprehensively articulated paths that connect thesame domain and range classes as the shortcut property via one or more intermediate classes. For example, theproperty E18 Physical Stuff. P52 has current owner (is current owner of): E39 Actor, is a shortcut for a fully
articulated path from E18 Physical Stuff through E8 Acquisition to E39 Actor. An instance of the fullyarticulated path always implies an instance of the shortcut property. However, the inverse may not be true; aninstance of the fully-articulated path cannot always be inferred from an instance of the shortcut property.
The class E13 Attribute Assignment allows for the documentation of how the assignment of any property cameabout, and whose opinion it was, even in cases of properties not explicitly characterized as “shortcuts”.
Disjointness
Classes are disjoint if they share no common instances in any possible world. There are many examples of
disjoint classes in the CRM.
A comprehensive declaration of all possible disjoint class combinations afforded by the CRM has not been
provided here; it would be of questionable practical utility, and may easily become inconsistent with the goal ofproviding a concise definition. However, there are two key examples of disjoint class pairs that are fundamental
to effective comprehension of the CRM:
• E2 Temporal Entity is disjoint from E77 Persistent Item. Instances of the class E2 Temporal Entity are
perdurants, whereas instances of the class E77 Persistent Item are endurants. Even though instances of
E77 Persistent Item have a limited existence in time, they are fundamentally different in nature frominstances of E2 Temporal Entity, because they preserve their identity between events. Declaring endurants
and perdurants as disjoint classes is consistent with the distinctions made in data structures that fall within
the CRM’s practical scope.
• E18 Physical Stuff is disjoint from E28 Conceptual Object. The distinction is between material andimmaterial items, the latter being exclusively man-made. Instances of E18 Physical Stuff and E28
Conceptual Object differ in many fundamental ways; for example, the production of instances of E18
Physical Stuff implies the incorporation of physical material, whereas the production of instances of E28
Conceptual Object does not. Similarly, instances of E18 Physical Stuff cease to exist when destroyed,
whereas an instance of E28 Conceptual Object perishes when it is forgotten or its last physical carrier isdestroyed.
About Types
Virtually all structured descriptions of museum objects begin with a unique object identifier and information
about the “type” of the object, often in a set of fields with names like “Object Type,” “Object Name,”“Category,” “Classification,” etc. All these fields are used for terms that declare that the object is a member of aparticular class or category of items, and are described by the CRM as instances of E55 Type. Since the instancesof this class are themselves classes, E55 Type is in fact a metaclass.
Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

xi

The class E1 CRM Entity is the domain of the property P2 has type (is type of), which has the range E55 Type.
Consequently, every class in the CRM, with the exception of E59 Primitive Value, inherits the property P2 has
type (is type of). This provides a general mechanism for refining the classification of CRM instances to any levelof detail, by linking to external vocabulary sources, thesauri, classification schema or ontologies that function asextensions to the CRM class and property hierarchies. The external vocabularies do not themselves fall within
the scope of the CRM.
The class E55 Type also serves as the range of properties that relate to categorical knowledge commonly foundin cultural documentation. For example, the property P125 used object of type (was type of object used in)enables the CRM to express statements such as “this casting was produced using a mould”, meaning that there
has been an unknown or unmentioned instance of “mould” that was actually used. This enables the specificinstance of the casting to be associated with the entire class of manufacturing devices known as moulds. Further,
the objects of type “mould” would be related via P2 has type (is type of) to this term. This indirect relationshipmay actually help in detecting the unknown object in an integrated environment. On the other side, some casting
may refer directly to a known mould via P16 used specific object (was used for). So a statistical question to how
many objects in a certain collection are made with moulds could be answered correctly (following both paths
through P16 used specific object (was used for) - P2 has type (is type of) and P125 used object of type (was typeof object used in). This consistent treatment of categorical knowledge significantly enhances the CRM’s ability
to integrate cultural knowledge.
Some properties in the CRM are associated with an additional property. These are numbered in the CRM
documentation with a ".1" extension. These do not appear in the property hierarchy list but are included as partof the property declarations and referred to in the class declarations. For example, P62.1 mode of depiction: E55
Type is associated with E24 Physical Man-made Stuff. P62 depicts (is depicted by): E1 CRM Entity. The range ofthese properties of properties always falls within the type hierarchy E55 Type. Their purpose is to allow dynamic
extensions to their parent property through the use of property subtypes declared as instances of E55 Type. Thisfunction is analogous to that of the P2 has type (is type of) property, which all CRM classes inherit from E1
CRM Entity. System implementations and schemas that do not support properties of properties may use dynamic
subtyping of the parent properties instead.
Finally, types play a central role in the history of human understanding; they are intellectual products, anddocumentation about the history and justification by physical evidence of types (particularly in disciplines suchas archaeology and natural history) falls squarely within the intended scope of the CRM. Therefore types aremodelled as “conceptual objects,” in parallel to their structural role as metaclasses. This approach elegantly
addresses the dual nature of types in a manner consistent with material culture and natural history
documentation.
Extensions
Since the intended scope of the CRM is a subset of the “real” world and is therefore potentially infinite, themodel has been designed to be extensible through the linkage of compatible external type hierarchies.
Compatibility of extensions with the CRM means that data structured according to an extension must also remain
valid as a CRM instance. In practical terms, this implies query containment: any queries based on CRM concepts
should retrieve a result set that is correct according to the CRM’s semantics, regardless of whether theknowledge base is structured according to the CRM’s semantics alone, or according to the CRM plus compatible
extensions. For example, a query such as “list all events” should recall 100% of the instances deemed to beevents by the CRM, regardless of how they are classified by the extension.
A sufficient condition for the compatibility of an extension with the CRM is that CRM classes subsume allclasses of the extension, and all properties of the extension are either subsumed by CRM properties, or are part ofa path for which a CRM property is a shortcut. Obviously, such a condition can only be tested intellectually.
Coverage
Of necessity, some concepts covered by the CRM are less thoroughly elaborated than others: E39 Actor and E30
Right, for example. This is a natural consequence of staying within the CRM’s clearly articulated practical scopein an intrinsically unlimited domain of discourse. These ‘underdeveloped’ concepts can be considered as hooks
for compatible extensions.
The CRM provides a number of mechanisms to ensure that coverage of the intended scope is complete:
Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

xii

1.
2.
3.

Existing high level classes can be extended, either structurally as subclasses or dynamically using thetype hierarchy.
Existing high level properties can be extended, either structurally as subproperties, or in some cases,
dynamically, using properties of properties which allow subtyping.
Additional information that falls outside the semantics formally defined by the CRM can be recorded as
unstructured data using E1 CRM Entity. P3 has note: E62 String.

In mechanisms 1 and 2 the CRM concepts subsume and thereby cover the extensions.
In mechanism 3, the information is accessible at the appropriate point in the respective knowledge base. Thisapproach is preferable when detailed, targeted queries are not expected; in general, only those concepts used forformal querying need to be explicitly modelled.

ExamplesE1 CRM Entity

0,nE53 Place

E77 Persistent Item

P88 consists of(forms part of)0,n

E39 Actor

E51 Contact Point

E41 Appellation

0,n

0,n

0,n

0,1

0,n

P87 identifies(is identified by)

P55 currently holds(has current location )P76 has contact point(provides access to)0,n

E70 Stuff

0,n

P53 is former or current location of(has former or current location)

E44 Place Appellation
P59 is located on or within(has section)

0,n
1,n
0,n

E45 Address

E47 Spatial Coordinates

E48 Place Name

E46 Section Definition
1,1

P58 defines section(has section definition)

E18 Physical Stuff0,nfig. 1 reasoning about spatial information
The diagram above shows a partial view of the CRM, representing reasoning about spatial information. Five of
the main hierarchy branches are included in this view: E39 Actor, E51 Contact Point, E41 Appellation, E53
Place, and E70 Stuff. The relationships between these main classes and their subclasses are shown as branchinglines. Properties between classes are shown as green ovals. A ‘shortcut’ property is included in this view: P59
has section (is located on or within) between E53 Place and E19 Physical Object is a shortcut of the path throughE46 Section Definition. In some cases the order of priority for property names has been modified in order tofacilitate reading the diagram from left to right.
As can be seen, an instance of E53 Place is identified by an instance of E44 Place Appellation, which may be an
instance of E45 Address, E47 Spatial Coordinates, E48 Place Name, or E46 Section Definition such as‘basement’, ‘prow’, or ‘lower left-hand corner.’ An instance of E53 Place may consist of or form part of anotherinstance of E53 Place, thereby allowing a hierarchy of physical ‘containers’ to be constructed.
Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Modelxiii

An instance of E45 Address can be considered both as an E44 Place Appellation–a way of referring to an E53
Place–and as an E51 Contact Point for an E39 Actor. An E39 Actor may have any number of instances of E51
Contact Point. E18 Physical Stuff is found on locations as a consequence of being created there or being moved
there. Therefore the properties P53 has former or current location (is former or current location of) (and P55
has current location (currently holds) are regarded as shortcuts of the fully articulated paths through therespective events. P55 has current location (currently holds) is a subproperty of P53 has former or current
location (is former or current location of). The latter is a container for location information in the absence ofknowledge about time of validity and related events.
An interesting aspect of the model is the P58 has section definition (defines section) property between E46
Section Definition and E18 Physical Stuff (and the corresponding shortcut from E53 Place to E19 PhysicalObject). This allows an instance of E53 Place to be defined as a section of an instance of E19 Physical Object.
For example, we may know that Nelson fell at a particular spot on the deck of H.M.S. Victory, without knowing
the exact position of the vessel in geospatial terms at the time of the fatal shooting of Nelson. Similarly, asignature or inscription can be located “in the lower right corner of” a painting, regardless of where the painting
is hanging.
E1 CRM Entity0,nP1 is identified by(identifies)
0,n

E53 Place

P89 falls within 0,n(contains)
0,n

E2 Temporal Entity

P82 at some time within
E52 Time Span

P4 has time-span(is time-span of)

0,n E52 Time Primitive E77 Persistent Item1,nP81 ongoing throughout 0,n

1,n

1,1

1,n

0,n
E41 Appellation
P78 is identified by(identifies)

0,n

0,n
P10 falls within(contains)
0,n

E44 Time Appellation

0,n
E3 Condition State

E4 Period

0,n0,1

P9 consists of(forms part of)

E50 Date
1,n
P7 witnessed(took place at)

E5 Event

fig. 2 reasoning about temporal information
This second example shows how the CRM handles reasoning about temporal information. Four of the main
hierarchy branches are included in this view: E2 Temporal Entity, E52 Time-Span, E77 Persistent Item and E53
Place.
The E2 Temporal Entity class is an abstract class (i.e. it has no instances) that serves to group together all classes
with a temporal component, such as instances of E4 Period, E5 Event and E3 Condition State.
An instance of E52 Time-Span is simply a temporal interval that does not make any reference to cultural or
geographical contexts (unlike instances of E4 Period, which took place at a particular instance of E53 Place).
Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

xiv

Instances of E52 Time-Span are sometimes identified by instances of E49 Time Appellation, often in the form of
E50 Date.
Both E52 Time-Span and E4 Period have transitive properties. E52 Time-Span has the transitive property P86
falls within (contains), denoting a purely incidental inclusion, whereas E4 Period has the transitive property P9
consists of (forms part of) that supports the decomposition of instances of E4 Period into their constituent parts.
For example, the E52 Time-Span during which a building is constructed might falls within the E52 Time-Span ofa particular government, although there is no causal or contextual connection between the two instances of E52
Time-Span; conversely, the E4 Period of the Chinese Song Dynasty consists of the Northern Song Period and theSouthern Song Period.
Instances of E52 Time-Span are related to their outer bounds (i.e. their indeterminacy interval) by the property
P82 at some time within, and to their inner bounds via the property P81 ongoing throughout. The range of theseproperties is the E61 Time Primitive class, instances of which are treated by the CRM as application or system
specific date intervals that are not further analysed.

Class & Property Hierarchies
Although they do not provide comprehensive definitions, compact monohierarchical presentations of the classand property IsA hierarchies have been found to significantly aid comprehension and navigation of the CRM,
and are therefore provided below.
The class hierarchy presented below has the following format:
•
•
•
•
•

Each line begins with a unique class identifier, consisting of a number preceded by the letter “E”(originally denoting “entity,” although now replaced by convention with the term “class”).
A series of hyphens (“-”) follows the unique class identifier, indicating the hierarchical position of theclass in the IsA hierarchy.
The English name of the class appears to the right of the hyphens.
The index is ordered by hierarchical level, in a “depth first” manner, from the smaller to the larger
subhierarchies.
Classes that appear in more than one position in the class hierarchy as a result of multiple inheritanceare shown in an italic typeface.

The property hierarchy presented below has the following format:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Each line begins with a unique property identifier, consisting of a number preceded by the letter “P” (for“property”).
A series of hyphens (“-”) follows the unique property identifier, indicating the hierarchical position of
the property in the IsA hierarchy.
The English name of the property appears to the right of the hyphens, followed by its inverse name inparentheses for reading in the range to domain direction.
The domain class for which the property is declared.
The range class that the property references.
The index is ordered by hierarchical level, in a “depth first” manner, from the smaller to the larger
subhierarchies, and by property number between equal siblings.
Properties that appear in more than one position in the property hierarchy as a result of multiple
inheritance are shown in an italic typeface.

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Modelxv

CIDOC CRM Class Hierarchy

E1
E2
E3
E4
E5
E7
E8
E9
E10
E11
E12
E79
E80
E13
E14
E15
E16
E17
E65
E83
E66
E63
E67
E81
E12
E65
E83
E66
E64
E6
E68
E69
E81
E77
E70
E72
E18
E19
E20
E21
E22
E84
E24
E22
E84
E25
E78
E26
E27
E25
E73
E29
E31
E32
E33

CRM Entity
Temporal Entity- Condition State- Period- - Event- - - Activity- - - - Acquisition Event- - - - Move- - - - Transfer of Custody- - - - Modification Event- - - - - Production Event- - - - - Part Addition- - - - - Part Removal- - - - Attribute Assignment- - - - - Condition Assessment- - - - - Identifier Assignment- - - - - Measurement Event- - - - - Type Assignment- - - - Creation Event- - - - - Type Creation- - - - Formation Event- - - Beginning of Existence- - - - Birth- - - - Transformation- - - - Production Event- - - - Creation Event- - - - - Type Creation- - - - Formation Event- - - End of Existence- - - - Destruction- - - - Dissolution- - - - Death- - - - Transformation
Persistent Item
- Stuff- - Legal Object- - - Physical Stuff- - - - Physical Object- - - - - Biological Object- - - - - - Person- - - - - Man-Made Object- - - - - - Information Carrier- - - - Physical Man-Made Stuff- - - - - Man-Made Object- - - - - - Information Carrier- - - - - Man-Made Feature- - - - - Collection- - - - Physical Feature- - - - - Site
- - - - - Man-Made Feature- - - Information Object- - - - Design or Procedure- - - - Document- - - - - Authority Document- - - - Linguistic Object

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

xvi

E34
E35
E36
E37
E34
E38
E71
E24
E22
E84
E25
E78
E28
E73
E29
E31
E32
E33
E34
E35
E36
E37
E34
E38
E30
E55
E56
E57
E58
E39
E74
E40
E21
E41
E42
E44
E45
E46
E47
E48
E49
E50
E75
E35
E82
E51
E45
E52
E53
E54
E59
E60
E61
E62

- - - - - Inscription- - - - - Title- - - - Visual Item
- - - - - Mark- - - - - - Inscription- - - - - Image- - Man-Made Stuff- - - Physical Man-Made Stuff- - - - Man-Made Object- - - - - Information Carrier- - - - Man-Made Feature- - - - Collection- - - Conceptual Object- - - - Information Object- - - - - Design or Procedure- - - - - Document- - - - - - Authority Document- - - - - Linguistic Object- - - - - - Inscription- - - - - - Title- - - - - Visual Item
- - - - - - Mark- - - - - - - Inscription- - - - - - Image- - - - Right- - - - Type- - - - - Language- - - - - Material- - - - - Measurement Unit
- Actor- - Group- - - Legal Body
- - Person- Appellation- - Object Identifier- - Place Appellation- - - Address- - - Section Definition- - - Spatial Coordinates- - - Place Name
- - Time Appellation- - - Date
- - Conceptual Object Appellation- - Title- - Actor Appellation- Contact Point- - Address
Time-Span
Place
Dimension
Primitive Value
NumberTime Primitive
StringDefinition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Modelxvii

CIDOC CRM Property Hierarchy:

Property id
P1
P47
P48
P78
P87
P102
P131
P2
P3
P79
P80
P4
P5
P7
P26
P27
P8
P9
P10
P12
P11
P14
P22
P23
P28
P29
P96
P99
P16
P25
P31
P108
P110
P112
P33
P92
P94
P135
P95
P98
P108
P123
P93
P13
P99
P100
P124
P15
P16
P17
P33
P134
P136
P19
P20
P21
P24
P30
P32
P43
P44
P45
P46
P49
P50
P51
P52
P53

Property Name
is identified by (identifies)- is identified by (identifies)- - has preferred identifier (is preferred identifier of)- is identified by (identifies)- is identified by (identifies)- has title (is title of)- is identified by (identifies)
has type (is type of)has note- beginning is qualified by- end is qualified by
has time-span (is time-span of)
consists of (forms part of)
took place at (witnessed)- moved to (was destination of)- moved from (was origin of)
took place on or within (witnessed)
consists of (forms part of)falls within (contains)
occurred in the presence of (was present at)- had participant (participated in)- - carried out by (performed)- - - transferred title to (acquired title through)- - - transferred title from (surrendered title through)- - - custody surrendered by (surrendered custody through)- - - custody received by (received custody through)- - by mother (gave birth)- - dissolved (was dissolved by)- used specific object (was used for)- moved (moved by)- has modified (was modified by)- - has produced (was produced by)- - augmented (was augmented by)- - diminished (was diminished by)- used specific technique (was used by)- brought into existence (was brought into existence by)- - has created (was created by)- - - created type (was created by)- - has formed (was formed by)- - brought into life (was born)- - has produced (was produced by)- - resulted in (resulted from)- took out of existence (was taken out of existence by)- - destroyed (was destroyed by)- - dissolved (was dissolved by)- - was death of (died in)- - transformed (was transformed by)
was influenced by (influenced)- used specific object (was used for)- was motivated by (motivated)- used specific technique (was used by)- continued (was continued by)- was based on (supported type creation)
was intended use of (was made for)had specific purpose (was purpose of)had general purpose (was purpose of)transferred title of (changed ownership through)transferred custody of (custody transferred through)used general technique (was technique of)has dimension (is dimension of)has condition (condition of)
consists of (is incorporated in)
is composed of (forms part of)has former or current keeper (is former or current keeper of)- has current keeper (is current keeper of)has former or current owner (is former or current owner of)- has current owner (is current owner of)has former or current location (is former or current location of)Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

Entity – Domain
E1 CRM Entity
E19 Physical Object
E19 Physical Object
E52 Time-Span
E53 Place
E71 Man-Made Stuff
E39 Actor
E1 CRM Entity
E1 CRM Entity
E52 Time-Span
E52 Time-Span
E2 Temporal Entity
E3 Condition State
E4 Period
E9 Move
E9 Move
E4 Period
E4 Period
E4 Period
E5 Event
E5 Event
E7 Activity
E8 Acquisition Event
E8 Acquisition Event
E10 Transfer of Custody
E10 Transfer of Custody
E67 Birth
E68 Dissolution
E7 Activity
E9 Move
E11 Modification Event
E12 Production Event
E79 Part Addition
E80 Part Removal
E11 Modification Event
E63 Beginning of Existence
E65 Creation Event
E83 Type Creation
E66 Formation Event
E67 Birth
E12 Production Event
E81 Transformation
E64 End of Existence
E6 Destruction
E68 Dissolution
E69 Death
E81 Transformation
E7 Activity
E7 Activity
E7 Activity
E11 Modification Event
E7 Activity
E83 Type Creation
E7 Activity
E7 Activity
E7 Activity
E8 Acquisition Event
E10 Transfer of Custody
E11 Modification Event
E70 Stuff
E18 Physical Stuff
E18 Physical Stuff
E18 Physical Stuff
E18 Physical Stuff
E18 Physical Stuff
E18 Physical Stuff
E18 Physical Stuff
E18 Physical Stuff

Entity - Range
E41 Appellation
E42 Object Identifier
E42 Object Identifier
E49 Time Appellation
E44 Place Appellation
E35 Title
E82 Actor Appellation
E55 Type
E62 String
E62 String
E62 String
E52 Time-Span
E3 Condition State
E53 Place
E53 Place
E53 Place
E19 Physical Object
E4 Period
E4 Period
E77 Persistent Item
E39 Actor
E39 Actor
E39 Actor
E39 Actor
E39 Actor
E39 Actor
E21 Person
E74 Group
E70 Stuff
E19 Physical Object
E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff
E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff
E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff
E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff
E29 Design or Procedure
E77 Persistent Item
E28 Conceptual Object
E55 Type
E74 Group
E21 Person
E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff
E77 Persistent Item
E77 Persistent Item
E18 Physical Stuff
E74 Group
E21 Person
E77 Persistent Item
E1 CRM Entity
E70 Stuff
E1 CRM Entity
E29 Design or Procedure
E7 Activity
E1 CRM Entity
E71 Man-Made Stuff
E7 Activity
E55 Type
E18 Physical Stuff
E18 Physical Stuff
E55 Type
E54 Dimension
E3 Condition StateE57 Material
E18 Physical Stuff
E39 Actor
E39 Actor
E39 Actor
E39 Actor
E53 Placexviii

Property id
P55
P54
P56
P57
P58
P59
P62
P67
P70
P71
P129
P138
P68
P69
P72
P74
P75
P76
P81
P82
P83
P84
P86
P88
P89
P90
P91
P97
P101
P103
P104
P105
P106
P107
P109
P111
P113
P114
P115
P116
P117
P118
P119
P120
P121
P122
P125
P126
P127
P128
P65
P130
P73
P132
P133
P137
P139
P140
P34
P36
P39
P41
P141
P35
P37
P38
P40
P42

Property Name
- has current location (currently holds)
has current permanent location (is current permanent location of)bears feature (is found on)
has number of parts
has section definition (defines section)
has section (is located on or within)
depicts (is depicted by)refers to ( is referred to by)- documents (is documented in)- lists (is listed in)- is about (is subject of)- represents (has representation)
usually employs (is usually employed by)is associated withhas language (is language of)has current or former residence (is current or former residence of)possesses (is possessed by)has contact point (provides access to)ongoing throughout
at some time within
had at least duration (was minimum duration of)
had at most duration (was maximum duration of)falls within (contains)consists of (forms part of)falls within (contains)has value
has unit (is unit of)from father (was father for)had as general use (was use of)was intended for (was intention of)is subject to (applies to)right held by (has right on)
is composed of (forms part of)has current or former member (is current or former member of)has current or former curator (is current or former curator of)added (was added by)removed (was removed by)is equal in time tofinishes (is finished by)starts (is started by)occurs during (includes)
overlaps in time with (is overlapped in time by)meets in time with (is met in time by)occurs before (occurs after)
overlaps withborders withused object of type (was type of object used in)
employed (was employed in)has broader term (has narrower term)
carries (is carried by)- shows visual item (is shown by)shows features of (features are also found on)- has translation (is translation of)overlaps withis separated fromis exemplified by (exemplifies)
has alternative form
assigned attribute to (was attributed by)- concerned (was assessed by)- registered (was registered by)- measured (was measured by)- classified (was classified by)assigned (was assigned by)- has identified (identified by)- assigned (was assigned by)- deassigned (was deassigned by)- observed dimension (was observed in)- assigned (was assigned by)

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

Entity – Domain
E19 Physical Object
E19 Physical Object
E19 Physical Object
E19 Physical Object
E18 Physical Stuff
E18 Physical Stuff
E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff
E73 Information Object
E31 Document
E32 Authority Document
E73 Information Object
E36 Visual Item
E29 Design or Procedure
E29 Design or Procedure
E33 Linguistic Object
E39 Actor
E39 Actor
E39 Actor
E52 Time-Span
E52 Time-Span
E52 Time-Span
E52 Time-Span
E52 Time-Span
E53 Place
E53 Place
E54 Dimension
E54 Dimension
E67 Birth
E70 Stuff
E71 Man-Made Stuff
E72 Legal Object
E72 Legal Object
E73 Information Object
E74 Group
E78 Collection
E79 Part Addition
E80 Part Removal
E2 Temporal Entity
E2 Temporal Entity
E2 Temporal Entity
E2 Temporal Entity
E2 Temporal Entity
E2 Temporal Entity
E2 Temporal Entity
E53 Place
E53 Place
E7 Activity
E11 Modification Event
E55 Type
E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff
E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff
E70 Stuff
E33 Linguistic Object
E4 Period
E4 Period
E55 Type
E41 Appellation
E13 Attribute Assignment
E14 Condition Assessment
E15 Identifier Assignment
E16 Measurement Event
E17 Type Assignment
E13 Attribute Assignment
E14 Condition Assessment
E15 Identifier Assignment
E15 Identifier Assignment
E16 Measurement Event
E17 Type Assignment

Entity - Range
E53 Place
E53 Place
E26 Physical Feature
E60 Number
E46 Section Definition
E53 Place
E1 CRM Entity
E1 CRM Entity
E1 CRM Entity
E55 Type
E1 CRM Entity
E1 CRM Entity
E57 Material
E29 Design or Procedure
E56 Language
E53 Place
E30 Right
E51 Contact Point
E61 Time Primitive
E61 Time Primitive
E54 Dimension
E54 Dimension
E52 Time-Span
E53 Place
E53 Place
E60 Number
E58 Measurement Unit
E21 Person
E55 Type
E55 Type
E30 Right
E39 Actor
E73 Information Object
E39 Actor
E39 Actor
E18 Physical Stuff
E18 Physical Stuff
E2 Temporal Entity
E2 Temporal Entity
E2 Temporal Entity
E2 Temporal Entity
E2 Temporal Entity
E2 Temporal Entity
E2 Temporal Entity
E53 Place
E53 Place
E55 Type
E57 Material
E55 Type
E73 Information Object
E36 Visual Item
E70 Stuff
E33 Linguistic Object
E4 Period
E4 Period
E1 CRM Entity
E41 Appellation
E1 CRM Entity
E18 Physical Stuff
E19 Physical Object
E70 Stuff
E1 CRM Entity
E1 CRM Entity
E3 Condition State
E42 Object Identifier
E42 Object Identifier
E54 Dimension
E55 Type

xix

CIDOC CRM Class Declarations
The classes of the CRM are comprehensively declared in this section using the following format:
•
•
•
•
•

•
•
•
•

Class names are presented as headings in bold face, preceded by the class’ unique identifier;
The line “Subclass of:” declares the superclass of the class from which it inherits properties;
The line “Superclass of:” is a cross-reference to the subclasses of this class;
The line “Scope note:” contains the textual definition of the concept the class represents;
The line “Examples:” contains a bulleted list of examples of instances of this class. If the example isalso instance of a subclass of this class, the unique identifier of the subclass is added in parenthesis. If
the example instantiates two classes, the unique identifiers of both classes is added in parenthesis. Nonfictitious examples may be followed by an explanation in brackets.
The line “Properties:” declares the list of the class’ properties;
Each property is represented by its unique identifier, its forward and reverse names, and the range classthat it links to, separated by colons;
Inherited properties are not represented;
Properties of properties are provided indented and in parentheses beneath their respective domain
property.

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

1E1 CRM Entity
Superclass of:

E2 Temporal Entity
E52 Time-Span
E53 Place
E54 Dimension
E77 Persistent Item

Scope note:This class comprises all things in the universe of discourse of the CIDOC Conceptual
Reference Model.
It is an abstract concept providing for three general properties:
1. Identification by name or appellation
2. Classification by type, allowing further refinement of the specific subclass an instancebelongs to
3. Attachment of free text for the expression of anything not captured by formal properties
With the exception of E59 Primitive Value, all other classes within the CRM are directly or
indirectly specialisations of E1 CRM Entity.

Examples:the earthquake in Lisbon 1755 (E5)
Properties:
P1 is identified by (identifies): E41 Appellation
P2 has type (is type of): E55 TypeP3 has note: E62 String(P3.1 has type: E55 Type)E2 Temporal Entity(former E2 Period, former E2 Things Having Time -Span)
Subclass of:Superclass of:

Ε1 CRM Entity
Ε3 Condition State
E4 Period

Scope note:This class comprises all phenomena, such as the instances of E4 Periods, E5 Events and states,
which happen over a limited extent in time.
In some contexts, these are also called perdurants. This class is disjoint from E77 Persistent
Item. This is an abstract class and has no direct instances. E2 Temporal Entity is specialized
into E4 Period, which applies to a particular geographic area (defined with a greater or lesser
degree of precision), and E3 Condition State, which applies to instances of E18 Physical Stuff.

Examples:Bronze Age (E4)the earthquake in Lisbon 1755 (E5)the Peterhof Palace near Saint Petersburg being in ruins from 1944 – 1946 (E3)
Properties:
P4 has time-span (is time-span of): E52 Time-Span
P114 is equal in time to: E2 Temporal Entity
P115 finishes (is finished by): E2 Temporal Entity
P116 starts (is started by): E2 Temporal Entity
P117 occurs during (includes): E2 Temporal Entity
P118 overlaps in time with (is overlapped in time by): E2 Temporal Entity
P119 meets in time with (is met in time by): E2 Temporal Entity
Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

2

P120 occurs before (occurs after): E2 Temporal Entity
E3 Condition State
Subclass of:

E2 Temporal Entity

Scope note:This class comprises the states of objects characterised by a certain condition over a time-span.
It describes the prevailing physical condition of any material object or feature during a specific
E52 Time Span.In general, the time-span for which a certain condition can be asserted may be
shorter than the real time-span, for which this condition held.
The nature of that condition can be described using P2 has type. For example, the E3
Condition State “condition of the SS Great Britain between 22 September 1846 and 27 August
1847” can be characterized as E55 Type “wrecked”.

Examples:the “Amber Room” in Tsarskoje Selo being completely reconstructed from summer 2003
until nowthe Peterhof Palace near Saint Petersburg being in ruins from 1944 – 1946
the state of my turkey in the oven at 14:30 on 25 December, 2002 (P2 has type: E55 Type“still not cooked”)
Properties:
P5 consists of (forms part of): E3 Condition State
E4 Period(former E4 Physical Context)
Subclass of:Superclass of:

E2 Temporal Entity
E5 Event

Scope note:This class comprises sets of coherent phenomena or cultural manifestations bounded in timeand space.
It is the social or physical coherence of these phenomena that identify an E4 Period and not theassociated spatio-temporal bounds. These bounds are a mere approximation of the actual
process of growth, spread and retreat. Consequently, different periods can overlap and coexist
in time and space, such as when a nomadic culture exists in the same area as a sedentaryculture.
Typically this class is used to describe prehistoric or historic periods such as the “Neolithic
Period”, the “Ming Dynasty” or the “McCarthy Era”. There are however no assumptions about
the scale of the associated phenomena. In particular all events are seen as synthetic processes
consisting of coherent phenomena. Therefore E4 Period is a superclass of E5 Event. For
example, a modern clinical E67 Birth can be seen as both an atomic E5 Event and as an E4
Period that consists of multiple activities performed by multiple instances of E39 Actor.
Artistic style may be modeled as E4 Period. There are two different conceptualisations of‘style’, defined either by physical features or by historical context. For example,“Impressionism” can be viewed as a period lasting from approximately 1870 to 1905 during
which paintings with particular characteristics were produced by a group of artists that
included (among others) Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, Sisley and Degas. Alternatively, it can be
regarded as a style applicable to all paintings sharing the characteristics of the works producedby the Impressionist painters, regardless of historical context. The first interpretation isconsistent with E4 Period, and the second defines morphological object types that fall under
E55 Type.

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model3

Another specific case of an E4 Period is the set of activities and phenomena associated with asettlement, such as the populated period of Nineveh.
Examples:Jurassic
European Bronze Age
Italian RenaissanceThirty Years War
Sturm und Drang
CubismProperties:
P7 took place at (witnessed): E53 PlaceP8 took place on or within (witnessed): E19 Physical Object
P9 consists of (forms part of): E4 Period
P10 falls within (contains): E4 Period
P132 overlaps with: E4 Period
P133 is separated from: E4 Period
E5 Event
Subclass of:Superclass of:

E4 Period
E7 Activity
E63 Beginning of Existence
E64 End of Existence

Scope note:This class comprises changes of states in cultural, social or physical systems, regardless ofscale, brought about by a series or group of coherent physical, cultural, technological or legal
phenomena. Such changes of state will affect instances of E77 Persistent Item or its subclasses.
The distinction between an E5 Event and an E4 Period is partly a question of the scale ofobservation. Viewed at a coarse level of detail, an E5 Event is an ‘instantaneous’ change ofstate. At a fine level, the E5 Event can be analysed into its component phenomena within aspace and time frame, and as such can be seen as an E4 Period. The reverse is not necessarily
the case: not all instances of E4 Period give rise to a noteworthy change of state.

Examples:the birth of Cleopatra (E67)the destruction of Lisbon by earthquake in 1755 (E6)World War II (E7)the Battle of Stalingrad (E7)the Yalta Conference (E7)my birthday celebration 28-6-1995 (E7)the falling of a tile from my roof last Sunday
the CIDOC Conference 2003 (E7)
Properties:
P11 had participant (participated in): E39 Actor
P12 occurred in the presence of (was present at): E77 Persistent Item
E6 Destruction
Subclass of:

E64 End of Existence

Scope note:This class comprises events that destroy one or more instances of E18 Physical Stuff such thatthey lose their identity as the subjects of documentation.

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

4

Some destruction events are intentional, while others are independent of human activity.
Intentional destruction may be documented by classifying the event as both an E6 Destruction
and E7 Activity.
The decision to document an object as destroyed, transformed or modified is context sensitive:
1. If the matter remaining from the destruction is not documented, the event is modelled solelyas E6 Destruction.
2. An event should also be documented using E81 Transformation if it results in thedestruction of one or more objects and the simultaneous production of others using parts ormaterial from the original. In this case, the new items have separate identities. Matter ispreserved, but identity is not.
3. When the initial identity of the changed instance of E18 Physical Stuff is preserved, theevent should be documented as E11 Modification.
Examples:the destruction of Lisbon by earthquake in 1755
the destruction of Nineveh (E6, E7)
the breaking of a champagne glass yesterday by my dog
the shooting of the last wolf (‘Canis lupus Linne, 1758’) of the Rhineland/Germany, inBirreskopf/Eifel 1860 (now Museum Alexander Koenig inventory no.: ZFMK 86.385)(E6, E7)
Properties:
P13 destroyed (was destroyed by): E18 Physical Stuff
E7 Activity
Subclass of:Superclass of:

E5 Event
E8 Acquisition Event
E9 Move
E10 Transfer of Custody
E11 Modification Event
E13 Attribute Assignment
E65 Creation Event
E66 Formation Event

Scope note:This class comprises actions intentionally carried out by instances of E39 Actor that result inchanges of state in the cultural, social, or physical systems documented.
This notion includes complex, composite and long-lasting actions such as the building of asettlement or a war, as well as simple, short-lived actions such as the opening of a door.

Examples:the Battle of Stalingrad
the Yalta Conference
my birthday celebration 28-6-1995
the writing of “Faust” by Goethe (E65)
the formation of the Bauhaus 1919 (E66)
Properties:
P14 carried out by (performed): E39 Actor(P14.1 in the role of: E55 Type)
P15 was influenced by (influenced): E1 CRM Entity
P16 used specific object (was used for): E70 Stuff(P16.1 mode of use: E55 Type)P17 was motivated by (motivated): E1 CRM Entity
P19 was intended use of (was made for): E71 Man-Made Stuff(P19.1 mode of use: E55 Type)P20 had specific purpose (was purpose of): E7 Activity

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

5

P21 had general purpose (was purpose of): E55 TypeP125 used object of type (was type of object used in): E55 Type
P134 continued (was continued by): E7 Activity

E8 Acquisition Event
Subclass of:E7 Activity

Scope note:This class comprises transfers of legal ownership from one or more instances of E39 Actor toone or more other instances of E39 Actor.
The class also applies to the establishment or loss of ownership of instances of E18 PhysicalStuff. It does not, however, imply changes of any other instances of E30 Right. Nor does it
require the donor and/or recipient to be included, known or even to exist. Depending on thecircumstances, it may describe:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

the beginning of ownershipthe end of ownershipthe transfer of ownershipthe acquisition from an unknown source
the loss of title due to destruction of the item

It may also describe events where a collector appropriates legal title, for example byannexation or field collection. The interpretation of the museum notion of "accession" differs
between institutions. The CRM therefore models legal ownership (E8 Acquisition Event) andphysical custody (E10 Transfer of Custody) separately. Institutions will then model their
specific notions of accession and deaccession as combinations of these.
Examplesthe collection of a hammer-head sharkof the genus Sphyrna (Carchariniformes) by John
Steinbeck and Edward Ricketts at Puerto Escondido in the Gulf of Mexico on March
25th, 1940
the acquisition of El Greco’s “The Apostles Peter and Paul” by the State Hermitage inSaint Petersburg
the loss of my stuffed ‘Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758’ due to insect damage last year
Properties:
P22 transferred title to (acquired title through): E39 Actor
P23 transferred title from (surrendered title through): E39 Actor
P24 transferred title of (changed ownership through): E18 Physical Stuff
E9 Move
Subclass of:E7 Activity

Scope note:This class comprises changes of the physical location of the instances of E19 Physical Object.
Note, that the class E9 Move inherits the property P7 took place at (witnessed): E53 Place.
This property should be used to describe the trajectory or a larger area within which a movetakes place, whereas the properties P26 moved to (was destination of), P27 moved from (wasorigin of) describe the start and end points only. Moves may also be documented to consist ofother moves (via P9 consists of (forms part of)), in order to describe intermediate stages on a
trajectory. In that case, start and end points of the partial moves should match appropriately

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model6between each other and with the overall event.
Examplesthe relocation of London Bridge from the UK to the USA
the movement of the exhibition “Treasures of Tutankhamun” 1976-1979
Properties:
P25 moved (moved by): E19 Physical Object
P26 moved to (was destination of): E53 Place
P27 moved from (was origin of): E53 Place
E10 Transfer of Custody
Subclass of:E7 Activity

Scope note:This class comprises transfers of physical custody of objects between instances of E39 Actor.
E10 Transfer of Custody does not require the donor and/or recipient to be included, known oreven to exist. Depending on the circumstances it may describe:
1. the beginning of custody
2. the end of custody
3. the transfer of custody
4. the declared loss of an object
The distinction between the legal responsibility for custody and the actual physical possessionof the object should be expressed using the property P2 has type (is type of). A specific case oftransfer of custody is theft.
The interpretation of the museum notion of "accession" differs between institutions. The CRM
therefore models legal ownership and physical custody separately. Institutions will then model
their specific notions of accession and deaccession as combinations of these.

Examples:the delivery of the paintings by Secure Deliveries Inc. to the National Gallery
the return of Picasso’s “Guernica” to Madrid’s Prado in 1981
Properties:
P28 custody surrendered by (surrendered custody through): E39 Actor
P29 custody received by (received custody through): E39 Actor
P30 transferred custody of (custody transferred through): E18 Physical Stuff
E11 Modification Event
Subclass of:Superclass of:E7 Activity
E12 Production Event
E79 Part Addition
E80 Part Removal

Scope note:This class comprises all instances of E7 Activity that create, alter or change E24 Physical ManMade Stuff.
This class includes the production of an item from raw materials, and other so far
undocumented objects, and the preventive treatment or restoration of an object forconservation.
Since the distinction between modification and production is not always clear, modification isregarded as the more generally applicable concept. This implies that some items may beconsumed or destroyed in a modification event, and that others may be produced as a result of
it. An event should also be documented using E81 Transformation if it results in the

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model7

destruction of one or more objects and the simultaneous production of others using parts ormaterial from the originals. In this case, the new items have separate identities.
If the instance of the E29 Design or Procedure utilised for the modification prescribes the useof specific materials, they should be documented using properties of the design or procedure,
rather than via P126 employed (was employed in): E57 Material.
Examples:the construction of the SS Great Britain (E12)the impregnation of the Vasa warship in Stockholm for preservation after 1956
the transformation of the Enola Gay into a museum exhibit by the National Air and Space
Museum in Washington DC between 1993 and 1995 (E12, E81)
the last renewal of the gold coating of the Toshogu shrine in Nikko, Japan
Properties:
P31 has modified (was modified by): E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff
P32 used general technique (was technique of): E55 TypeP33 used specific technique (was used by): E29 Design or Procedure
P126 employed (was employed in): E57 Material
E12 Production Event
Subclass of:

E11 Modification Event
E63 Beginning of Existence

Scope note:This class comprises activities that are designed to, and succeed in, creating one or more newitems.
It specializes the notion of modification into production. The decision as to whether or not an
object is regarded as new is context sensitive. Normally, items are considered “new” if there isno obvious overall similarity between them and the consumed items and material used in theirproduction. In other cases, an item is considered “new” because it becomes relevant todocumentation by a modification. For example, the scribbling of a name on a potsherd may
make it a voting token. The original potsherd may not be worth documenting, in contrast to theinscribed one.
This entity can be collective: the printing of a thousand books, for example, would normally beconsidered a single event.
An event should also be documented using E81 Transformation if it results in the destructionof one or more objects and the simultaneous production of others using parts or material fromthe originals. In this case, the new items have separate identities and matter is preserved, but
identity is not.

Examples:the construction of the SS Great Britain
the recasting of the Little Mermaid at the harbour of Copenhagenthe seventh edition of Rembrandt’s etching “Woman sitting half dressed beside a stove”,
1658, Bartsch Number 197
Properties:
P108 has produced (was produced by): E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff
E13 Attribute Assignment
Subclass of:Superclass of:E7 Activity
E14 Condition Assessment

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model8

E15 Identifier Assignment
E16 Measurement Event
E17 Type Assignment
Scope note:This class comprises the actions of making assertions about properties of an object or any
relation between two items or concepts.
This class allows the documentation of how the respective assignment came about, and whose
opinion it was. All the attributes or properties assigned in such an action can also be seen as
directly attached to the respective item or concept, possibly as a collection of contradictory
values. All cases of properties in this model that are also described indirectly through an action
are characterised as "short cuts" of this action. This redundant modelling of two alternative
views is preferred because many implementations may have good reasons to model either theaction or the short cut, and the relation between both alternatives can be captured by simple
rules.
In particular, the class describes the actions of people making propositions and statements
during certain museum procedures, e.g. the person and date when a condition statement was
made, an identifier was assigned, the museum object was measured, etc. Which kinds of suchassignments and statements need to be documented explicitly in structures of a schema rather
than free text, depends on if this information should be accessible by structured queries.

Examples:the assessment of the current ownership of Martin Doerr’s silver cup in February 1997
Properties:
P140 assigned attribute to (was attributed by): E1 CRM Entity
P141 assigned (was assigned by): E1 CRM Entity
E14 Condition Assessment
Subclass of:

E13 Attribute Assignment

Scope note:This class describes the act of assessing the state of preservation of an object during aparticular period.
The condition assessment may be carried out by inspection, measurement or through historicalresearch. This class is used to document circumstances of the respective assessment that may
be relevant to interpret its quality at a later stage, or to continue research on related documents.

Examples:last year’s inspection of humidity damage to the frescos in the St. George chapel in ourvillage
Properties:
P34 concerned (was assessed by): E18 Physical Stuff
P35 has identified (identified by): E3 Condition State
E15 Identifier Assignment
Subclass of:

E13 Attribute Assignment

Scope note:This class comprises actions assigning or deassigning object identifiers.
Examples of such identifiers include Find Numbers and Inventory Numbers. Documenting theact of identifier assignment and deassignment is especially useful when objects change custodyor the identification system of an organization is changed. In order to keep track of the identity

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model9

of an object in such cases, it is important to document by whom, when and for what purpose an
identifier is assigned to an object.
Examples:replacement of the inventory number TA959a by GE34604 for a 17th century lament clothat the Museum Benaki, Athens

Properties:
P36 registered (was registered by): E19 Physical Object
P37 assigned (was assigned by): E42 Object IdentifierP38 deassigned (was deassigned by): E42 Object Identifier
E16 Measurement Event
Subclass of:

E13 Attribute Assignment

Scope note:This class comprises actions measuring physical properties and other values that can be
determined by a systematic procedure.
Examples include measuring the monetary value of a collection of coins or the running time ofa specific video cassette.
The E16 Measurement Event may use simple counting or tools, such as yardsticks or radiation
detection devices. The interest is in the method and care applied, so that the reliability of theresult may be judged at a later stage, or research continued on the associated documents. The
date of the event is important for dimensions, which may change value over time, such as thelength of an object subject to shrinkage. Details of methods and devices are best handled as
free text, whereas basic techniques such as "carbon 14 dating" should be encoded using P2 has
type (is type of:) E55 Type.

Examples:measurement of height of silver cup 232 on the 31st August 1997
the carbon 14 dating of the “Schoeninger Speer II” in 1996 [an about 400.000 years old
Palaeolithic complete wooden spear found in Schoeningen, Niedersachsen, Germany in
1995]

Properties:
P39 measured (was measured by): E70 Stuff
P40 observed dimension (was observed in): E54 Dimension
E17 Type Assignment
Subclass of:

E13 Attribute Assignment

Scope note:This class comprises the actions of classifying items of whatever kind. Such items include
objects, specimens, people, actions and concepts.
This class allows for the documentation of the context of classification acts in cases where thevalue of the classification depends on the personal opinion of the classifier, and the date thatthe classification was made. This class also encompasses the notion of "determination," i.e. thesystematic and molecular identification of a specimen in biology.

Examples:the first classification of object GE34604 as Lament Cloth, October 2nd
the determination of a cactus in Martin Doerr’s garden as ‘Cereus hildmannianus
K.Schumann’, July 2003

Properties:
Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

10

P41 classified (was classified by): E1 CRM Entity
P42 assigned (was assigned by): E55 Type
E18 Physical Stuff(new)
Subclass of:Superclass of:

E72 Legal Object
E19 Physical Object
E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff
E26 Physical Feature

Scope Note:

This class comprises all persistent physical items with a relatively stable form, man-made or
natural.
Depending on the existence of natural boundaries of such things, the CRM distinguishes theinstances of E19 Physical Object from instances of E26 Physical Feature, such as holes, rivers,
pieces of land etc. Most instances of E19 Physical Object can be moved (if not too heavy),
whereas features are integral to the surrounding matter.
The CRM is generally not concerned with amounts of matter in fluid or gaseous states.

Examples:the Cullinan Diamond (E19)the cave “Ideon Andron” in Crete (E26)the Mona Lisa (E22)
Properties:
P44 has condition (condition of): E3 Condition StateP45 consists of (is incorporated in): E57 Material
P46 is composed of (forms part of): E18 Physical Stuff
P49 has former or current keeper (is former or current keeper of): E39 Actor
P50 has current keeper (is current keeper of): E39 Actor
P51 has former or current owner (is former or current owner of): E39 Actor
P52 has current owner (is current owner of): E39 Actor
P53 has former or current location (is former or current location of): E53 Place
P58 has section definition (defines section): E46 Section Definition
P59 has section (is located on or within): E53 Place
E19 Physical Object(former E18)
Subclass of:Superclass of:

E18 Physical Stuff
E20 Biological Object
E22 Man-Made Object

Scope note:This class comprises items of a material nature that are units for documentation and havephysical boundaries that separate them completely in an objective way from other objects.
The class also includes all aggregates of objects made for functional purposes of whatever
kind, independent of physical coherence, such as a set of chessmen. Typically, instances of
E19 Physical Object can be moved (if not too heavy).
In some contexts, such objects, except for aggregates, are also called “bona fide objects”(Smith & Varzi 2000, pp.401-420), i.e. naturally defined objects.

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

11

The decision as to what is documented as a complete item, rather than by its parts orcomponents, may be a purely administrative decision or may be a result of the order in which
the item was acquired.
Examples:John Smith
Aphrodite of Milos
the Palace of Knossos
the Cullinan Diamond
Apollo 13 at the time of launch
Properties:
P47 is identified by (identifies): E42 Object IdentifierP48 has preferred identifier (is preferred identifier of): E42 Object Identifier
P54 has current permanent location (is current permanent location of): E53 Place
P55 has current location (currently holds): E53 Place
P56 bears feature (is found on): E26 Physical Feature
P57 has number of parts: E60 Number
E20 Biological Object(former E19)
Subclass of:Superclass of:

E19 Physical Object
E21 Person

Scope note:This class comprises individual items of a material nature, which live, have lived or are natural
products of or from living organisms.
Artificial objects that incorporate biological elements, such as Victorian butterfly frames, canbe documented as both instances of E20 Biological Object and E22 Man-Made Object.

Examples:me
Tut-Ankh-Amun
Boukephalas [Horse of Alexander the Great]
petrified dinosaur excrement PA1906-344
E21 Person(former E20)
Subclass of:

E20 Biological Object
E39 Actor

Scope note:This class comprises real persons who live or are assumed to have lived.
Legendary figures that may have existed, such as Ulysses and King Arthur, fall into this class
if the documentation refers to them as historical figures. In cases where doubt exists as towhether several persons are in fact identical, multiple instances can be created and linked toindicate their relationship. The CRM does not propose a specific form to support reasoning
about possible identity.

Examples:Tut-Ankh-Amun
Nelson Mandela

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

12

E22 Man-Made Object(former E21, former E23)
Subclass of:Superclass of:

E19 Physical Object
E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff
E84 Information Carrier

Scope note:This class comprises physical objects purposely created by human activity.
No assumptions are made as to the extent of modification required to justify regarding an
object as man-made. For example, an inscribed piece of rock or a preserved butterfly are bothregarded as instances of E22 Man-Made Object.

Examples:Mallard (the World’s fastest steam engine)
the Portland Vase
the Coliseum
E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff(new, former E25)
Subclass of:Superclass of:

E18 Physical Stuff
E71 Man-Made Stuff
E22 Man-Made Object
E25 Man-Made Feature
E78 Collection

Scope Note:

This class comprises all persistent physical items that are purposely created by human activity.
This class comprises man-made objects, such as a swords, and man-made features, such as
rock art. No assumptions are made as to the extent of modification required to justify regarding
an object as man-made. For example, a “cup and ring” carving on bedrock is regarded as
instance of E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff.

Examples:the Forth Railway Bridge (E22)
the Channel Tunnel (E25)the Historical Collection of the Museum Benaki in Athens (E78)
Properties:
P62 depicts (is depicted by): E1 CRM Entity(P62.1 mode of depiction: E55 Type)P65 shows visual item (is shown by): E36 Visual ItemP128 carries (is carried by): E73 Information Object
E25 Man-Made Feature(new, former E26)
Subclass of:

E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff
E26 Physical Feature

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

13

Scope Note:

This class comprises physical features that are purposely created by human activity, such as
scratches, artificial caves, artificial water channels, etc.
No assumptions are made as to the extent of modification required to justify regarding afeature as man-made. For example, rock art or even “cup and ring” carvings on bedrock a
regarded as types of E25 Physical Man-Made Feature.

Examples:the Manchester Ship Canal
Michael Jackson’s nose following plastic surgery
E26 Physical Feature(new, former E27)
Subclass of:Superclass of:

E18 Physical Stuff
E25 Man-Made Feature
E27 Site

Scope Note:

This class comprises identifiable features that are physically attached in an integral way toparticular physical objects.
Instances of E26 Physical Feature share many of the attributes of instances of E19 PhysicalObject. They may have a one-, two- or three-dimensional geometric extent, but there are nonatural borders that separate them completely in an objective way from the carrier objects. For
example, a doorway is a feature but the door itself, being attached by hinges, is not.
Instances of E26 Physical Feature can be features in a narrower sense, such as scratches, holes,
reliefs, surface colours, reflection zones in an opal crystal or a density change in a piece ofwood. In the wider sense, they are portions of particular objects with partially imaginary
borders, such as the core of the Earth, an area of property on the surface of the Earth, alandscape or the head of a contiguous marble statue. They can be measured and dated, and it issometimes possible to state who or what is or was responsible for them. They cannot be
separated from the carrier object, but a segment of the carrier object may be identified (orsometimes removed) carrying the complete feature.
This definition coincides with the definition of "fiat objects" [B.Smith & A.Varzi], with the
exception of aggregates of “bona fide objects”.

Examples:the temple in Abu Simbel before its removal, which was carved out of solid rock
Albrecht Duerer's signature on his painting of Charles the Greatthe damage to the nose of the Great Sphinx in Giza
Michael Jackson’s nose prior to plastic surgery
E27 Site(new, former E22)
Subclass of:

E26 Physical Feature

Scope Note:

This class comprises pieces of land or sea floor.
In contrast to the purely geometric notion of E53 Place, this class describes constellations ofmatter on the surface of the Earth or other celestial body, which can be represented byphotographs, paintings and maps.
Instances of E27 Site are composed of relatively immobile material items and features in aparticular configuration at a particular location.

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

14

Examples:the Amazon river basin
Knossos
the Apollo 11 landing site
Heathrow Airport
the submerged harbour of the Minoan settlement of Gournia, Crete
E28 Conceptual Object(former E24)
Subclass of:Superclass of:

E71 Man-Made Stuff
E30 Right
E55 Type
E73 Information Object

Scope note:This class comprises non-material products of our minds, in order to allow for reasoning about
their identity, circumstances of creation and historical implications.
Characteristically, instances of this class are created, invented or thought by someone, and then
may be documented or communicated between persons. Instances of E28 Conceptual Object
need not have a particular carrier, but may be found on several different carriers, such as paper,electronic signals, marks, audio media, paintings, photos, human memory, etc.
They cannot be destroyed as long as they exist on at least one carrier or in memory.
Their existence ends when the last carrier is lost. A greater distinction can be made between
products having a clear identity, such as a specific text, or photographs, and the ideas andconcepts shared and traded by groups of people.

Examples:Beethoven’s “Ode an die Freude” (Ode to Joy), (E73)the definition of “ontology” in the Oxford English Dictionary
the knowledge about the victory at Marathon carried by the famous runner
E29 Design or Procedure(former E25)
Subclass of:

E73 Information Object

Scope note:This class comprises documented plans for the execution of actions in order to achieve a resultof a specific quality, form or contents. In particular it comprises plans for deliberate humanactivities that result in the modification or production of instances of E24 Physical Stuff.
Instances of E29 Design or Procedure can be structured in parts and sequences or depend onothers. This is modelled using P69 is associated with.
Designs or procedures can be seen as one of the following:
1.
2.
3.

A schema for the activities it describes
A schema of the products that result from their application.
An independent intellectual product that may have never been applied, such as Leonardo
da Vinci’s famous plans for flying machines.

Because designs or procedures may never be applied or only partially executed, the CRM
models a loose relationship between the plan and the respective product.
Examples:Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model15

the ISO standardisation procedurethe musical notation for Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy”
the architectural drawings for the Kölner Dom in Cologne, Germany
folio 860 of the Codex Atlanticus from Leonardo da Vinci, 1486-1490, kept in the
Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan
Properties:
P68 usually employs (is usually employed by): E57 Material
P69 is associated with: E29 Design or Procedure
E30 Right(new, former E56)
Subclass of:

E28 Conceptual Object

Scope Note:

This class comprises legal privileges concerning material and immaterial things or theirderivatives.
These include reproduction and property rights.

Examples:copyright held by ISO on ISO/CD 21127
ownership of the “Mona Lisa” by the Louvre

E31 Document(former E26, former E30)
Subclass of:Superclass of:

E73 Information Object
E32 Authority Document

Scope note:This class comprises identifiable immaterial items that make propositions about reality.
These propositions may be expressed in text, graphics, images, audiograms, videograms or byother similar means. Documentation databases are regarded as a special case of E31
Document. This class should not be confused with the term “document” in Information
Technology, which is compatible with E73 Information Object.

Examples:the Encyclopaedia Britannica (E32)
the photo of the Allied Leaders at Yalta published by UPI, 1945
the Doomsday Book
Properties:
P70 documents (is documented in): E1 CRM Entity
E32 Authority Document(former E27, former E31 Normative Document)
Subclass of:

E31 Document

Scope note:This class comprises encyclopaedia, thesauri, authority lists and other documents that defineterminology or conceptual systems for consistent use.

Examples:Webster's Dictionary

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

16

Getty Art and Architecture Thesaurus
the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model
Properties:
P71 lists (is listed in): E55 Type
E33 Linguistic Object(former E28, former E32)
Subclass of:Superclass of:

E73 Information Object
E34 Inscription
E35 Title

Scope note:This class comprises identifiable expressions in natural language or languages.
Instances of E33 Linguistic Object can be expressed in many ways: e.g. as written texts,
recorded speech or sign language. However, the CRM treats instances of E33 Linguistic
Object independently from the medium or method by which they are expressed. Expressions informal languages, such as computer code or mathematical formulae, are not treated as
instances of E33 Linguistic Object by the CRM. These should be modelled as instances of E73
Information Object.

Examples:the text of the Ellesmere Chaucer manuscript
the lyrics of the song "Blue Suede Shoes"
the text of the Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll
the text of "Doktoro Jekyll kaj Sinjoro Hyde" (an Esperanto translation of Dr Jekyll and
Mr Hyde)Properties:
P72 has language (is language of): E56 Language
P73 has translation (is translation of): E33 Linguistic Object
E34 Inscription(former E29, former E33)
Subclass of:

E33 Linguistic Object
E37 Mark

Scope note:This class comprises recognisable, short texts attached to instances of E24 Physical Man-Made
Stuff.
The transcription of the text can be documented in a note by P3 has note: E62 String. The
alphabet used can be documented by P2 has type: E55 Type. This class does not intend todescribe the idiosyncratic characteristics of an individual physical embodiment of an
inscription, but the underlying prototype. The physical embodiment is modelled in the CRM as
E24 Physical Man-Made Feature.
The relationship of a physical copy of a book to the text it contains is modelled using E84
Information Carrier. P128 carries (is carried by): E33 Linguistic Object.

Examples:“keep off the grass” on a sign stuck in the lawn of the quad of Balliol College
The text published in Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum V 895
Kilroy was here

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

17

E35 Title(former E30, former E34)
Subclass of:

E33 Linguistic Object
E41 Appellation

Scope note:This class comprises the names assigned to works, such as texts, artworks or pieces of music.
Titles are proper noun phrases or verbal phrases, and should not be confused with genericobject names such as “chair”, “painting” or “book” (the latter are common nouns and aremodelled in the CRM as instances of E55 Type). Titles may be assigned by the creator of thework itself, or by a social group.
This class also comprises the translations of titles that are used as surrogates for the original
titles in different social contexts.

Examples:The Merchant of VeniceMona Lisa
La Pie or The Magpie
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
E36 Visual Item
(new, former E35)
Subclass of:Superclass of:

E73 Information Object
E37 Mark
E38 Image

Scope Note:

This class comprises the intellectual or conceptual aspects of recognisable marks and images.
This class does not intend to describe the idiosyncratic characteristics of an individual physicalembodiment of an inscription, but the underlying prototype. For example, a mark such as theICOM logo is generally considered to be the same logo when used on any number ofpublications. The size, orientation and colour may change, but the logo remains uniquely
identifiable. The same is true of images that are reproduced many times. This means that visual
items are independent of their physical support.
The Visual Item class provides a means of identifying and linking together instances of E24
Physical Man-Made Stuff that carry the same visual symbols, marks or images etc. The
property P62 depicts (is depicted by) between E24 Physical Man-Made Features and depictedsubjects (E1 CRM Entity) can be regarded as a short-cut of the more fully developed path fromE24 Physical Man-Made Stuff through P65 shows visual item (is shown by), E36 Visual Item,
P138 represents (has representation) to E1CRM Entity, which in addition captures the opticalfeatures of the depiction.

Examples:the visual appearance of Monet’s “La Pie” (E38)
the Coca-Cola logo (E34)
the Chi-Rho (E37)the communist red star (E37)
Properties:
P138 represents (has representation): E1 CRM Entity(P138.1 mode of representation: E55 Type)Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model18

E37 Mark(former E31, former E36)
Subclass of:Superclass of:

E36 Visual Item
E34 Inscription

Scope note:This class comprises symbols, signs, signatures or short texts applied to instances of E24
Physical Man-Made Stuff by arbitrary techniques in order to indicate the creator, owner,
dedications, purpose, etc.
This class specifically excludes features that have no semantic significance, such as scratches
or tool marks. These should be documented as instances of E25 Man-Made Feature.

Examples:Minoan double axe mark©
☺
E38 Image(former E23, former E37)
Subclass of:

E36 Visual Item

Scope note:This class comprises distributions of form, tone and colour that may be found on surfaces suchas photos, paintings, prints and sculptures or directly on electronic media.
The degree to which variations in the distribution of form and colour affect the identity of an
instance of E38 Image depends on a given purpose. The original painting of the Mona Lisa in
the Louvre may be said to bear the same instance of E38 Image as reproductions in the form oftransparencies, postcards, posters or T-shirts, even though they may differ in size and carrier
and may vary in tone and colour. The images in a “spot the difference” competition are not thesame with respect to their context, however similar they may at first appear.

Examples:the front side of all 20 Swiss Frs notes
the image depicted on all reproductions of the Mona Lisa
E39 Actor(former E32, former E38)
Subclass of:Superclass of:

E77 Persistent Item
E21 Person
E74 Group

Scope note:This class comprises people, either individually or in groups, who have the potential toperform intentional actions for which they can be held responsible.
The CRM does not attempt to model the inadvertent actions of such actors. Individual people
should be documented as instances of E21 Person, whereas groups should be documented as
instances of either E74 Group or its subclass E40 Legal Body.

Examples:London and Continental Railways (E40)
the Governor of the Bank of England in 1975 (E21)
Sir Ian McKellan (E21)

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

19

Properties:
P74 has current or former residence (is current or former residence of): E53 Place
P75 possesses (is possessed by): E30 RightP76 has contact point (provides access to): E51 Contact Point
P131 is identified by (identifies): E82 Actor Appellation
E40 Legal Body
(new, former E39)
Subcass of:

E74 Group

Scope Note:

This class comprises institutions or groups of people that have obtained a legal recognition as agroup and can act collectively as agents.
This means that they can perform actions, own property, create or destroy things and can beheld collectively responsible for their actions like individual people. The term 'personne
morale' is often used for this in French.

ExamplesGreenpeace
Paveprime Ltd
the National Museum of Denmark
E41 Appellation(former E33, former E40)
Subclass of:Superclass of:

E77 Persistent Item
E35 Title
E42 Object Identifier
E44 Place Appellation
E49 Time Appellation
E75 Conceptual Object Appellation
E82 Actor Appellation

Scope note:This class comprises all proper names, words, phrases or codes, either meaningful or not, thatare used or can be used to identify a specific instance of some class within a certain context.
Instances of E41 Appellation do not identify objects by their meaning but by convention,
tradition or agreement. From an implementation point of view, the E41 Appellation class isunlike most others, whose instances in a database can be considered as surrogates or references
to real-world entities, in that each instance is nothing other than the E41 Appellation itself, i.e.
the instance of E41 Appellation “Martin” is nothing other than the name “Martin” whichshould not be confused with any instance of E21 Person or persons called Martin. Because ofthis, there are no properties linking to values of E41 Appellation.
Specific subclasses of E41 Appellation should be used when instances of E41 Appellation of acharacteristic form are used for particular objects. Instances of E49 Time Appellation, forexample, which take the form of instances of E50 Date, can be easily recognised.
E41 Appellation should not be confused with the act of naming something. cf. E15 Identifier
Assignment

Examples:Martinthe Forth Bridge
the Merchant of Venice (E35)

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

20

Properties:
P139 has alternative form: E41 Appellation
E42 Object Identifier(former E34, former E42)
Subclass of:

E41 Appellation

Scope note:This class comprises codes assigned to objects in order to identify them uniquely within thecontext of one or more organisations.
Such codes are often known as inventory numbers, registration codes, etc. and are typicallycomposed of alphanumeric sequences. The class E42 Object Identifier is not normally used formachine-generated identifiers used for automated processing unless these are also used byhuman agents.

Examples:MM.GE.195
13.45.1976
DPS_1000OXCMS: 1997.4.1
E44 Place Appellation(new, former E43)
Subclass of:Superclass of

E41 Appellation
E45 Address
E46 Section Definition
E47 Spatial Coordinates
E48 Place Name

Scope Note:

This class comprises any sort of identifier characteristically used to refer to an E53 Place.
Instances of E44 Place Appellation may vary in their degree of precision and their meaning
may vary over time - the same instance of E41 Appellation may be used to refer to several
places, either because of cultural shifts, or because objects used as reference points have
moved around. Instances of E44 Place Appellation can be extremely varied in form: postal
addresses, instances of E47 Spatial Coordinate, and parts of buildings can all be considered as
instances of E44 Place Appellation.

Examples:ViennaCH-1211, Genève
Aquae Sulis Minerva
BathCambridge
the Other Placethe City
E45 Address(new, former E44)
Subclass of:

E48 Place Appellation
E51 Contact Point

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model21

Scope Note:

This class comprises mainly postal addresses used for mailing.
An E45 Address can be considered both as the name of an E53 Place and as an E51 Contact
Point for an E39 Actor. This dual aspect is reflected in the multiple inheritance. However,some forms of mailing addresses, such as a postal box, are only instances of E51 Contact
Point, since they do not identify any particular Place. These should not be documented as
instances of E45 Address.

Examples:1-29-3 Otsuka, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 121, Japan
Rue David Dufour 5, CH-1211, Genève
E46 Section Definition(new, former E45)
Subclass of:

E44 Place Appellation

Scope Note:

This class comprises areas of objects referred to in terms specific to the general geometry or
structure of its kind.
The 'prow' of the boat, the 'frame' of the picture, the 'front' of the building are all instances of
E46 Section Definition. The class highlights the fact that parts of objects can be treated as
locations. This holds in particular for features without natural boundaries, such as the “head”
of a marble statue made out of one block (cf. E53 Place). In answer to the question 'where is
the signature?' one might reply 'on the lower left corner'. (Section Definition is closely related
to the term “segment” in Gerstl, P.& Pribbenow, S, 1996 “ A conceptual theory of part – whole
relations and its applications”, Data & Knowledge Engineering 20 305-322, North HollandElsevier ).

Examples:the entrance lobby to the Ripley Center
the poop deck of H.M.S
Victory
the Venus de Milo’s left buttock
left inner side of my box

E47 Spatial Coordinates(new, former E46)
Subclass of:

E44 Place Appellation

Scope Note:

This class comprises the textual or numeric information required to locate specific instances of
E53 Place within schemes of spatial identification.
Coordinates are a specific form of E44 Place Appellation, that is, a means of referring to aparticular E53 Place. Coordinates are not restricted to longitude, latitude and altitude. Any
regular system of reference that maps onto an E19 Physical Object can be used to generate
coordinates.

Examples:6°5’29”N 45°12’13”WBlack queen’s bishop 4 [chess coordinate]

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model22

E48 Place Name
(new, former E47)
Subclass of:

E44 Place Appellation

Scope Note:

This class comprises particular and common forms of E44 Place Appellation.
Place Names may change their application over time: the name of an E53 Place may change,
and a name may be reused for a different E53 Place. Instances of E48 Place Name are typicallysubject to place name gazetteers.

Examples:GreeceAthensGenevaLac Léman
E49 Time Appellation(new, former E48)
Subclass of:Superclass of

E41 Appellation
E50 Date

Scope Note:

This class comprises all forms of names or codes, such as historical periods, and dates, which
are characteristically used to refer to a specific E52 Time-Span.
The instances of E49 Time Appellation may vary in their degree of precision, and they may berelative to other time frames, “Before Christ” for example. Instances of E52 Time-Span areoften defined by reference to a cultural period or an event e.g. ‘the duration of the Ming
Dynasty’.

Examples:Meiji [Japanese term for a specific time-span]
1st half of the XX century
Quaternary
1215 Hegira [a date in the Islamic calendar]
Last century
E50 Date(new, former E49)
Subclass of:

E49 Time Appellation

Scope Note:

This class comprises specific forms of E49 Time Appellation.
Dates may vary in their degree of precision.

Examples:1900
4-4-1959
19-MAR-1922
19640604
E51 Contact Point

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model23

Subcass of:Superclass of:

E77 Persistent Item
E45 Address

Scope Note:

This class comprises identifiers used to communicate with instances of E39 Actor.
These include E-mail addresses, telephone numbers, post office boxes, Fax numbers, etc. Most
postal addresses can be considered both as instances of E44 Place Appellation and E51
Contact Point. The E45 Address subclass should be used in such cases.

Examples:+41 22 418 5571
weasel@paveprime.com
E52 Time-Span
Subclass of:

E1 CRM Entity

Scope note:This class comprises abstract temporal extents, in the sense of Galilean physics, having a
beginning, an end and a duration.
Time Span has no other semantic connotations. Time-Spans are used to define the temporalextent of instances of E4 Period, E5 Event and any other phenomena valid for a certain time.
An E52 Time-Span may be identified by one or more instances of E49 Time Appellation.
Since our knowledge of history is imperfect, instances of E52 Time-Span can best be
considered as approximations of the actual Time-Spans of temporal entities. The properties of
E52 Time-Span are intended to allow these approximations to be expressed precisely. An
extreme case of approximation, might, for example, define an E52 Time-Span having
unknown beginning, end and duration. Used as a common E52 Time-Span for two events, itwould nevertheless define them as being simultaneous, even if nothing else was known.
Automatic processing and querying of instances of E52 Time-Span is facilitated if data can beparsed into an E61 Time Primitive.

Examples:1961
From 12-17-1993 to 12-8-1996
14h30 – 16h22 4th July 1945
9.30 am 1.1.1999 to 2.00 pm 1.1.1999
duration of the Ming Dynasty
Properties:
P78 is identified by (identifies): E49 Time Appellation
P79 beginning is qualified by: E62 StringP80 end is qualified by: E62 String
P81 ongoing throughout: E61 Time Primitive
P82 at some time within: E61 Time Primitive
P83 had at least duration (was minimum duration of): E54 Dimension
P84 had at most duration (was maximum duration of): E54 Dimension
P86 falls within (contains): E52 Time-Span
E53 Place(former E37: Location)
Subclass of:

E1 CRM Entity

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model24

Scope note:This class comprises extents in space, in particular on the surface of the earth, in the pure senseof physics: independent from temporal phenomena and matter.
The instances of E53 Place are usually determined by reference to the position of “immobile”
objects such as buildings, cities, mountains, rivers, or dedicated geodetic marks. A Place canbe determined by combining a frame of reference and a location with respect to this frame. It
may be identified by one or more instances of E44 Place Appellation.
It is sometimes argued that instances of E53 Place are best identified by global coordinates orabsolute reference systems. However, relative references are often more relevant in the context
of cultural documentation and tend to be more precise. In particular, we are often interested inposition in relation to large, mobile objects, such as ships. For example, the Place at which
Nelson died is known with reference to a large mobile object – H.M.S Victory. A resolution ofthis Place in terms of absolute coordinates would require knowledge of the movements of thevessel and the precise time of death, either of which may be revised, and the result would lackhistorical and cultural relevance.
Any object can serve as a frame of reference for E53 Place determination. The model foresees
the notion of a "section" of an E19 Physical Object as a valid E53 Place determination.

Examples:the extent of the UK in the year 2003
the position of the hallmark on the inside of my wedding ring
the place referred to in the phrase: “Fish collected at three miles north of the confluence of
the Arve and the Rhone”
here -> <Properties:
P87 is identified by (identifies): E44 Place Appellation
P88 consists of (forms part of): E53 Place
P89 falls within (contains): E53 Place
P121 overlaps with: E53 PlaceP122 borders with: E53 Place
E54 Dimension(former E38)
Subclass of:

E1 CRM Entity

Scope note:This class comprises quantifiable properties that are measured by some calibrated means andcan be approximated by numerical values.
An instance of E54 Dimension is thought to be the true quantity, independent from its
numerical approximation, e.g. in inches or in cm. The properties of the class E54 Dimension
allow for expressing the numerical approximation. It is recommended to record all numericalapproximations of instances of E54 Dimension as intervals of indeterminacy. Numericalapproximations in archaic instances of E58 Measurement Unit used in historical records
should be preserved. Equivalents corresponding to current knowledge should be recorded asadditional instances of E54 Dimension as appropriate.

Examples:currency: £26.00
length: 3.9-4.1 cm
diameter 26 mm
weight 150 lbs
density: 0.85 gm/cc
luminescence: 56 ISO lumens
tin content: 0.46 %taille au garot: 5 hands

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model25

calibrated C14 date: 2460-2720 years, etc
Properties:
P90 has value: E60 Number
P91 has unit (is unit of): E58 Measurement Unit
E55 Type(former E39, former E57)
Subclass of:Superclass of:

E28 Conceptual Object
E56 Language
E57 Material
E58 Measurement Unit

Scope note:This class comprises arbitrary concepts (universals) and provides a mechanism for organisingthem into a hierarchy.
This hierarchy is intended to duplicate the names of all the classes present in the model. This
allows additional refinement, through subtyping, of those classes which do not require further
analysis of their formal properties, but which nonetheless represent typological distinctions
important to a given user group.
It should be noted that the Model does not make the distinction between classes and types
known from some knowledge representation systems and object-oriented programming
languages. The Type class can be regarded as a metaclass (a class whose instances areuniversals), used to denote a user-defined specialization of some class or property of theModel, without introducing any additional formal properties for this specialization.
It reflects the characteristic use of the term “object type” for naming data fields in museum
documentation and particularly the notion of typology in archaeology. It has however nothing
to do with the term “type” in Natural History (cf. E83 Type Creation), but it includes thenotion of a “taxon”.
Ideally, instances of the E55 Type class should be organised into thesauri, with scope notes,
illustrations, etc. to clarify their meaning. In general, it is expected that different domains andcultural groups will develop different thesauri in parallel. Consistent reasoning on the
expansion of subterms used in a thesaurus is possible insofar as it conforms to both the classes
and the hierarchies of the model.
E56 Language, E57 Material and E58 Measurement Unit have been defined explicitly as
elements of the E55 Type hierarchy because they do not correspond to an explicit class in the
Model, e.g., the property instance “consists of gold” does not refer to a particular instance of
gold.

Examples:weight, length, depth [types of E54 Dimension]
portrait, sketch, animation [types of E38 image]
French, English, German [E56]excellent, good, poor [types of E3 Condition State]
Ford Model T, chop stick [types of E22 Man-Made Object]cave, doline, scratch [types of E26 Physical Feature]
poem, short story [types of E33 Linguistic Object]wedding, earthquake, skirmish [types of E5 Event]
Properties:
P127 has broader term (has narrower term): E55 Type
P137 is exemplified by (exemplifies): E55 TypeP137.1 in the taxonomic role: E55 TypeDefinition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model26

E56 Language(former E40, former E58)
Subclass of:

E55 Type

Scope note:This class is a specialization of E55 Type and comprises the names identifying natural
languages.
ISO codes, such as those defined in ISO 639:1988, should be used as instances of E56
Language, if the respective language is defined.
This type does not correspond to an explicit class in the Model.

Examples:
el
en
eo
es
fr

[Greek][English][Esperanto][Spanish][French]E57 Material(former E41, former E59)
Subclass of:

E55 Type

Scope note:This class is a specialization of E55 Type and comprises the names used to identify materials.
Terms for instances of E57 Material may denote properties of matter before its use, during its
use, and as incorporated in an object, such as ultramarine powder, tempera paste, reinforced
concrete. Internationally used codes and terminology are recommended. Discrete pieces of
raw-materials kept in museums, such as bricks, sheets of fabric, pieces of metal, should bemodelled individually in the same way as other objects. Discrete used or processed pieces,such as the stones from Nefer Titi's temple, should be modelled as parts (cf. P46 is composedof).
This type does not correspond to an explicit class in the Model.

Examples:
brick
gold
aluminiumpolycarbonate
resin
E58 Measurement Unit
(new, former E60)
Subclass of:

E55 Type

Scope Note:

This class is a specialization of E55 Type and comprises terms for all types of measurement
units: feet, inches, centimetres, litres, lumens, etc.

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

27

Systeme Internationale (SI) units or internationally recognized non-SI terms should be usedwhenever possible. (ISO 1000:1992). Archaic Measurement Units used in historical records
should be preserved.
This type does not correspond to an explicit class in the Model.
Examples:
cm [centimetre]km [kilometre]m [meter]m/s [meters per second]
A [Ampere]
GRD [Greek Drachme]°C [degrees centigrade]
E59 Primitive Value
Superclass of:

E60 Number
E61 Time Primitive
E62 String(new, former E61)

Scope Note:

This class comprises primitive values used as documentation elements, which are not further
elaborated upon within the model.
As such they are not considered as elements within our universe of discourse. No specificimplementation recommendations are made.

Examples:
ABCDEFG
3.14
0
1921-01-01
E60 Number(new, former E55)
Subclass of:

E59 Primitive Value

Scope Note:

This class comprises any encoding of computable (algebraic) values such as integers, real
numbers, complex numbers, vectors, tensors etc., including intervals of these values to express
limited precision.
Numbers are fundamentally distinct from identifiers in continua, such as instances of E50 Dateand E47 Spatial Coordinate, even though their encoding may be similar. Instances of E60
Number can be combined with each other in algebraic operations to yield other instances of
E60 Number, e.g., 1+1=2. Identifiers in continua may be combined with numbers expressing
distances to yield new identifiers, e.g., 1924-01-31 + 2 days = 1924-02-02. Cf. E54 Dimension

Examples:5
3+2i
1.5e-04(0.5, - 0.7,88)

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model28

E61 Time Primitive(new, former E62)
Subclass of:

E59 Primitive Value

Scope Note:

This class comprises instances of E59 Primitive Value for time that should be implemented
with appropriate validation, precision and interval logic to express date ranges relevant tocultural documentation.
E61 Time Primitive is not further elaborated upon within the model.

Examples:1994 – 1997
13 May 1768
2000/01/01 00:00:59.7
85th century BC
E62 String(new)
Subclass of:

E59 Primitive Value

Scope Note:

This class comprises the instances of E59 Primitive Values used for documentation such as
free text strings, bitmaps, vector graphics, etc.
E62 String is not further elaborated upon within the model

Examples:the Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over the Lazy Dog
6F 6E 54 79 70 31 0D 9E
E63 Beginning of Existence
Subclass of:
E5 Event
Superclass of:
E12 Production Event
E65 Creation Event
E66 Formation Event
E67 Birth
E81 Transformation
Scope note:This class comprises events that bring into existence any E77 Persistent Item.
It may be used for temporal reasoning about things (intellectual products, physical items,groups of people, living beings) beginning to exist; it serves as a hook for termini postquem
and antequem.

Examples:the birth of my childthe birth of Snoopy, my dog
the calving of the iceberg that sank the Titanic
the construction of the Eiffel Tower
Properties:
P92 brought into existence (was brought into existence by): E77 Persistent Item

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model29

E64 End of Existence
Subclass of:
E5 Event
Superclass of:
E6 Destruction
E68 Dissolution
E69 Death
E81 Transformation
Scope note:This class comprises events that end the existence of any E77 Persistent Item.
It may be used for temporal reasoning about things (physical items, groups of people, living
beings) ceasing to exist; it serves as a hook for termini postquem and antequem. In cases where
substance from a Persistent Item continues to exist in a new form, the process would be
documented by E81 Transformation.

Examples:the death of Snoopy, my dog
the melting of the snowman
the burning of the Temple of Artemis in Ephesos by Herostratos in 356BC
Properties:
P93 took out of existence (was taken out of existence by): E77 Persistent Item
E65 Creation Event
Subclass of:Superclass of:
Scope note:

E7 Activity
E63 Beginning of Existence
E83 Type Creation
This class comprises events that result in the creation of conceptual items or immaterial
products, such as legends, poems, texts, music, images, movies, laws, classes etc.

Examples:the framing of the U.S. Constitution
the drafting of U.N. resolution 1441
Properties:
P94 has created (was created by): E28 Conceptual Object
E66 Formation Event
Subclass of:E7 Activity
E63 Beginning of Existence

Scope note:This class comprises events that result in the formation of a formal or informal E74 Group ofpeople, such as a club, society, association, corporation or nation.
E66 Formation Event does not include the arbitrary aggregation of people who do not act as acollective.

Examples:the formation of the CIDOC CRM Special Interest Groupthe formation of the Soviet Union
the conspiring of the murderers of Caesar
Properties:
P95 has formed (was formed by): E74 GroupDefinition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model30

E67 Birth
Subclass of:

E63 Beginning of Existence

Scope note:This class comprises the birth of a human beings.
E67 Birth is a biological event focussing on the context of people coming into life.
(E63 Beginning of Existence comprises the coming into life of any living beings).
Twins, triplets etc. are brought into life by the same E67 Birth event. The introduction of theE67 Birth event as a documentation element allows the description of a range of family
relationships in a simple model. Suitable extensions may describe more details and thecomplexity of motherhood with the intervention of modern medicine. In this model, thebiological father is not seen as a necessary participant in the E67 Birth event.

Examples:the birth of Alexander the Great
Properties:
P96 by mother (gave birth): E21 Person
P97 from father (was father for): E21 Person
P98 brought into life (was born): E21 Person
E68 Dissolution
Subclass of:

E64 End of Existence

Scope note:This class comprises the events that result in the formal or informal termination of an E74
Group of people.
If the dissolution was deliberate, the Dissolution event should also be instantiated as an E7
Activity.

Examples:the fall of the Roman Empire
the liquidation of Enron Corporation
Properties:
P99 dissolved (was dissolved by): E74 GroupE69 Death
Subclass of:

E63 End of Existence

Scope note:This class comprises the deaths of human beings.
If the E21 Person was killed, the E69 Death event should also be instantiated as an E7
Activity. The E69 Death or perishing of other living beings should be documented using E64
End of Existence.

Examples:the murder of Julius Caesar (E69,E7)
the death of Senator Paul Wellstone

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

31Properties:
P100 was death of (died in): E21 Person
E70 Stuff
Subclass of:Superclass of:

E77 Persistent Item
E71 Man-Made Stuff
E72 Legal Object

Scope note:This general class comprises usable discrete, identifiable, instances of E77 Persistent Item thatare documented as single units.
They can be either intellectual products or physical things, and are characterized by relative
stability. They may for instance either have a solid physical form, an electronic encoding, orthey may be logical concept or structure.

Examples:my photograph collection (E78)the pint of milk in my refrigerator
the plan of the Stassburger Muenster
the stuff on the top of Otto Hahn’s desk
the design of the no-smoking sign (E29)the cave of Dirou, Mani, Greece (E27)
Properties
P43 has dimension (is dimension of): E54 Dimension
P101 had as general use (was use of): E55 TypeP130 shows features of (features are also found on): E70 Stuff(P130.1 kind of similarity: E55 Type)E71 Man-Made Stuff
Subclass of:Superclass of:

E70 Stuff
E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff
E28 Conceptual Object

Scope note:This class comprises discrete, identifiable man-made items that are documented as single units.
These items are either intellectual products or man-made physical things, and are characterized
by relative stability. They may for instance have a solid physical form, an electronic encoding,or they may be logical concepts or structures.

Examples:Beethoven’s 5th Symphony (E73)
Michelangelo’s David
Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity (E73)
the taxon ‘Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus,1758’ (E55)

Properties
P102 has title (is title of): E35 Title(P102.1 has type: E55 Type)P103 was intended for (was intention of): E55 Type
E72 Legal Object

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

32

Subclass of:Superclass of:

E70 Stuff
E18 Physical Stuff
E73 Information Object

Scope note:This class comprises those material or immaterial items to which instances of E30 Right, suchas the right of ownership or use, can be applied.
This is true for all E18 Physical Stuff. In the case of instances of E28 Conceptual Object,however, the identity of the E28 Conceptual Object or the method of its use may be too
ambiguous to reliably establish instances of E30 Right, as in the case of taxa and inspirations.
Ownership of corporations is currently regarded as out of scope of the CRM.

Examples:the Cullinan diamond (E19)
definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model Version 2.1 (E73)
Properties:
P104 is subject to (applies to): E30 Right
P105 right held by (has right on): E39 Actor(P105.1 has type: E55 Type)E73 Information Object
Subclass of:Superclass of:

Scope note:

E28 Conceptual Object
E72 Legal Object
E29 Design or Procedure
E31 Document
E33 Linguistic Object
E36 Visual Item
This class comprises identifiable immaterial items, such as a poems, jokes, data sets, images,
texts, multimedia objects, procedural prescriptions, computer program code, algorithm ormathematical formulae, that have an objectively recognizable structure and are documented as
single units.
An E73 Information Object does not depend on a specific physical carrier, which can include
human memory, and it can exist on one or more carriers simultaneously.
Instances of E73 Information Object of a linguistic nature should be declared as instances of
the E33 Linguistic Object subclass. Instances of E73 Information Object of a documentary
nature should be declared as instances of the E31 Document subclass. Conceptual items suchas types and classes are not instances of E73 Information Object, nor are ideas without areproducible expression.

Examples:image BM000038850.JPG from the Clayton Herbarium in London
E. A. Poe's "The Raven"the movie "The Seven Samurai" by Akira Kurosawa
the Maxwell Equations
Properties:
P67 refers to (is referred to by): E1 CRM Entity(P67.1 has type: E55 Type)P106 is composed of (forms part of): E73 Information Object
P129 is about (is subject of): E1 CRM Entity
E74 Group

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

33

Subclass of:Superclass of:

E39 Actor
E40 Legal Body

Scope note:This class comprises any gatherings or organizations of two or more people that act
collectively or in a similar way due to any form of unifying relationship.
A gathering of people becomes an E74 Group when it exhibits organizational characteristics
usually typified by a set of ideas or beliefs held in common, or actions performed together.
These might be communication, creating some common artifact, a common purpose such as
study, worship, business, sports, etc. Nationality can be modeled as membership in an E74
Group (cf. HumanML markup).

Examples:the impressionists
the Navajo
the Greeks
the peace protestors in New York City on February 15 2003
Exxon-Mobil
Properties:
P107 has current or former member (is current or former member of): E39 Actor
E75 Conceptual Object Appellation
Subclass of:

E41 Appellation

Scope note:This class comprises all specific identifiers of intellectual products or standardized patterns.

Examples:ISBN 3-7913-1418-1
ISO2788-1986 (E)E77 Persistent Item
Subclass of:Superclass of:

E1 CRM Entity
E39 Actor
E41 Appellation
E51 Contact Point
E70 Stuff

Scope note:This class comprises items that have a persistent identity, sometimes known as “endurants” inphilosophy.
They can be repeatedly recognized within the duration of their existence by identity criteria
rather than by continuity or observation. Persistent Items can be either physical entities, such as
people, animals or things, or conceptual entities such as ideas, concepts, products of theimagination or common names.
The criteria that determine the identity of an item are often difficult to establish -; the decision
depends largely on the judgement of the observer. For example, a building is regarded as nolonger existing if it is dismantled and the materials reused in a different configuration. On theother hand, human beings go through radical and profound changes during their life-span,
affecting both material composition and form, yet preserve their identity by other criteria.
Similarly, inanimate objects may be subject to exchange of parts and matter. The class E77
Persistent Item does not take any position about the nature of the applicable identity criteria
and if actual knowledge about identity of an instance of this class exists. There may be cases,
where the identity of an E77 Persistent Item is not decidable by a certain state of knowledge.

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

34

The main classes of objects that fall outside the scope the E77 Persistent Item class aretemporal objects such as periods, events and acts, and descriptive properties.
Examples:Leonard da Vinci
Stonehenge
the hole in the ozone layer
the First Law of Thermodynamics
the Bermuda Triangle
E78 Collection
Subclass of:

E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff

Scope note:This class comprises aggregations of physical items that are assembled and maintained(“curated” and “preserved,” in museological terminology) by one or more instances of E39
Actor over time for a specific purpose and audience, and according to a particular collection
development plan.
Items may be added or removed from an E78 Collection in pursuit of this plan. This classshould not be confused with the E39 Actor maintaining the E78 Collection often referred towith the name of the E78 Collection (e.g. “The Wallace Collection decided…”).
Collective objects in the general sense, like a tomb full of gifts, a folder with stamps or a set ofchessmen, should be documented as instances of E19 Physical Object, and not as instances of
E78 Collection. This is because they form wholes either because they are physically boundtogether or because they are kept together for their functionality.

Examples:the John Clayton Herbarium
the Wallace Collection
Properties:
P109 has current or former curator (is current or former curator of): E39 Actor
E79 Part Addition
Subclass of:

E11 Modification Event

Scope note:This class comprises activities that result in an instance of E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff being
increased, enlarged or augmented by the addition of a part.
Typical scenarios include the attachment of an accessory, the integration of a component, theaddition of an element to an aggregate object, or the accessioning of an object into a curated
E78 Collection. Objects to which parts are added are, by definition, man-made, since theaddition of a part implies a human activity. Following the addition of parts, the resulting manmade assemblages are treated objectively as single identifiable wholes, made up of constituent
or component parts bound together either physically (for example the engine becoming a partof the car), or by sharing a common purpose (such as the 32 chess pieces that make up a chessset). This class of activities forms a basis for reasoning about the history and continuity ofidentity of objects that are integrated into other objects over time, such as precious gemstones
being repeatedly incorporated into different items of jewellery, or cultural artifacts being added
to different museum instances of E78 Collection over their lifespan.

Examples:the setting of the koh-i-noor diamond into the crown of Queen Elizabeth the Queen
MotherDefinition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model35

the addition of the painting “Room in Brooklyn” by Edward Hopper to the collection of
the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Properties:
P110 augmented (was augmented by): E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff
P111 added (was added by): E18 Physical Stuff
E80 Part Removal
Subclass of:

E11 Modification Event

Scope note:This class comprises the activities that result in an instance of E18 Physical Stuff being
decreased by the removal of a part.
Typical scenarios include the detachment of an accessory, the removal of a component or partof a composite object, or the deaccessioning of an object from a curated E78 Collection. If the
E80 Part Removal results in the total decomposition of the original object into pieces, such thatthe whole ceases to exist, the activity should instead be modelled as an E81 Transformation,i.e. a simultaneous destruction and production. In cases where the part removed has no
discernible identity prior to its removal but does have an identity subsequent to its removal, theactivity should be regarded as both E80 Part Removal and E12 Production Event. This class ofactivities forms a basis for reasoning about the history, and continuity of identity over time, ofobjects that are removed from other objects, such as precious gemstones being extracted fromdifferent items of jewelry, or cultural artifacts being deaccessioned from different museum
collections over their lifespan.

Examples:the removal of the engine from my car
the disposal of object number 1976:234 from the collection
Properties:
P112 diminished (was diminished by): E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff
P113 removed (was removed by): E18 Physical Stuff
E81 Transformation
Subclass of:

E63 Beginning of Existence
E64 End of Existence

Scope note:This class comprises the events that result in the simultaneous destruction of one E77
Persistent Item and the creation of another E77 Persistent Item that preserves recognizable
substance from the first but has a fundamentally different nature and identity.
Although the two instances of E77 Persistent Item are treated as discrete entities having
separate, unique identities, they are causally connected through the E81 Transformation event;the destruction of the first E77 Persistent Item directly causes the creation of the second using
or preserving some relevant substance. Instances of E81 Transformation are therefore distinct
from re-classifications (documented using E17 Type Assignment) or modifications(documented using E11 Modification Event) of objects that do not fundamentally change theirnature or identity. Characteristic cases are reconstructions and repurposing of historicalbuildings or ruins, fires leaving buildings in ruins, taxidermy of specimen in natural history andthe reorganization of a corporate body into a new one.

Examples:the death and mummification of Tut Ankh Amun (transformation of Tut Ankh Amun froma living person to a mummy)
Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

36

Properties:
P123 resulted in (resulted from): E77 Persistent Item
P124 transformed (was transformed by): E77 Persistent Item
E82 Actor Appellation
Subclass of:

E41 Appellation

Scope note:This class comprises any sort of name, number, code or symbol characteristically used to
identify an E39 Actor.
An E39 Actor will typically have more than one E82 Actor Appellation, and instances of E82
Actor Appellation in turn may have alternative representations. The distinction between
corporate and personal names, which is particularly important in library applications, should
be made by explicitly linking the E82 Actor Appellation to an instance of either E21 Person or
E74 Group/E40 Legal Body. If this is not possible, the distinction can be made through the useof the P2 has type mechanism.

Examples:John Doe
Doe, J.
the U.S. Social Security Number 246-14-2304
the Artist Formerly Known as Prince
the Master of the Flemish Madonna
Raphael’s Workshop
the Brontë Sisters
ICOM
International Council of Museums
E83 Type Creation
Subclass of:

E65 Creation Event

Scope note:This class comprises activities formally defining new classes of items.
It is typically a rigorous scholarly or scientific process that ensures a class is exhaustively
described and appropriately named. In some cases, particularly in archaeology and the life
sciences, E83 Type Creation requires the identification of an exemplary specimen and the
publication of the type definition in an appropriate scholarly forum. The activity of E83 TypeCreation is central to research in the life sciences, where a type would be referred to as a“taxon,” the type description as a “protologue,” and the exemplary specimens as “orgininal
element” or “holotype”.

Examples:creation of the taxon 'Penicillium brefeldianum B. O. Dodge' (1933)
addition of class E84 Information Carrier to the CIDOC CRM
Properties:
P135 created type (was created by): E55 TypeP136 was based on (supported type creation)): E1 CRM Entity(P136.1 in the taxonomic role: E55 Type)E84 Information Carrier
Subclass of:
E22 Man-Made Object

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model37

Scope note:This class comprises all instances of E22 Man-Made Object that are explicitly designed to act
as persistent physical carriers for instances of E73 Information Object.
This allows a relationship to be asserted between an E19 Physical Object and its immaterial
information contents. An E84 Information Carrier may or may not contain information, e.g., adiskette. Note that any E18 Physical Stuff may carry information, such as an E34 Inscription.
However, unless it was specifically designed for this purpose, it is not an Information Carrier.
Therefore the property P128 carries (is carried by) applies to E18 Physical Stuff in general.

Examples:the Rosetta Stone
my paperback copy of Crime & Punishment
the computer disk at ICS-FORTH that stores the canonical Definition of the CIDOC CRM

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model38

CIDOC CRM Property Declarations
The properties of the CRM are comprehensively declared in this section using the following format:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Property names are presented as headings in bold face, preceded by unique property identifiers;
The line “Domain:” declares the class for which the property is defined;
The line “Range:” declares the class to which the property points, or that provides the values for theproperty;
The line “Superproperty of:” is a cross-reference to any subproperties the property may have;
The line “Quantification:” declares the possible number of occurrences for domain and range classinstances for the property. Possible values are: 1:many, many:many, many:1;
The line “Scope note:” contains the textual definition of the concept the property represents;
The line “Examples:” contains a bulleted list of examples of instances of this property. If the example isalso instance of a subproperty of this property, the unique identifier of the subclass is added inparenthesis. If the example instantiates two properties, the unique identifiers of both properties is addedin parenthesis.
The line “Examples:” provides illustrative examples showing how the property should be used.

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model39

P1 is identified by (identifies)
Domain:E1 CRM Entity
Range:
E41 Appellation
Superproperty of:E19 Physical Object. P47 is identified by (identifies): E42 Object Identifier
E52 Time-Span. P78 is identified by (identifies): E49 Time Appellation
E53 Place. P87 is identified by (identifies): E44 Place Appellation
E71 Man-Made Stuff. P102 has title (is title of): E35 Title
E39 Actor. P131 is identified by (identifies): E82 Actor Appellation
Quantification: many to many (0,n:0,n)
Scope note:This property describes the naming or identification of any real world item by a name or any
other identifier.
This property is intended for identifiers in general use, which form part of the world the model
intends to describe, and not merely for internal database identifiers which are specific to atechnical system, unless these latter also have a more general use outside the technical context.
This property includes in particular identification by mathematical expressions such as
coordinate systems used for the identification of instances of E53 Place. The property does notreveal anything about when, where and by whom this identifier was used. A more detailed
representation can be made using the fully developed (i.e. indirect) path through E15 Identifier
Assignment.

Examples:the capital of Italy (E53) is identified by Rome (E48)
text 25014–32 (E33) is identified by “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” (E35)
P2 has type (is type of)Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E1 CRM Entity
E55 Type
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property allows sub typing of CRM entities - a form of specialisation – through the use ofa terminological hierarchy, or thesaurus.
The CRM is intended to focus on the high-level entities and relationships needed to describe
data structures. Consequently, it does not specialise entities any further than is required for this
immediate purpose. However, entities in the isA hierarchy of the CRM may by specialised into
any number of sub entities, which can be defined in the E55 Type hierarchy. E51 Contact
Point, for example, may be specialised into “e-mail address”, “telephone number”, “post officebox”, “URL” etc. none of which figures explicitly in the CRM hierarchy. Sub typing obviously
requires consistency between the meaning of the terms assigned and the more general intent of
the CRM entity in question.

Examples:www.cidoc.icom.org (E51) has type URL (E55)
P3 has note
Domain:E1 CRM Entity
Range:
E62 String
Superproperty of: E52 Time-Span. P79 beginning is qualified by: E62 String
E52 Time-Span. P80 end is qualified by: E62 String
Quantification: one to many (0,n:0,1)
Scope note:This property is a container for all informal descriptions about an object that cannot be

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model40

expressed in terms of CRM constructs.
In particular it captures the characterisation of the item itself, its internal structures, appearanceetc.
Like property P2 has type (is type of), this property is a consequence of the restricted focus of
the CRM. The aim is not to capture, in a structured form, everything that can be said about an
item; indeed, the CRM formalism is not regarded as sufficient to express everything that can besaid. Good practice requires use of distinct note fields for different aspects of acharacterisation. The P2 has type (is type of) property of P3 has note allows differentiation of
specific notes, e.g. “construction”, “decoration” etc.
An item may have many notes, but a note is attached to a specific item.
Examples:coffee mug – OXCMS:1983.1.1 (E19) has note chipped at edge of handle (E62) has type
Condition (E55)
Properties:

P3.1 has type: E55 TypeP4 has time-span (is time-span of)Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E2 Temporal Entity
E52 Time-Spanmany to one, necessary, dependent (1,1:1,n)

Scope note:This property describes the temporal confinement of an instance of an E2 Temporal Entity.
The related E52 Time-Span is understood as the real Time-Span during which the phenomena
were active, which make up the temporal entity instance. It does not convey any other meaning
than a positioning on the “time-line” of chronology. The Time-Span in turn is approximated bya set of dates (E61 Time Primitive). A temporal entity can have in reality only one Time-Span,but there may exist alternative opinions about it, which we would express by assigning
multiple Time-Spans. Related temporal entities may share a Time-Span. Time-Spans may havecompletely unknown dates but other descriptions by which we can infer knowledge.

Examples:the Yalta Conference (E7) has time-span Yalta Conference time-span (E52), ongoing
throughout 11 February 1945 (E61)
P5 consists of (forms part of)Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E3 Condition State
E3 Condition State
one to many (0,n:0,1)

Scope note:This property describes the decomposition of an E3 Condition State into discrete, subsidiarystates.
It is assumed that the sub-states into which the condition state is analysed form a logical whole- although the entire story may not be completely known – and that the sub-states are in fact
constitutive of the general condition state. For example, a general condition state of “in ruins”
may be decomposed into the individual stages of decay.

Examples:Ruination of theTower of Babylon (E3) consists of wind-erosion phase (E3)

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model41

P7 took place at (witnessed)
Domain:E4 Period
Range:E53 Place
Superproperty of:E9 Move. P26 moved to (was destination of): E53 Place
E9 Move. P27 moved from (was origin of): E53 Place
Quantification: many to many, necessary (1,n:0,n)
Scope note:This property describes the spatial location of an instance of E4 Period.
The related E53 Place should be seen as an approximation of the geographical area within
which the phenomena that characterise the period in question occurred. P7took place at(witnessed) does not convey any meaning other than spatial positioning (generally on thesurface of the earth). For example, the period “Révolution française” can be said to have takenplace in “France”, the “Victorian” period, may be said to have taken place in “Britain” and its
colonies, as well as other parts of Europe and north America.
A period can take place at multiple locations.

Examples:the period “Révolution française” (E4) took place at France (E53)
P8 took place on or within (witnessed)
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E4 Period
E19 Physical Object
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property describes the location of an instance of E4 Period with respect to an E19
Physical Object.
P8 took place on or within (witnessed) is a short-cut of a path defining a E53 Place withrespect to the geometry of an object. cf. E46 Section Definition.
This property is in effect a special case of P7 took place at. It describes a period that can belocated with respect to the space defined by an E19 Physical Object such as a ship or abuilding. The precise geographical location of the object during the period in question may be
unknown or unimportant.
For example, the French and German armistice of 22 June 1940 was signed in the same railway
carriage as the armistice of 11 November 1918.

Examples:the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II (E7) took place on or within Westminster Abbey(E19)
P9 consists of (forms part of)Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E4 Period
E4 Period
one to many, (0,n:0,1)

Scope note:This property describes the decomposition of an instance of E4 Period into discrete, subsidiary
periods.
The sub-periods into which the period is decomposed form a logical whole - although theentire picture may not be completely known - and the sub-periods are constitutive of thegeneral period.

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

42

Examples:
Cretan Bronze Age (E4) consists of Middle Minoan (E4)
P10 falls within (contains)
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E4 Period
E4 Period
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property describes an instance of E4 Period, which falls within the E53 Place and E52
Time-Span of another.
The difference with P9 consists of (forms part of) is subtle. Unlike P9 consists of (forms partof), P10 falls within (contains) does not imply any logical connection between the two periods
and it may refer to a period of a completely different type.

Examples:the Great Plague (E4) falls within The Gothic period (E4)P11 had participant (participated in)
Domain:E5 Event
Range:
E39 Actor
Subproperty of: E5 Event. P12 occurred in the presence of (was present at): E77 Persistent Item
Superproperty of:E7 Activity. P14 carried out by (performed): E39 Actor
E67 Birth. P96 by mother (gave birth): E21 Person
E68 Dissolution. P99 dissolved (was dissolved by): E74 Group
Quantification: many to many (0,n:0,n)
Scope note:This property describes the active or passive participation of instances of E39 Actors in an E5
Event.
It connects the life-line of the related E39 Actor with the E53 Place and E50 Date of the event.
The property implies that the Actor was involved in the event but does not imply any causal
relationship. The subject of a portrait can be said to have participated in the creation of theportrait.

Examples:Napoleon (E21) participated in The Battle of Waterloo (E7)OrMaria (E21) participated in Photographing of Maria (E7)P12 occurred in the presence of (was present at)
Domain:E5 Event
Range:E77 Persistent Item
Superproperty of:E5 Event. P11 had participant (participated in): E39 Actor
E7 Activity. P16 used specific object (was used for): E70 Stuff
E9 Move. P25 moved (moved by): E19 Physical Object
E11 Modification Event. P31 has modified (was modified by): E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff
E11 Modification Event. P33 used specific technique (was used by): E29 Design or Procedure
E63 Beginning of Existence. P92 brought into existence (was brought into existence by): E77
Persistent Item
E64 End of Existence. P93 took out of existence (was taken out of existence by): E77
Persistent Item
Quantification: many to many, necessary (1,n:0,n)
Scope note:This property describes the active or passive presence of a persistent item in an E5 Event

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model43

without implying any specific role.
It connects the history of a thing with the E53 Place and E50 Date of an event. For example, anobject may be the desk, now in a museum on which a treaty was signed. The presence of animmaterial thing implies the presence of at least one of its carriers.
Examples:
Deckchair 42 (E19) was present at The sinking of the Titanic (E5)P13 destroyed (was destroyed by)
Domain:E6 Destruction
Range:
E18 Physical Stuff
Subproperty of: E64 End of Existence. P93 took out of existence (was taken out of existence by): E77
Persistent Item
Quantification: one to many, necessary (1,n:0,1)
Scope note:This property allows specific instances of E18 Physical Stuff that have been destroyed to berelated to a destruction event.
Destruction implies the end of an item’s life as a subject of cultural documentation – thephysical matter of which the item was composed may in fact continue to exist. A destruction
event may be contiguous with a production event that brings into existence a derived object
composed partly of matter from the destroyed object.

Examples:the Tay Bridge Disaster (E6) destroyed The Tay Bridge (E22)
P14 carried out by (performed)
Domain:E7 Activity
Range:
E39 Actor
Subproperty of: E5 Event. P11 had participant (participated in): E39 Actor
Superproperty of:E8 Acquisition Event. P22 transferred title to (acquired title through): E39 Actor
E8 Acquisition Event. P23 transferred title from (surrendered title through): E39 Actor
E10 Transfer of Custody. P28 custody surrendered by (surrendered custody through): E39
Actor
E10 Transfer of Custody. P29 custody received by (received custody through): E39 Actor
Quantification: many to many, necessary (1,n:0,n)
Scope note:This property describes the active participation of an E39 Actor in an E7 Activity.
It implies causal or legal responsibility. The P14.1 in the role of property of the property
allows the nature of an Actor’s participation to be specified.

Examples:the painting of the Sistine Chapel (E7) was carried out by Michaelangelo Buonaroti (E21)in the role of master craftsman (E55)
Properties:

P14.1 in the role of: E55 Type

P15 was influenced by (influenced)
Domain:E7 Activity
Range:
E1 CRM Entity
Superproperty of:E7 Activity. P16 used specific object (was used for): E70 Stuff
E7 Activity. P17 was motivated by (motivated): E1 CRM Entity
E11 Modification Event. P33 used specific technique (was used by): E29 Design or Procedure
E7 Activity. P134 continued (was continued by): E7 Activity
E83 Type Creation. P136 was based on (supported type creation): E1 CRM Entity

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

44

Quantification:

many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This is a high level property, which captures the relationship between an E7 Activity andanything that may have had some bearing upon it.
The property has more specific sub properties.

Examples:the designing of the Sydney Harbour Bridge (E7) was influenced by the Tyne bridge (E22)
P16 used specific object (was used for)
Domain:E7 Activity
Range:
E70 Stuff
Subproperty of: E5 Event. P12 occurred in the presence of (was present at): E77 Persistent Item
E7 Activity. P15 was influenced by (influenced): E1 CRM Entity
Quantification: many to many (0,n:0,n)
Scope note:This property describes the use of material or immaterial things in a way essential to theperformance or the outcome of an E7 Activity.
This property typically applies to tools, instruments, moulds, raw materials and items
embedded in a product. It implies that the presence of the object in question was a necessary
condition for the action. For example, the activity of writing this text required the use of acomputer. An immaterial thing can be used if at least one of its carriers is present. For
example, the software tools on a computer.

Examples:the writing of this scope note (E7) used specific object Nicholas Crofts’ computer (E22)mode of use Typing Tool; Storage Medium (E55)
Properties:

P16.1 mode of use: E55 TypeP17 was motivated by (motivated)
Domain:Range:
Subproperty of:
Quantification:

E7 Activity
E1 CRM Entity
E7 Activity. P15 was influenced by (influenced): E1 CRM Entity
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property describes an item or items that are regarded as a reason for carrying out the E7
Activity.
For example, the discovery of a large hoard of treasure may call for a celebration, an orderfrom head quarters can start a military manoeuvre.

Examples:the resignation of the chief executive (E7) was motivated by the collapse of SwissAir(E68).
the coronation of Elizabeth II (E7) was motivated by the death of George VI (E69)
P19 was intended use of (was made for):
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E7 Activity
E71 Man-Made Stuff
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property relates an E7 Activity with objects created specifically for use in the activity.

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

45

This is distinct from the intended use of an item in some general type of activity such as thebook of common prayer which was intended for use in Church of England services (see P101
had as general use (was use of)).
Examples:Lady Diana Spencer’s wedding dress (E71) was made for Wedding of Prince Charles
and Lady Diana Spencer (E7) mode of use To Be Worn (E55)
Properties:

P19.1 mode of use: E55 TypeP20 had specific purpose (was purpose of)Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E7 Activity
E7 Activity
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property describes the relationship between an E7 Activity and an activity that it isintended as a preparation for.
This may involve activities in preparation for other activities, or orders and otherorganisational activities, which lead to some other specific activity.
P20 had specific purpose (was purpose of) does not imply that an activity succeeded inachieving its aims. For example, dubious accounting practices may be carried out with thespecific purpose of enhancing share values and enabling a take-over bid. The specific purpose
remains the same even if the strategy fails and the company goes bankrupt instead.

Examples:Van Eyck’s pigment grinding (E7) had specific purpose the painting of the Ghent
alter piece (E12)P21 had general purpose (was purpose of)Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E7 Activity
E55 Type
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property describes an intentional relationship between an E7 Activity and some generalgoal or purpose.
This may involve activities intended as preparation for some class of activity. For example, amusician practices an instrument in order to develop his or her musical ability, Van Eyck
ground pigments and prepared oil paints in order to paint oil paintings. I travel to Oxford inorder to work more effectively face-to-face rather than by email and telephone. P21had
general purpose (was purpose of) differs from P20 had specific purpose (was purpose of) inthat no specific activity is implied as the purpose. E7 Activity does not imply that an activity
succeeds in achieving its general aims.

Examples:Van Eyck’s pigment grinding (E7) had general purpose painting (E55)
P22 transferred title to (acquired title through)Domain:Range:
Subproperty of:
Quantification:

E8 Acquisition Event
E39 Actor
E7 Activity. P14 carried out by (performed): E39 Actor
many to many (0,n:0,n)Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model46

Scope note:This property identifies the E39 Actor that acquires the legal ownership of an object as a resultof an E8 Acquisition Event.
The property will typically describe an Actor purchasing or otherwise acquiring an object fromanother Actor. However, title may also be acquired, without any corresponding loss of title byanother Actor, through legal fieldwork such as hunting, shooting or fishing.
In reality the title is either transferred to or from someone, or both.

Examples:acquisition of the Amoudrouz collection by the Geneva Ethnography Museum (E8)transferred title to Geneva Ethnography Museum (E74)
P23 transferred title from (surrendered title through)Domain:Range:
Subproperty of:
Quantification:

E8 Acquisition Event
E39 Actor
E7 Activity. P14 carried out by (performed): E39 Actor
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property identifies the E39 Actor or Actors who relinquish legal ownership as the result ofan E8 Acquisition Event.
The property will typically be used to describe a person donating or selling an object to amuseum. In reality title is either transferred to or from someone, or both.

Examples:acquisition of the Amoudrouz collection by the Geneva Ethnography Museum (E8)transferred title from Heirs of Amoudrouz (E74)
P24 transferred title of (changed ownership through)Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E8 Acquisition Event
E18 Physical Stuff
many to many, necessary (1,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property identifies the E19 Physical Object or objects involved in an E8 Acquisition
Event.
In reality, an acquisition must refer to at least one transferred item.

Examples:acquisition of the Amoudrouz collection by the Geneva Ethnography Museum (E8)transferred title of Amoudrouz Collection (E78)
P25 moved (moved by)
Domain:Range:
Subproperty of:
Quantification:

E9 Move
E19 Physical Object
E5 Event. P12 occurred in the presence of (was present at): E77 Persistent Item
many to many, necessary (1,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property identifies the E19 Physical Object that is moved during a move event.
The property implies the object’s passive participation. For example, Monet’s painting“Impression sunrise” was moved for the first Impressionist exhibition in 1870.
In reality, a move must concern at least one object.

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

47

Examples:“Impression sunrise” (E22) moved by preparations for the First Impressionist Exhibition(E9)
P26 moved to (was destination of)Domain:Range:
Subproperty of:
Quantification:

E9 Move
E53 Place
E4 Period. P7 took place at (witnessed): E53 Place
many to many, necessary (1,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property identifies the destination of a E9 Move.
A move will be linked to a destination, such as the move of an artefact from storage to display.
A move may be linked to many terminal instances of E53 Places. In this case the movedescribes a distribution of a set of objects. The area of the move includes the origin, route anddestination.

Examples:the movement of the Tutenkhamun Exhibition (E9) moved to The British Museum (E53)P27 moved from (was origin of)Domain:Range:
Subproperty of:
Quantification:

E9 Move
E53 Place
E4 Period. P7 took place at (witnessed): E53 Place
many to many, necessary (1,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property identifies the starting E53 Place of an E9 Move.
A move will be linked to an origin, such as the move of an artefact from storage to display. A
move may be linked to many origins. In this case the move describes the picking up of a set ofobjects. The area of the move includes the origin, route and destination.

Examples:the movement of the Tutenkhamun Exhibition (E9) moved from The Cairo Museum (E53)
P28 custody surrendered by (surrendered custody through)Domain:Range:
Subproperty of:
Quantification:

E10 Transfer of Custody
E39 Actor
E7 Activity. P14 carried out by (performed): E39 Actor
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property identifies the E39 Actor or Actors who surrender custody of an instance of E18
Physical Stuff in an E10 Transfer of Custody activity.
The property will typically describe an Actor surrendering custody of an object when it ishanded over to someone else’s care. On occasion, physical custody may be surrendered
involuntarily – through accident, loss or theft.
In reality, custody is either transferred to someone or from someone, or both.

Examples:the Secure Deliveries Inc. crew (E40) surrendered custody through The delivery of thepaintings by Secure Deliveries Inc. to the National Gallery (E10).

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model48

P29 custody received by (received custody through)Domain:Range:
Subproperty of:
Quantification:

E10 Transfer of Custody
E39 Actor
E7 Activity. P14 carried out by (performed): E39 Actor
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property identifies the E39 Actor or Actors who receive custody of an instance of E18
Physical Stuff in an E10 Transfer of Custody activity.
The property will typically describe Actors receiving custody of an object when it is handed
over from another Actor’s care. On occasion, physical custody may be received involuntarily
or illegally – through accident, unsolicited donation, or theft.
In reality, custody is either transferred to someone or from someone, or both.

Examples:representatives of The National Gallery (E40) received custody through. The delivery of
the paintings by Secure Deliveries Inc. to the National Gallery (E10)P30 transferred custody of (custody transferred through)Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E10 Transfer of Custody
E18 Physical Stuff
many to many, necessary (1,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property identifies an item or items of E18 Physical Stuff concerned in an E10 Transfer ofCustody activity.
The property will typically describe the object that is handed over by an E39 Actor to another
Actor’s custody. On occasion, physical custody may be transferred involuntarily or illegally –through accident, unsolicited donation, or theft.

Examples:the delivery of the paintings by Secure Deliveries Inc. to the National Gallery (E10)transferred custody of paintings from The Iveagh Bequest (E19)
P31 has modified (was modified by)
Domain:
E11 Modification Event
Range:
E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff
Subproperty of: E5 Event. P12 occurred in the presence of (was present at): E77 Persistent Item
Superproperty of:E12 Production Event. P108 has produced (was produced by): E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff
E79 Part Addition. P110 augmented (was augmented by): E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff
E80 Part Removal. P112 diminished (was diminished by): E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff
Quantification: many to many, necessary (1,n:0,n)
Scope note:This property identifies the E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff modified in an E11 Modification
Event.
If a modification is applied to a non-man-made object, it is regarded as an E22 Man-Made
Object from that time onwards.

Examples:rebuilding of the Reichstag (E11) has modified the Reichstag in Berlin (E24)

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

49

P32 used general technique (was technique of)Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E11 Modification Event
E55 Type
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property identifies the technique that was employed in an act of modification.
These techniques should be drawn from an external E55 Type hierarchy of consistentterminology of general techniques such as embroidery, oil-painting, etc. Specific techniques
may be further described as instances of E29 Design or Procedure.

Examples:ornamentation of silver cup 113 (E11) used general technique gold-plating (E55) (Designor Procedure Type)P33 used specific technique (was used by)
Domain:
E11 Modification Event
Range:
E29 Design or Procedure
Subproperty of: E5.Event. P12 occurred in he presence of (was present at): E77 Persistent Item
E7 Activity. P15 was influenced by (influenced): E1 CRM Entity
Quantification: many to many (0,n:0,n)
Scope note:This property identifies a specific E29 Design or Procedure used in an E11 Modification Event.
Modification may be carried out in order to ensure the preservation of an object and not just as
part of the creative process.
The property differs from P32 used general technique (was technique of) in that the E29
Design or Procedure referred to is specific and documented rather than simply being a term in
the E55 Type hierarchy. Typical examples would include intervention plans for conservation.

Examples:Ornamentation of silver cup 232 (E11) used specific technique ‘Instructions for goldenchase work by A N Other’ (E29)
Rebuilding of Reichstag (E11) used specific technique Architectural plans by Foster andPartners (E29)
P34 concerned (was assessed by)
Domain:
E14 Conditional Assessment
Range:
E18 Physical Stuff
Subproperty of: E13 Attribute Assignment. P140 assigned attribute to (was attributed by): E1 CRM Entity
Quantification: many to many, necessary (1,n:0,n)
Scope note:This property identifies the E18 Physical Stuff that was assessed during an E14 Condition
Assessment activity.
Conditions may be assessed either by direct observation or using recorded evidence. In thelatter case the E18 Physical Stuff does need to be present or extant.

Examples:1997 condition assessment of the silver collection (E14) concerned silver cup 232 (E22)P35 has identified (identified by)
Domain:
E14 Conditional Assessment
Range:
E3 Condition State
Subproperty of: E13 Attribute Assignment. P141 assigned (was assigned by): E1 CRM Entity

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

50

Quantification:

many to many, necessary (1,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property identifies the E3 Condition State that was observed in an E14 Condition
Assessment activity.

Examples:1997 condition assessment of silver cup 232 (E14) has identified oxidation traces were
present in 1997 (E3) has type oxidation traces (E55)
P36 registered (was registered by)
Domain:Range:
Subproperty of:
Quantification:

E15 Identifier Assignment
E19 Physical Object
E13 Attribute Assignment. P140 assigned attribute to (was attributed by): E1 CRM Entity
many to one, necessary (1,1:0,n)

Scope note:This property indicates the physical object to which an identifier is assigned.
P47 is identified by (identifies) - a property of an E19 Physical Object - is a short cut of the
fully developed path from E19 Physical Object through P36, E15 Identifier Assignment, P37
assigned (was assigned by) to E42 Object Identifier

Examples:01 June 1997 Identifier Assignment of the silver cup donated by Martin Doerr (E15)
registered silver cup 232 (E19)
P37 assigned (was assigned by)
Domain:Range:
Subproperty of:
Quantification:

E15 Identifier Assignment
E42 Object Identifier
E13 Attribute Assignment. P141 assigned (was assigned by): E1 CRM Entity
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property records the identifier that was assigned to an object in an Identifier Assignment
activity.
P47 is identified by (identifies) - a property of an E19 Physical Object - is a short cut of the
fully developed path from E19 Physical Object through P36, E15 Identifier Assignment, P37
assigned (was assigned by) to E42 Object Identifier.
The same identifier may be assigned on more than one occasion.
An Object Identifier might be created prior to an assignment.

Examples:01 June 1997 Identifier Assignment of the silver cup donated by Martin Doerr (E15)
assigned 232 (E42)P38 deassigned (was deassigned by)
Domain:Range:
Subproperty of:
Quantification:

E15 Identifier Assignment
E42 Object Identifier
E13 Attribute Assignment. P141 assigned (was assigned by): E1 CRM Entity
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property records the identifier that was deassigned from an object.
Deassignment of an identifier may be necessary when an object is taken out of an inventory, a
new numbering system is introduced or objects are merged or split up.
The same identifier may be deassigned on more than one occasion.

Examples:
31 July 2001 Identifier Assignment of the silver cup OXCMS:2001.1.32 (E15) deassigned

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model51

232 (E42)P39 measured (was measured by):
Domain:Range:
Subproperty of:
Quantification:

E16 Measurement Event
E70 Stuff
E13 Attribute Assignment. P140 assigned attribute to (was attributed by): E1 CRM Entity
many to one, necessary (1,1:0,n)

Scope note:This property records the Stuff that was the subject of an act of Measurement.
Stuff may be measured more than once. Both material and immaterial Stuff may be measured:for example the number of words in a text.

Examples:
31 August 1997 measurement of height of silver cup 232 (E16) measured silver cup 232(E22)
P40 observed dimension (was observed in)
Domain:Range:
Subproperty of:
Quantification:

E16 Measurement Event
E54 Dimension
E13 Attribute Assignment. P141 assigned (was assigned by): E1 CRM Entity
many to many, necessary (1,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property records the dimension that was observed in a Measurement activity.
Dimension can be any quantifiable aspect of Stuff. Weight, image colour depth and monetary
value are dimensions in this sense. One Measurement activity may determine more than one
Dimension of one object.
Dimensions may be determined either by direct observation or using recorded evidence. In thelatter case the Physical Stuff does need to be present or extant.
Even though knowledge of the value of a dimension requires measurement, the dimension may
be an object of discourse prior to, or even without any measurement being made.

Examples:
31 August 1997 measurement of height of silver cup 232 (E16) observed dimension silver
cup 232 height (E54) has unit mm (E58), has value 224 (E60)
P41 classified (was classified by)
Domain:Range:
Subproperty of:
Quantification:

E17 Type Assignment
E1 CRM Entity
E13 Attribute Assignment. P140 assigned attribute to (was attributed by): E1 CRM Entity
many to one, necessary (1,1:0,n)

Scope note:This property records the item to which a type was assigned in an E17 Type Assignment
activity.
Any instance of a CRM entity may be assigned a type through type assignment. Typeassignment events allow a more detailed path from E1 CRM Entity through P41 classified(was classified), E17 Type Assignment, P42 assigned (was assigned by) to E55 Type forassigning types to objects compared to the shortcut offered by P2 has type (is type of).

Examples:
31 August 1997 classification of silver cup 232 (E17) classified silver cup 232 (E22)
P42 assigned (was assigned by)
Domain:Range:

E17 Type Assignment
E55 Type

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

52

Subproperty of: E13 Attribute Assignment. P141 assigned (was assigned by): E1 CRM Entity
Quantification: many to many, necessary (1,n:0,n)
Scope note:This property records the type that was assigned to an entity by an E17 Type Assignment
activity.
Type assignment events allow a more detailed path from E1 CRM Entity through P41
classified (was classified by), E17 Type Assignment, P42 assigned (was assigned by) to E55
Type for assigning types to objects compared to the shortcut offered by P2 has type (is typeof).
For example, a fragment of an antique vessel could be assigned the type “attic red figured belly
handled amphora” by expert A. The same fragment could be assigned the type “shoulder
handled amphora” by expert B.
A Type may be intellectually constructed independent from assigning an instance of it.

Examples:
31 August 1997 classification of silver cup 232 (E17) assigned goblet (E55)
P43 has dimension (is dimension of)Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E70 Stuff
E54 Dimension
one to many, dependent (0,n:1.1)

Scope note:This property records a E54 Dimension of some E70 Stuff.
It is a shortcut of the more fully developed path from E70 Stuff through P39 measured (wasmeasured by), E16 Measurement Event P40 observed dimension (was observed in) to E54
Dimension. It offers no information about how and when an E54 Dimension was established,
nor by whom.
An instance of E54 Dimension is specific to an instance of E70 Stuff.

Examples:silver cup 232 (E22) has dimension height of silver cup 232 (E54) has unit mm (E58), hasvalue 224 (E60)
P44 has condition (condition of)Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E18 Physical Stuff
E3 Condition State
one to many, dependent (0,n:1,1)

Scope note:This property records an E3 Condition State for some E18 Physical Stuff.
It is a shortcut of the more fully developed path from E18 Physical Stuff through P34
concerned (was assessed by), E14 Condition Assessment P35 has identified (identified by) to
E3 Condition State. It offers no information about how and when the E3 Condition State wasestablished, nor by whom.
An instance of Condition State is specific to an instance of Physical Stuff.

Examples:silver cup 232 (E22) has condition oxidation traces were present in 1997 (E3) has typeoxidation traces (E55)
P45 consists of (is incorporated in)
Domain:Range:

E18 Physical Stuff
E57 Material

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

53

Quantification:

many to many, necessary (1,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property identifies the instances of E57 Materials of which an instance of E18 PhysicalStuff is composed.
All physical things consist of physical materials. P45 consists of (is incorporated in) allows thedifferent Materials to be recorded. P45 consists of (is incorporated in) refers here to observed
Material as opposed to the consumed raw material.
A Material, such as a theoretical alloy, may not have any physical instances.

Examples:silver cup 232 (E22) consists of silver (E57)
P46 is composed of (forms part of)Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E18 Physical Stuff
E18 Physical Stuff
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property allows instances of E18 Physical Stuff to be analysed into component elements.
Component elements, since they are themselves instances of E18 Physical Stuff, may befurther analysed into sub-components, thereby creating a hierarchy of part decomposition. An
instance of E18 Physical Stuff may be shared between multiple wholes, for example twobuildings may share a common wall.
This property is intended to describe specific components that are individually documented,
rather than general aspects. Overall descriptions of the structure of an instance of E18 PhysicalStuff are captured by the P3 has note property.
The instances of E57 Materials of which an item of E18 Physical Stuff is composed should be
documented using P45 consists of (is incorporated in).

Examples:the Royal carriage (E22) forms part of the Royal train (E22)the “Hog’s Back” (E24) forms part of the “Fosseway” (E24
P47 is identified by (identifies)
Domain:E19 Physical Object
Range:
E42 Object Identifier
Subproperty of: E1 CRM Entity. P1 is identified by (identifies): E41 Appellation
Superproperty of:E19 Physical Object. P48 has preferred identifier (is preferred identifier of): E42 Object
Identifier
Quantification: many to many (0,n:0,n)
Scope note:This property records the E42 Object Identifier used for a particular instance of E19 PhysicalObject.
It is intended primarily for museum identification numbers, such as object numbers, inventory
numbers, registration numbers or accession* numbers. * (Note that the identification of the E8
Acquisition Event is sometimes mistaken for the identification of the acquired objects
themselves).
P47 is identified by (identifies) is a sub-property of P1 is identified by (identifies). The range ofP47 is identified by (identifies) is restricted to E42 Object Identifier.
The property is a shortcut that associates an E42 Object Identifier directly with an object. It
says nothing about when and where an E42 Object Identifier was assigned, nor by whom.

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model54

A more detailed representation can be made using the fully developed (i.e. indirect) path fromE19 Physical Object through P36 registered (was registered by), E15 Identifier Assignment,
P37 assigned (was assigned by) to E42 Object Identifier.
Examples:the silver cup donated by Martin Doerr (E22) is identified by object number
OXCMS:2001.1.32 (E42)
P48 has preferred identifier (is preferred identifier of)
Domain:Range:
Subproperty of:
Quantification:

E19 Physical Object
E42 Object Identifier
E19 Physical Object. P47 is identified by (identifies): E42 Object Identifier
many to one (0,1:0,n)

Scope note:This property records the preferred E42 Object Identifier that was used to identify the E19
Physical Object at the time this property was instantiated.
More than one preferred identifier may have been assigned to an object during its history.
Use of this property requires an external mechanism for assigning temporal validity to therespective CRM instance.
P48 has preferred identifier (is preferred identifier of), like P47 is identified by (identifies) is a
shortcut for the path from E19 Physical Object through P36 registered (was registered by),
E15 Identifier Assignment, P37 assigned (was assigned by) to E42 Object Identifier.

Examples:the pair of Lederhösen donated by Dr Martin Doerr (E22) has preferred identifier
OXCMS:2001.1.32 (E42)
P49 has former or current keeper (is former or current keeper of)
Domain:E18 Physical Stuff
Range:
E39 Actor
Superproperty of:E18 Physical Stuff. P50 has current keeper (is current keeper of): E39 Actor
Quantification: many to many (0,n:0,n)
Scope note:This property identifies the E39 Actor or Actors who have or have had custody of an instanceof E18 Physical Stuff at some time.
The distinction with P50 has current keeper (is current keeper of) is that P49 has former orcurrent keeper (is former or current keeper of) leaves open the question as to whether the
specified keepers are current.
P49 has former or current keeper (is former or current keeper of) is a shortcut for the moredetailed path from E18 Physical Stuff through P30 transferred custody of (custody transferredthrough), E10 Transfer of Custody, P28 custody surrendered by (surrendered custody through)or P29 custody received by (received custody through) to E39 Actor.

Examples:paintings from The Iveagh Bequest (E18) has former or current keeper Secure Deliveries
Inc. (E40)
P50 has current keeper (is current keeper of)
Domain:Range:

E18 Physical Stuff
E39 Actor

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

55

Subproperty of: E18 Physical Stuff. P49 has former or current keeper (is former or current keeper of): E39
Actor
Quantification: many to many (0,n:0,n)
Scope note:This property identifies the E39 Actor or Actors who had custody of an instance of E18
Physical Stuff at the time this property was instantiated.
P50 has current keeper (is current keeper of) is a shortcut for the more detailed path from E18
Physical Stuff through P30 transferred custody of (custody transferred through), E10 Transfer
of Custody, P29 custody received by (received custody through) to E39 Actor.

Examples:paintings from The Iveagh Bequest (E18) has current keeper The National Gallery (E40)
P51 has former or current owner (is former or current owner of)
Domain:E18 Physical Stuff
Range:
E39 Actor
Superproperty of:E18 Physical Stuff. P52 has current owner (is current owner of): E39 Actor
Quantification: many to many (0,n:0,n)
Scope note:This property identifies the E39 Actor that is or has been the legal owner (i.e. title holder) of an
instance of E18 Physical Stuff at some time.
The distinction with P52 has current owner (is current owner of) is that P51 has former orcurrent owner (is former or current owner of) does not indicate whether the specified owners
are current. P51 has former or current owner (is former or current owner of) is a shortcut forthe more detailed path from E18 Physical Stuff through P24 transferred title of (changed
ownership through), E8 Acquisition Event, P23 transferred title from (surrendered title
through), or P22 transferred title to (acquired title through) to E39 Actor.

Examples:paintings from the Iveagh Bequest (E18) has former or current owner Lord Iveagh (E21)P52 has current owner (is current owner of)
Domain:E18 Physical Stuff
Range:
E39 Actor
Subproperty of: E18 Physical Stuff. P51 has former or current owner (is former or current keeper of): E39
Actor
Quantification: many to many (0,n:0,n)
Scope note:This property identifies the E21 Person, E74 Group or E40 Legal Body that was the owner of
an instance of E18 Physical Stuff at the time this property was instantiated.
P52 has current owner (is current owner of) is a shortcut for the more detailed path from E18
Physical Stuff through P24 transferred title of (changed ownership through), E8 Acquisition
Event, P22 transferred title to (acquired title through) to E39 Actor, if and only if thisacquisition event is the most recent.

Examples:paintings from the Iveagh Bequest (E18) has current owner «English Heritage» (E40)P53 has former or current location (is former or current location of)Domain:E18 Physical Stuff
Range:E53 Place
Superproperty of:E19 Physical Object. P55 has current location (currently holds): E53 PlaceDefinition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

56

Quantification:

many to many, necessary (1,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property allows an instance of E53 Place to be associated as the former or current locationof an instance of E18 Physical Stuff.
In the case of E19 Physical Objects, the property does not allow any indication of the TimeSpan during which the Physical Object was located at this Place, nor if this is the current
location.
In the case of immobile objects, the Place would normally correspond to the Place of creation.
P53 has former or current location (is former or current location of) is a shortcut. A moredetailed representation can make use of the fully developed (i.e. indirect) path from E19
Physical Object through P25 moved (moved by), E9 Move, P26 moved to (was destination of)or P27 moved from (was origin of) to E53 Place.

Examples:silver cup 232 (E22) has former or current location Display Case 4, Room 23, Museum of
Oxford (E53)P54 has current permanent location (is current permanent location of)Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E19 Physical Object
E53 Place
many to one (0,1:0,n)

Scope note:This property records the foreseen permanent location of an instance of E19 Physical Object at
the time this property was instantiated.
P54 has current permanent location (is current permanent location of) is similar to P55 hascurrent location (currently holds). However, it indicates the E53 Place currently reserved foran object, such as the permanent storage location or a permanent exhibit location. The object
may be temporarily removed from the permanent location, for example when used in
temporary exhibitions or loaned to another institution. The object may never actually belocated at its permanent location.

Examples:silver cup 232 (E22) has current permanent location Shelf 3.1, Store 2, Museum of
Oxford (E53)
P55 has current location (currently holds)
Domain:E19 Physical Object
Range:E53 Place
Subproperty of: E18 Physical Stuff. P53 has former or current location (is former or current location of): E53
Place
Quantification: many to one (0,1:0,n)
Scope note:This property records the location of an E19 Physical Object at the time the property was
instantiated.
This property is a specialisation of P53 has former or current location (is former or current
location of). It indicates that the E53 Place associated with the E19 Physical Object is thecurrent location of the object. The property does not allow any indication of how long the
Object has been at the current location.
P55 has current location (currently holds) is a shortcut. A more detailed representation canmake use of the fully developed (i.e. indirect) path from E19 Physical Object through P25
moved (moved by), E9 Move P26 moved to (was destination of) to E53 Place if and only if thisMove is the most recent.

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

57

Examples:
silver cup 232 (E22) has current location Display cabinet 23, Room 4, British Museum(E53)
P56 bears feature (is found on):
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E19 Physical Object
E26 Physical Feature
one to many, dependent (0,n:1,1)

Scope note:This property describes a E26 Physical Feature found on a E19 Physical Object It does not
specify the location of the feature on the object.
P56 bears feature (is found on) is a shortcut. A more detailed representation can make use of
the fully developed (i.e. indirect) path from E19 Physical Object through P59 has section (islocated on or within), E53 Place, P53 has former or current location (is former or current
location of) to E26 Physical Feature.
A Physical Feature can only exist on one object. One object may bear more than one PhysicalFeature. An E27 Site should be considered as an E26 Physical Feature on the surface of the
Earth.

Examples:silver cup 232 (E22) bears feature 32 mm scratch on silver cup 232 (E26)
P57 has number of parts
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E19 Physical Object
E60 Number
many to one (0,1:0,n)

Scope note:This property documents the E60 Number of parts of which an instance of E19 Physical Object
is composed.
This may be used as a method of checking inventory counts with regard to aggregate orcollective objects. What constitutes a part or component depends on the context andrequirements of the documentation. Normally, the parts documented in this way would not be
considered as worthy of individual attention.
For a more complete description, objects may be decomposed into their components andconstituents using P46 is composed of (forms parts of) and P45 consists of (is incorporated in).
This allows each element to be described individually.

Examples:chess set 233 (E22) has number of parts 33 (E60)
P58 has section definition (defines section)
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E18 Physical Stuff
E46 Section Definition
one to many, dependent, (0,n:1,1)

Scope note:This property links an area (section) named by a E46 Section Definition to the instance of E18
Physical Stuff upon which it is found.
The CRM handles sections as locations (instances of E53 Place) within or on E18 PhysicalStuff that are identified by E46 Section Definitions. Sections need not be discrete and separable
components or parts of an object.

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

58

This is part of a more developed path from E18 Physical Stuff through P58, E46 Section
Definition, P87 is identified by (identifies) that allows a more precise definition of a location
found on an object than the shortcut P59 has section (is located on or within).
A particular instance of a Section Definition only applies to one instance of Physical Stuff.
Examples:HMS Victory (E22) has section definition poop deck of HMS Victory (E46)P59 has section (is located on or within)
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E18 Physical Stuff
E53 Place
one to many (0,n:0,1)

Scope note:This property links an area to the instance of E18 Physical Stuff upon which it is found.
It is typically used when a named E46 Section Definition is not appropriate.
E18 Physical Stuff may be subdivided into arbitrary regions.
P59 has section (is located on or within) is a shortcut. If the E53 Place is identified by aSection Definition, a more detailed representation can make use of the fully developed (i.e.
indirect) path from E18 Physical Stuff through P58 has section definition (defines section),
E46 Section Definition, P87 is identified by (identifies) to E53 Place. A Place can only belocated on or within one Physical Object.

Examples:HMS Victory (E22) has section HMS Victory section B347.6 (E53)
P62 depicts (is depicted by)
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff
E1 CRM Entity
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property identifies something that is depicted by an instance of E24 Physical Man-Made
Stuff.
This property is a shortcut of the more fully developed path from E24 Physical Man-Made
Stuff through P65 shows visual item (is shown by), E36 Visual Item, P138 represents (hasrepresentation) to E1CRM Entity. P62.1 mode of depiction allows the nature of the depiction
to be refined.

Examples:“Impression Sunrise” by Monet (E84) depicts sun rising over Le Havre (E5) mode of
depiction Impressionistic (E55)
a 20 pence coin (E24) depicts Queen Elizabeth II (E21) mode of depiction Profile (E55)
Properties:

P62.1 mode of depiction: E55 TypeP65 shows visual item (is shown by)
Domain:Range:
Subproperty of:
Quantification:

E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff
E36 Visual Item
E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff. P128 carries (is carried by): E73 Information Object
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property documents an E36 Visual Item shown by an instance of E24 Physical Man-Made
Stuff.

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

59

This property is similar to P62 depicts (is depicted by) in that it associates an item of E24
Physical Man-Made Stuff with a visual representation. However, P65 shows visual item (isshown by) differs from the P62 depicts (is depicted by) property in that it makes no claims
about what the E36 Visual Item is deemed to represent. E36 Visual Item identifies a
recognisable image or visual symbol, regardless of what this image may or may not represent.
For example, all recent British coins bear a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, a fact that iscorrectly documented using P62 depicts (is depicted by). Different portraits have been used at
different periods, however. P65 shows visual item (is shown by) can be used to refer to aparticular portrait.
P65 shows visual item (is shown by) may also be used for Visual Items such as signs, marks
and symbols, for example the 'Maltese Cross' or the 'copyright symbol’ that have no particular
representational content.
This property is part of the fully developed path from E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff throughP65 shows visual item (is shown by), E36 Visual Item, P138 represents (has representation) to
E1 CRM Entity which is shortcut by, P62 depicts (is depicted by).
Examples:“Impression Sunrise” by Monet (E84) shows visual item Impression_Sunrise.jpg (E39)
P67 refers to (is referred to by)
Domain:E73 Information Object
Range:
E1 CRM Entity
Superproperty of:E31 Document. P70 documents (is documented in): E1 CRM Entity
E32 Authority Document. P71 lists (is listed in): E55 TypeE73 Information Object. P129 is about (is subject of): E1 CRM Entity
E36 Visual Item. P138 represents (has representation): E1 CRM Entity
Quantification: many to many (0,n:0,n)
Scope note:

An E73 Information Object may refer to any other E1 CRM Entity.
This property documents that an E73 Information Object makes a statement about an instanceof an E1 CRM Entity. P67refers to (is referred to by) has the P67.1 has type link to an instanceof E55 Type. This is intended to allow a more detailed description of the type of reference.
This differs from P129 is about (is subject of), which describes the primary subject or subjectsof the E73 Information Object.

Examples:the eBay auction listing for 4 July 2002 (E73) refers to silver cup 232 (E22) has typeauction listing (E55)
Properties:

P67.1 has type: E55 TypeP68 usually employs (is usually employed by):
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E29 Design or Procedure
E57 Material
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property describes an E57 Material usually employed in an E29 Design or Procedure.
Designs and procedures commonly employ particular Materials. The fabrication of adobe
bricks, for example, requires straw, clay and water. This property enables this to be
documented.
This property is not intended for the documentation of Materials that were required on a

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model60

particular occasion when a Design or Procedure was executed.
Examples:procedure for soda glass manufacture (E29) usually employs soda (E57)
P69 is associated with
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E29 Design or Procedure
E29 Design or Procedure
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This symmetric property describes the association of an E29 Design or Procedure with other
Designs or Procedures.
Any instance of E29 Design or Procedure may be associated with other designs or procedures.
The nature of the association may be whole-part, sequence, prerequisite etc. The property is
assumed to be entirely reciprocal.

Examples:procedure for glass blowing (E29) is associated with procedure for glass heating (E29)
P70 documents (is documented in)
Domain:Range:
Subproperty of:
Quantification:

E31 Document
E1 CRM Entity
E73 Information Object. P67 refers to (is referred to by): E1 CRM Entity
many to many, necessary (1,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property describes the CRM Entities documented by instances of E31 Document.
Documents may describe any conceivable entity, hence the link to the highest-level entity in
the CRM hierarchy. This property is intended for cases where a reference is regarded as beingof a documentary character, in the scholarly or scientific sense.

Examples:the British Museum catalogue (E31) documents the British Museum’s Collection (E78)
P71 lists (is listed in)
Domain:Range:
Subproperty of:
Quantification:

E32 Authority Document
E55 Type
E73 Information Object. P67 refers to (is referred to by): E1 CRM Entity
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property documents a source E32 Authority Document for an instance of an E55 Type.

Examples:the Art & Architecture Thesaurus (E32) lists alcazars (E55)
P72 has language (is language of)Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E33 Linguistic Object
E56 Language
many to many, necessary (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property describes the E56 Language of an E33 Linguistic Object.
Linguistic Objects are composed in one or more human Languages. This property allows these

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model61

languages to be documented.
Examples:the American Declaration of Independence (E33) has language 18th Century English(E56)

P73 has translation (is translation of)Domain:Range:
Subproperty of:
Quantification:

E33 Linguistic Object
E33 Linguistic Object
E70 Stuff. P130 shows features of (features are also found on): E70 Stuff
one to many (0,n:0,1)

Scope note:This property describes the source and target of instances of E33Linguistic Object involved ina translation.
When a Linguistic Object is translated into a new language it becomes a new Linguistic
Object, despite being conceptually similar to the source object.

Examples:“Les Baigneurs” (E33) has translation “The Bathers” (E33)
P74 has current or former residence (is current or former residence of)Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E39 Actor
E53 Place
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property describes the current or former E53 Place of residence of an E39 Actor.
The residence may be either the Place where the Actor resides, or a legally registered addressof any kind.

Examples:Queen Elizabeth II (E39) has current or former residence Buckingham Palace (E53)P75 possesses (is possessed by)
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E39 Actor
E30 Right
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property identifies former or current instances of E30 Rights held by an E39 Actor.

Examples:Michael Jackson (E21) possesses Intellectual property rights on the Beatles’ backcatalogue (E30)
P76 has contact point (provides access to)
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E39 Actor
E51 Contact Point
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property identifies an E51 Contact Point of any type that provides access to an E39 Actor
by any communication method, such as e-mail or fax.

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

62

Examples:
RLG (E40) has contact point bl.ric@rlg.org (E51)P78 is identified by (identifies)
Domain:Range:
Subproperty of:
Quantification:

E52 Time-Span
E49 Time Appellation
E1 CRM Entity. P1 is identified by (identifies): E41 Appellation
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property identifies an E52 Time-Span using an E49Time Appellation.

Examples:the time span 1926 to 1988 (E52) is identified by Showa (Japanese time appellation) (E49)
P79 beginning is qualified by
Domain:Range:
Subproperty of:
Quantification:

E52 Time-Span
E62 String
E1 CRM Entity. P3 has note: E62 String
many to one (0,1:0,n)

Scope note:This property qualifies the beginning of an E52 Time-Span in some way.
The nature of the qualification may be certainty, precision, source etc.

Examples:the time-span of the Holocene (E52) beginning is qualified by approximately (E62)P80 end is qualified by
Domain:Range:
Subproperty of:
Quantification:

E52 Time-Span
E62 String
E1 CRM Entity. P3 has note: E62 String
many to one (0,1:0,n)

Scope note:This property qualifies the end of an E52 Time-Span in some way.
The nature of the qualification may be certainty, precision, source etc.

Examples:the time-span of the Holocene (E52) end is qualified by approximately (E62)
P81 ongoing throughout
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E52 Time-Span
E61 Time Primitive
many to one, necessary (1,1:0,n)

Scope note:This property describes the minimum period of time covered by an E52 Time-Span.
Since Time-Spans may not have precisely known temporal extents, the CRM supports
statements about the minimum and maximum temporal extents of Time-Spans. This property
allows a Time-Span’s minimum temporal extent (i.e. it’s inner boundary) to be assigned an
E61 Time Primitive value. Time Primitives are treated by the CRM as application or system
specific date intervals, and are not further analysed.

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

63

Examples:
the time-span of the development of the CIDOC CRM (E52) ongoing throughout 19962002 (E61)
P82 at some time within
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E52 Time-Span
E61 Time Primitive
many to one, necessary (1,1:0,n)

Scope note:This property describes the maximum period of time within which an E52 Time-Span falls.
Since Time-Spans may not have precisely known temporal extents, the CRM supports
statements about the minimum and maximum temporal extents of Time-Spans. This property
allows a Time-Span’s maximum temporal extent (i.e. it’s outer boundary) to be assigned an
E61 Time Primitive value. Time Primitives are treated by the CRM as application or system
specific date intervals, and are not further analysed.

Examples:the time-span of the development of the CIDOC CRM (E52) at some time within 1992infinity (E61)
P83 had at least duration (was minimum duration of)Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E52 Time-Span
E54 Dimension
one to one (1,1:1,1)

Scope note:This property describes the minimum length of time covered by an E52 Time-Span.
It allows an E52 Time-Span to be associated with an E54 Dimension representing it’s
minimum duration (i.e. it’s inner boundary) independent from the actual beginning and end.

Examples:the time span of the Battle of Issos 333 B.C.E. (E52) had at least duration Battle of Issos
minimum duration (E54) has unit day (E58) has value 1 (E60)
P84 had at most duration (was maximum duration of)Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E52 Time-Span
E54 Dimension
one to one (1,1:1,1)

Scope note:This property describes the maximum length of time covered by an E52 Time-Span.
It allows an E52 Time-Span to be associated with an E54 Dimension representing it’s
maximum duration (i.e. it’s outer boundary) independent from the actual beginning and end.

Examples:the time span of the Battle of Issos 333 B.C.E. (E52) had at most duration Battle of Issos
maximum duration (E54) has unit day (E58) has value 2 (E60)
P86 falls within (contains)
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E52 Time-Span
E52 Time-Spanmany to many (0,n:0,n)Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model64

Scope note:This property describes the inclusion relationship between two instances of E52 Time-Span.
This property supports the notion that a Time-Span’s temporal extent falls within the temporalextent of another Time-Span. It addresses temporal containment only, and no contextual link
between the two instances of Time-Span is implied.

Examples:the time-span of the Apollo 11 moon mission (E52) falls within the time-span of the reignof Queen Elizabeth II (E52)P87 is identified by (identifies)
Domain:Range:
Subproperty of:
Quantification:

E53 Place
E44 Place Appellation
E1 CRM Entity. P1 is identified by (identifies): E41 Appellation
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property identifies an E53 Place using an E44 Place Appellation.
Examples of Place Appellations used to identify Places include instances of E48 Place Name,addresses, E47 Spatial Coordinates etc.

Examples:the location of the Duke of Wellington’s House (E53) is identified by No 1 London (E45)
P88 consists of (forms part of)Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E53 Place
E53 Place
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property identifies an E53 Place that forms part of another Place.
It supports the notion that a Place can be subdivided into one or more constituent parts. It
implies both spatial and contextual containment relationships between the two Places.

Examples:the area covered by the London Borough of Islington in 1976 (E53) forms part of the area
covered by Greater London in 1976 (E53)
P89 falls within (contains)
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E53 Place
E53 Place
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property identifies the instances of E53 Places that fall within the area covered by another
Place.
It addresses spatial containment only, and no ‘whole-part’ relationship between the two places
is implied.

Examples:the area covered by the World Heritage Site of Stonehenge (E53) falls within the area ofSalisbury Plain (E53)

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

65

P90 has value
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E54 Dimension
E60 Number
many to one, necessary (1,1:0,n)

Scope note:This property allows an E54 Dimension to be approximated by an E60 Number primitive.

Examples:height of silver cup 232 (E54) has value 226 (E60)
P91 has unit (is unit of)Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E54 Dimension
E58 Measurement Unit
many to one, necessary (1,1:0,n)

Scope note:This property shows the type of unit an E54 Dimension was expressed in.

Examples:height of silver cup 232 (E54) has unit mm (E58)
P92 brought into existence (was brought into existence by)
Domain:E63 Beginning of Existence
Range:E77 Persistent Item
Subproperty of: E5 Event. P12 occurred in the presence of (was present at): E77 Persistent Item
Superproperty of:E65 Creation Event. P94 has created (was created by): E28 Conceptual Object
E66 Formation Event. P95 has formed (was formed by): E74 GroupE67 Birth. P98 brought into life (was born): E21 Person
E12 Production Event. P108 has produced (was produced by): E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff
E81 Transformation. P123 resulted in (resulted from): E77 Persistent Item
Quantification: one to many, necessary, dependent (1,n:1,1)
Scope note:This property allows an E63 Beginning of Existence event to be linked to the E77 Persistent
Item brought into existence by it.
It allows a “start” to be attached to any Persistent Item being documented i.e. E70 Stuff, E72
Legal Object, E39 Actor, E41 Appellation, E51 Contact Point and E55 Type.

Examples:the birth of Mozart (E67) brought into existence Mozart (E21)
P93 took out of existence (was taken out of existence by)
Domain:E64 End of Existence
Range:E77 Persistent Item
Subproperty of: E5 Event. P12 occurred in the presence of (was present at): E77 Persistent Item
Superproperty of:E6 Destruction. P13 destroyed (was destroyed by): E18 Physical Stuff
E68 Dissolution. P99 dissolved (was dissolved by): E74 GroupE69 Death. P100 was death of (died in): E21 Person
E81 Transformation. P124 transformed (was transformed by): E77 Persistent Item
Quantification: one to many, necessary (1,n:0,1)
Scope note:This property allows an E64 End of Existence event to be linked to the E77 Persistent Itemtaken out of existence by it.

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model66

In the case of immaterial things, the E64 End of Existence is considered to take place with thedestruction of the last physical carrier.
This allows an “end” to be attached to any Persistent Item being documented i.e. E70 Stuff,
E72 Legal Object, E39 Actor, E41 Appellation, E51 Contact Point and E55 Type. For many
Persistent Items we know the maximum life-span and can infer, that they must have ended toexist. We assume in that case an End of Existence, which may be as unnoticeable as forgetting
the secret knowledge by the last representative of some indigenous nation.
Examples:the death of Mozart (E69) took out of existence Mozart (E21)
P94 has created (was created by)
Domain:
E65 Creation Event
Range:
E28 Conceptual Object
Subproperty of: E63 Beginning of Existence. P92 brought into existence (was brought into existence by): E77
Persistent Item
Superproperty of: E83 Type Creation. P135 created type (was created by): E55 Type
Quantification: one to many, necessary, dependent (1,n:1,1)
Scope note:This property allows a conceptual E65 Creation Event to be linked to the E28 Conceptual
Object created by it.
It represents the act of conceiving the intellectual content of the E28 Conceptual Object. It
does not represent the act of creating the first physical carrier of the E28 Conceptual Object. As
an example, this is the composition of a poem, not its commitment to paper.

Examples:the composition of “The Four Friends” by A. A. Milne (E65) has created “The Four
Friends” by A. A. Milne (E28)
P95 has formed (was formed by)
Domain:E66 Formation Event
Range:
E74 Group
Subproperty of: E63 Beginning of Existence. P92 brought into existence (was brought into existence by): E77
Persistent Item
Quantification: one to many, necessary, dependent (1,n:1,1)
Scope note:This property links the founding or E66 Formation Event for an E74 Group with the Group
itself.

Examples:the formation of the CIDOC CRM SIG at the August 2000 CIDOC Board meeting (E66)
has formed the CIDOC CRM Special Interest Group (E74)
P96 by mother (gave birth)
Domain:Range:
Subproperty of:
Quantification:

E67 Birth
E21 Person
E5 Event. P11 had participant (participated in): E39 Actor
many to one, necessary (1,1:0,1)

Scope note:This property links an E67 Birth event to an E21 Person as a participant in the role of birthgiving mother.
Note that biological fathers are not necessarily participants in the Birth (see P97 from father(was father for)). The Person being born is linked to the Birth with the property P98 brought

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model67

into life (was born). This is not intended for use with general natural history material, only
people. There is no explicit method for modelling conception and gestation except by using
extensions. This is a sub-property of P11 had participant (participated in).
Examples:the birth of Queen Elizabeth II (E67) by mother Queen Mother (E21)
P97 from father (was father for)
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E67 Birth
E21 Person
many to many, necessary (1,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property links an E67 Birth event to an E21 Person in the role of biological father.
Note that biological fathers are not seen as necessary participants in the Birth, whereas birthgiving mothers are (see P96 by mother (gave birth)). The Person being born is linked to the
Birth with the property P98 brought into life (was born).
This is not intended for use with general natural history material, only people. There is no
explicit method for modelling conception and gestation except by using extensions.
A Birth event is normally (but not always) associated with one biological father.

Examples:King George VI (E21) was father for the birth of Queen Elizabeth II (E67)
P98 brought into life (was born)
Domain:E67 Birth
Range:
E21 Person
Subproperty of: E63 Beginning of Existence. P92 brought into existence (was brought into existence by): E77
Persistent Item
Quantification: one to many, dependent (0,n:1,1)
Scope note:This property links an E67Birth event to an E21 Person in the role of offspring.
Twins, triplets etc. are brought into life by the same Birth event. This is not intended for use
with general Natural History material, only people. There is no explicit method for modelling
conception and gestation except by using extensions.

Examples:the Birth of Queen Elizabeth II (E67) brought into life Queen Elizabeth II (E21)
P99 dissolved (was dissolved by)
Domain:E68 Dissolution
Range:
E74 Group
Subproperty of: E5 Event. P11 had participant (participated in): E39 Actor
E64 End of Existence. P93 took out of existence (was taken out of existence by): E77
Persistent Item
Quantification: one to many, necessary (1,n:0,n)
Scope note:This property links the disbanding or E68 Dissolution of an E74 Group to the Group itself.

Examples:the end of The Hole in the Wall Gang (E68) dissolved The Hole in the Wall Gang (E74)

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model68

P100 was death of (died in)
Domain:E69 Death
Range:
E21 Person
Subproperty of: E64 End of Existence. P93 took out of existence (was taken out of existence by): E77
Persistent Item
Quantification: one to many, necessary (1,n:0,n)
Scope note:This property links an E69 Death event to the E21 Person that died.
A Death event may involve multiple people, for example in the case of a battle or disaster.
This is not intended for use with general Natural History material, only people.

Examples:Mozart’s death (E69) was death of Mozart (E21)
P101 had as general use (was use of)Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E70 Stuff
E55 Type
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property links an instance of E70 Stuff to an E55 Type of usage.
It allows the generic link between things, both physical and immaterial, to methods andtechniques of use. Thus it can be asserted that a baseball bat had a general use for sport and a
specific use for threatening people during the Great Train Robbery.

Examples:Tony Gill’s Ford Mustang (E22) had as general use transportation (E55)
P102 has title (is title of)Domain:Range:
Subproperty of:
Quantification:

E71 Man-Made Stuff
E35 Title
E1 CRM Entity. P1 is identified by (identifies): E41 Appellation
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property describes the E35 Title applied to an instance of E71 Man-Made Stuff. The E55
Type of Title is assigned in a sub property.
The P102.1 has type property of the P02 has title (is title of) property enables the relationshipbetween the Title and the stuff to be further clarified, for example, if the Title was a given
Title, a supplied Title etc.
It allows any man-made material or immaterial thing to be given a Title. It is possible toimagine a Title being created without a specific object in mind.

Examples:the first book of the Old Testament (E33) has title “Genesis” (E35)
has type translated (E55)
Properties:

P102.1 has type: E55 TypeP103 was intended for (was intention of)Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E71 Man-Made Stuff
E55 Type
many to many (0,n:0,n)Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model69

Scope note:This property links an instance of E71 Man-Made Stuff to an E55 Type of usage.
It creates a property between specific man-made things, both physical and immaterial, to
Types of intended methods and techniques of use. Note: A link between specific man-madethings and a specific use activity should be expressed using P19 was intended use of (wasmade for).

Examples:this plate (E22) was intended for being destroyed at a wedding reception (E55)
P104 is subject to (applies to)
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E72 Legal Object
E30 Right
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property links a particular E72 Legal Object to the instances of E30 Right to which it issubject.
The Right is held by an E39 Actor as described by P75 possesses (is possessed by).

Examples:Beatles back catalogue (E72) is subject to reproduction right on Beatles back catalogue(E30)
P105 right held by (has right on)
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E72 Legal Object
E39 Actor
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property identifies the E39 Actor who holds the instances of E30 Right to an E72 Legal
Object.
P105 right held by (has right on) is a shortcut of the fully developed path from E72 Legal
Object through P104 is subject to 9applies to), E30 Right, P75 possesses (is possessed by) to
E39 Actor.
The P105.1 has type property of the P105 right held by (has right on) property enables therelationship between the E72 Legal Object and the E39 Actor to the further clarified.

Examples:Beatles back catalogue (E73) right held by Michael Jackson (E21)
Properties:

P105.1 has type:E55 TypeP106 is composed of (forms part of)Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E73 Information Object
E73 Information Object
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property links an E73 Information Object to another E73 Information Object in apart/whole relationship.
It allows for the decomposition of an Information Object into component parts, and hence thecreation of a nested hierarchy of Information Objects

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

70

Examples:“the love song of J. Alfred Prufrock” (E33) forms part of The Works of T.S. Eliot. (E33)
P107 has current or former member (is current or former member of)
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E74 Group
E39 Actor
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property relates an E39 Actor to the E74 Group of which he or she is a member.
Groups, Legal Bodies and Persons, may all be members of Groups. A Group necessarily
consists of more than one Person.

Examples:Moholy Nagy (E21) is current or former member of Bauhaus (E74)
National Museum of Science and Industry (E40) has current or former member The
National Railway Museum (E40)
P108 has produced (was produced by)
Domain:
E12 Production Event
Range:
E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff
Subproperty of: E11 Modification Event. P31 has modified (was modified by): E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff
E63 Beginning of Existence. P92 brought into existence (was brought into existence by): E77
Persistent Item
Quantification: one to many, necessary, dependent (1,n:1,1)
Scope note:This property identifies the E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff that came into existence as a resultof an E12 Production Event.
The identity of an instance of E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff is not defined by its matter, but
by its existence as a subject of documentation. An E12 Production Event can result in thecreation of multiple instances of E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff.

Examples:The building of Rome (E12) has produced the Coliseum (E22)
P109 has current or former curator (is current or former curator of)
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E78 Collection
E39 Actor
many to many, necessary (1,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property identifies the E39 Actor or Actors who assume or have assumed overall
curatorial responsibility for an E78 Collection.
This property is effectively a short-cut. It does not allow a history of curation to be recorded.
This would require use of an Event assigning responsibility for a Collection to a curator.

Examples:the Robert Opie Collection (E78) has current or former curator Robert Opie (E39)
P110 augmented (was augmented by)
Domain:Range:E79 Part Addition
E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

71Subproperty of: E11 Modification Event. P31 has modified (was modified by): E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff
Quantification: many to many, necessary (1,n:0,n)
Scope note:This property identifies the E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff that is added to (augmented) in an
E79 Part Addition.
Although a Part Addition event normally concerns only one item of Physical Man-Made Stuff,
it is possible to imagine circumstances under which more than one item might be added to(augmented). For example, the artist Jackson Pollock trailing paint onto multiple canvasses.

Examples:the final nail-insertion Event (E79) augmented Coffin of George VI (E24)
P111 added (was added by)
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E79 Part Addition
E18 Physical Stuff
many to many, necessary (1,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property identifies the E18 Physical Stuff that is added during an E79 Part Addition
activity

Examples:the insertion of the final nail (E79) added the last nail in George VI’s coffin (E18)
P112 diminished (was diminished by)
Domain:Range:
Subproperty of:
Quantification:

E80 Part Removal
E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff
E11 Modification Event. P31 has modified (was modified by): E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff
many to many, necessary (1,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property identifies the E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff that was diminished by E80 Part
Removal.
Although a Part removal activity normally concerns only one item of Physical Man-Made
Stuff, it is possible to imagine circumstances under which more than one item might bediminished by a single Part Removal activity.

Examples:the coffin of Tut Ankh Amun (E22) was diminished by The opening of the coffin of Tut
Ankh Amun (E80)
P113 removed (was removed by)
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E80 Part Removal
E18 Physical Stuff
many to many, necessary (1,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property identifies the E18 Physical Stuff that is removed during an E80 Part Removal
activity.

Examples:the opening of the coffin of Tut Ankh Amun (E80) removed The mummy of Tut Ankh
Amun (E20,E22)

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model72

P114 is equal in time toDomain:Range:
Quantification:

E2 Temporal Entity
E2 Temporal Entity
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This symmetric property allows the instances of E2 Temporal Entitie with the same E52 TimeSpan to be equated.
This is only necessary if the time span is unknown (otherwise the equivalence can becalculated).
This property is the same as the "equal" relationship of Allen’s temporal logic.

Examples:the destruction of the Villa Justinian Tempus (E6) is equal in time to the death ofMaximus Venderus (E69)
P115 finishes (is finished by)
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E2 Temporal Entity
E2 Temporal Entity
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property allows the ending point for a E2 Temporal Entity to be situated by reference tothe ending point of another temporal entity of longer duration.
This is only necessary if the time span is unknown (otherwise the relationship can becalculated). This property is the same as the "finishes / finished-by" relationships of Allen’s
temporal logic.

Examples:Late Bronze Age (E4) finishes Bronze Age (E4)
P116 starts (is started by)
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E2 Temporal Entity
E2 Temporal Entity
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property allows the starting point for a E2 Temporal Entity to be situated by reference tothe starting point of another temporal entity of longer duration.
This is only necessary if the time span is unknown (otherwise the relationship can becalculated). This property is the same as the "starts / started-by" relationships of Allen’s
temporal logic.

Examples:
Early Bronze Age (E4) starts Bronze Age (E4)
P117 occurs during (includes)
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E2 Temporal Entity
E2 Temporal Entity
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property allows the entire E52 Time-Span of an E2 Temporal Entity to be situated within

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model73

the Time-Span of another temporal entity that starts before and ends after the included
temporal entity.
This is only necessary if the time span is unknown (otherwise the relationship can becalculated). This property is the same as the "during / includes" relationships of Allen’s
temporal logic.
Examples:Middle Saxon period (E4) occurs during Saxon period (E4)P118 overlaps in time with (is overlapped in time by)
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E2 Temporal Entity
E2 Temporal Entity
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property identifies an overlap between the instances of E52 Time-Span of two instancesof E2 Temporal Entity.
It implies a temporal order between the two entities: if A overlaps in time B, then A must start
before B, and B must end after A. This is property is only necessary if the relevant time spans
are unknown (otherwise the relationship can b calculated).
This property is the same as the "overlaps / overlapped-by" relationships of Allen’s temporal
logic.

Examples:the Iron Age (E52) overlaps in time with the Roman period (E52)
P119 meets in time with (is met in time by)
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E2 Temporal Entity
E2 Temporal Entity
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property indicates that one E2 Temporal Entity immediately follows another.
It implies a particular order between the two entities: if A meets in time with B, then A must
precede B. This is property is only necessary if the relevant time spans are unknown(otherwise the relationship can be calculated).
This property is the same as the "meets / met-by " relationships of Allen’s temporal logic.

Examples:
Early Saxon Period (E52) meets in time with Middle Saxon Period (E52)
P120 occurs before (occurs after)
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E2 Temporal Entity
E2 Temporal Entity
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property identifies the relative chronological sequence of two temporal entities.
It implies that a temporal gap exists between the end of A and the start of B. This is property is
only necessary if the relevant time spans are unknown (otherwise the relationship can becalculated).

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

74

This property is the same as the "before / after " relationships of Allen’s temporal logic.
Examples:
Early Bronze Age (E52) occurs before Late Bronze age (E52)
P121 overlaps with
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E53 Place
E53 Place
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This symmetric property allows the instances of E53 Place with overlapping geometric extents
to be associated with each other.
It does not specify anything about the shared area. This property is purely spatial, in contrast to
Allen operators, which are purely temporal.

Examples:the territory of the United States (E53) overlaps with the Arctic (E53)
P122 borders with
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E53 Place
E53 Place
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This symmetric property allows the instances of E53 Place which share common borders to berelated as such.
This property is purely spatial, in contrast to Allen operators, which are purely temporal.

Examples:Scotland (E53) borders with England (E53)
P123 resulted in (resulted from)
Domain:E81 Transformation
Range:E77 Persistent Item
Subproperty of: E63 Beginning of Existence. P92 brought into existence (was brought into existence by): E77
Persistent Item
Quantification: many to many, necessary (1,n:0,n)
Scope note:This property identifies the E77 Persistent Item or items that are the result of an E81
Transformation event.
New items replace the transformed item or items, which cease to exist as units of
documentation. The physical continuity between the old and the new is expressed by the linkto the common Transformation event.

Examples:the transformation of the Venetian Loggia in Heraklion into a city hall (E81) resulted in
the City Hall of Heraklion (E22)the death and mummification of Tut Ankh Amun (E81) resulted in the Mummy of Tut
Ankh Amun (E22 and E20)

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

75

P124 transformed (was transformed by)
Domain:E81 Transformation
Range:E77 Persistent Item
Subproperty of: E64 End of Existence. P93 took out of existence (was taken out of existence by): E77
Persistent Item
Quantification: one to many, necessary (1,n:0,1)
Scope note:This property identifies the E77 Persistent Item or items that cease to exist due to a E81
Transformation event.
It is replaced by the result of the Transformation, which becomes a new unit of documentation.
The continuity between both items, the new and the old, is expressed by the link to thecommon Transformation.

Examples:the transformation of the Venetian Loggia in Heraklion into a city hall (E81) transformed
the Venetian Loggia in Heraklion (E22)the death and mummification of Tut Ankh Amun (E81) transformed the ruling PharaoTut
Ankh Amun (E21)
P125 used object of type (was type of object used in)
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E7 Activity
E55 Type
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property defines the kind of objects used in an E7 Activity, when the specific instance iseither unknown or not of interest, such as use of "a hammer".

Examples:at the Battle of Agincourt (E7), the English archers used object of type long bow (E55)
P126 employed (was employed in)
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E11 Modification Event
E57 Material
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property identifies E57 Material employed in an E11 Modification Event.
The E57 Material used during the E11 Modification Event does not necessarily become
incorporated into the E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff that forms the subject of the E11
Modification Event.

Examples:the repairing of the Queen Mary (E11) employed Steel (E57)
distilled water (E57) was employed in the restoration of the Sistine Chapel (E11)
P127 has broader term (has narrower term)
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E55 Type
E55 Type
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property identifies a super-Type to which an E55 Type is related.

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model76

It allows Types to be organised into hierarchies. This is the sense of "broader term generic(BTG)" as defined in ISO 2788
Examples:dime (E55) has broader term coin (E55)
P128 carries (is carried by)
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff
E73 Information Object
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property identifies an E73 Information Object carried by an instance of E24 Physical
Man-Made Stuff.
In general this would be an E84 Information Carrier P65 shows visual item (is shown by) is a
specialisation of P128 carries (is carried by) which should be used for carrying visual items.

Examples:Matthew’s paperback copy of Reach for the Sky (E84) carries the text of Reach for theSky (E73)
P129 is about (is subject of)Domain:Range:
Subproperty:
Quantification:

E73 Information Object
E1 CRM Entity
E73 Informationl Object. P67 refers to (is referred to by): E1 CRM Entity
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property identifies a E1 CRM Entity that is the subject of an E73 Information Object, inthe sense of "aboutness" used in library science.
This differs from P67 refers to (is referred to by), which refers to an E1 CRM Entity, in that it
describes the primary subject or subjects of the E73 Information Object.

Examples:reach for the Sky (E73) is about Douglas Bader (E39)
P130 shows features of (features are also found on)
Domain:Range:
Superproperty:
Quantification:

E70 Stuff
E70 Stuff
E33 Linguistic Object. P73 has translation (is translation of): E33 Linguistic Object
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property generalises the notions of "copy of" and "similar to" into a dynamic, asymmetric
relationship, where the domain expresses the derivative, if such a direction can be established.
Otherwise, the relationship is symmetric. It is a short-cut of P15 was influenced by(influenced) in a creation or production, if such a reason for the similarity can be verified.
Moreover it expresses similarity in cases that can be stated between two objects only, without
historical knowledge about its reasons.

Examples:the Parthenon Frieze on the Acropolis in Athens (E22) shows features of the Original
Parthenon Frieze in the British museum (E22). Kind of similarity: Copy (E55)

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

77

Properties:

P130.1 kind of similarity: E55 Type

P131 is identified by (identifies)
Domain:Range:
Subproperty:
Quantification:

E39 Actor
E82 Actor Appellation
E1 CRM Entity. P1 is identified by (identifies): E41 Appellation
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property identifies a name used specifically to identify an E39 Actor.
This property is a specialisation of P1 is identified by (identifies) is identified by.

Examples:Tyler Withersopp IV (E39) is identified by US social security number 619-17-4204 (E82)
P132 overlaps with
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E4 Period
E4 Period
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This symmetric property allows instances of E4 Period that overlap both temporally andspatially to be related, i,e. they share some spatio-temporal extent.
This property does not imply any ordering or sequence between the two periods, either spatialor temporal.

Examples:the “Urnfield” period (E4) overlaps with the “Hallstatt” period (E4)
P133 is separated from
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E4 Period
E4 Period
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This symmetric property allows instances of E4 Period that do not overlap both temporally andspatially, to be related i,e. they do not share any spatio-temporal extent.
This property does not imply any ordering or sequence between the two periods either spatialor temporal.

Examples:the “Hallstatt” period (E4) is separated from the “La Tène” era (E4)
P134 continued (was continued by)
Domain:Range:
Subproperty:
Quantification:

E7 Activity
E7 Activity
E7 Activity. P15 was influenced by (influenced): E1 CRM Entity
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property allows two activities to be related where the domain is considered as anintentional continuation of the range.
Used multiple times, this allows a chain of related activities to be created which follow eachother in sequence.

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

78

Examples:the construction of the Kölner Dom (Cologne Cathedral) (E7), abandoned in the 15th
century, was continued by construction in the 19th century adapting the initial plans so as
to preserve the intended appearance (E7)
P135 created type (was created by)
Domain:Range:
Subproperty:
Quantification:

E83 Type Creation
E55 Type
E65 Creation Event. P94 has created (was created by): E28 Conceptual Object
one to many, necessary (1,n:0,1)

Scope note:This property identifies the E55 Type, which is created in an E83Type Creation activity.

Examples:classification by Lineas (E83) created type ‘Lineus bilineatus (Renier, 1804)’ (E55)
P136 was based on (supported type creation)
Domain:Range:
Subproperty:
Quantification:

E83 Type Creation
E1 CRM Entity
E7 Activity. P15 was influenced by (influenced): E1 CRM Entity
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property identifies one or more items that were used as evidence to declare a new E55
Type.
The examination of these items is often the only objective way to understand the precise
characteristics of a new Type. Such items should be deposited in a museum or similar
institution for that reason. The taxonomic role renders the specific relationship of each item to
the Type, such as "holotype" or "original element".

Examples:the taxon creation of ‘Serratula glauca L.’ in 1753 (E83) was based on Object
BM000576251 of the Clayton Herbarium (E20) in the taxonomic role original element(E55)
Properties:

P136.1 in the taxonomic role: E55 Type

P137 is exemplified by (exemplifies)
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E55 Type
E1 CRM Entity
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property allows an item to be declared as an example of an E55 Type or taxon.
The taxonomic role renders the specific relationship of this example to the Type, such as"prototypical", "archetypical" "lectotype", etc. The taxonomic role "lectotype" is not associatedwith the Type Creation (E83) itself, but selected in a later phase.

Examples:‘Spigelia marilandica (L.) L.’ (E55) is exemplified by Object BM000098044 of the
Clayton Herbarium (E20) in the taxonomic role lectotype

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

79Properties:

P137.1 in the taxonomic role: E55 TypeP138 represents (has representation)
Domain:Range:
Subproperty:
Quantification:

E36 Visual Item
E1 CRM Entity
E73 Information Object. P67 refers to (is referred to by): E1 CRM Entity
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property establishes the relationship between an E36 Visual Item and the entity that it
visually represents.
Any entity may be represented visually. This property is part of the fully developed path fromE24 Physical Man-Made Stuff through P65 shows visual item (is shown by), E36 Visual Item,
P138 represents (has representation) to E1 CRM Entity, which is shortcut by P62depicts (isdepicted by). P138.1 mode of representation allows the nature of the representation to berefined.

Examples:the design on the reverse of a Swiss coin (E36) represents Helvetia (E28)mode of representation Profile (E55)
Properties:

P138.1 mode of representation: E55 Type

P139 has alternative form
Domain:Range:
Quantification:

E41 Appellation
E41 Appellation
many to many (0,n:0,n)

Scope note:This property establishes a relationship of synonymy between two instances of E41
Appellation.
The synonymy applies to all cases of use of an instance of E41 Appellation. Multiple names
assigned to an object, which, are not always synonymous should be instantiated as repeatedvalues of the “is identified by “ property. This property is symmetric but not transitive.

Examples:Museum Documentation Association (E41) has alternative form mda (E41)
Martin Doerr (E41) has alternative form Martin Dörr(E41)
P140 assigned attribute to (was attributed by)
Domain:
E13 Attribute Assignment
Range:
E1 CRM Entity
Quantification: many to many (0,n:0,n)Superproperty of:E14 Condition Assessment. P34 concerned (was assessed by): E18 Physical Stuff
E15 Identifier Assignment. P36 registered (was registered by): E19 Physical Object
E16 Measurement Event. P39 measured (was measured by): E70 Stuff
E17 Type Assignment. P41 classified (was classified by): E1 CRM Entity
Scope note:This property indicates the item to which an attribute or relation is assigned.

Examples:February 1997 Current Ownership Assessment of Martin Doerr’s silver cup (E13)assigned attribute to Martin Doerr’s silver cup (E19)
01 June 1997 Identifier Assignment of the silver cup donated by Martin Doerr (E15)
registered silver cup 232 (E19)

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

80

P141 assigned (was assigned by)
Domain:
E13 Attribute Assignment
Range:
E1 CRM Entity
Quantification: many to many (0,n:0,n)Superproperty of:E14 Condition Assessment. P35 has identified (identified by): E3 Condition State
E15 Identifier Assignment. P37 assigned (was assigned by): E42 Object Identifier
E15 Identifier Assignment. P38 deassigned (was deassigned by): E42 Object Identifier
E16. Measurement Event. P40 observed dimension (was observed in): E54 Dimension
E17 Type Assignment. P42 assigned (was assigned by): E55 Type
Scope note:This property indicates the attribute that was assigned or the item that was related to the item
denoted by a property P140 assigned attribute to in an Attribute assignment action.

Examples:February 1997 Current Ownership Assessment of Martin Doerr’s silver cup (E13)assigned Martin Doerr (E21)
01 June 1997 Identifier Assignment of the silver cup donated by Martin Doerr (E15)
assigned object identifier 232

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model81

References:
Gangemi, A., Guarino, N., Masolo, C., Oltramari, A., & Schneider, L.2002, “Sweetening ontologies with
DOLCE.” in A. Gómez-Pérez & V. R. Benjamins (eds.), Knowledge Engineering and Knowledge Management.
Ontologies and the Semantic Web, 13th International Conference, EKAW 2002, Siguenza, Spain, October 1-4,
2002, Proceedings. Lecture Notes in Computer Science 2473 Springer 2002, ISBN 3-540-44268-5: pp.166-181.
Smith, B. & Varzi, A. 2000, “Fiat and Bona Fide Boundaries”, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, 60:
2, pp. 401–420.
International Organization for Standardization (ISO). “ISO 639. Code for the Representation of Names ofLanguages”. Reference number: ISO 639:1988 (E/F). Geneva: International Organization for Standardization,
1988. iii + 17 pages.
International Organization for Standardization (ISO). “ISO 1000. SI units and recommendations for the use of
their multiples and of certain other units.” Reference number: ISO 1000:1992. Geneva: International
Organization for Standardization.

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model82

APPENDIX
Editorial notes
Editors:

Nick Crofts
City of Geneva,
Geneva,Switzerland

Creation Date:
Last Modified:Martin Doerr,
ICS-FORTH,
Heraklion-Crete,
GreeceTony Gill
RLG,
Mountain View,
CA, USA

Stephen Stead,
Paveprime Ltd,
LondonUK

Matthew Stiff
English Heritage
Swindon,UK

11-07-1998
24-10-2003

The present version of the CIDOC CRM incorporates a series of amendments to version 3.2.1, submitted to ISO
and accepted as Committee Draft ISO/CD 21127. These amendments were the result of a systematic explorationof the requirements for the intended scope of the CIDOC CRM as decided in summer 2001. This includes inparticular documentation in Natural History, archaeology and the ability to communicate with traditional andDigital Libraries. These amendments have been developed and approved by the CIDOC CRM Special Interest
Group, ISO/TC46/SC4/WG9 in a series of meetings together with various invited experts in the period from July
2001 to October 2003.
With this version, the cycle of amendments to extend the functionality of the CIDOC CRM ends. The
development team felt that the task to cover the intended scope as outlined in July 2001 and the generalfunctionality required by members of the team up to now has been successfully fulfilled. Further amendments
should only concern editorial changes to improve the clarity of the text. Therefore, the modelling constructs of
the CIDOC CRM are expected to undergo no changes from this version until the final International Standard.
With version 3.3.2, we have changed the format of the Definition of the CIDOC CRM. We present:
1. A general introduction to the model (as before)
2. The hierarchy of entities as an indented list (as before)
3. The hierarchy of properties as an indented list
4. The definition of each entity
5. The definition of each property.
We took out all cross-reference information, i.e. inherited properties, direct and inherited inverse references ofproperties at the range entity, as well as the indices to properties, alphabetically, by range and by domain. So thisdocument remains the pure definition, whereas the full cross-referenced text will appear as an additional
hypertext document, which will be semi-automatically generated. The reason for this change are: (1) the size ofthe cross-referenced document exceeds what one would normally print in one document. (2) the crossreferencing does not contribute to the definition. (3) Translators of the document are forced to manually trace theconsistency of the cross-referencing, a nearly impossible task. The cross-referenced document is of course theonly one, that allows for fully understanding the model by reading and for using it in conceptual modelling.
We further removed the references to the metamodel under which the CIDOC CRM was initially developed.
Even though the use of this metamodel has contributed a lot to the rigidity of developing the CIDOC CRM, it
seems to be of minor importance for the use of the Model itself. Moreover it needs reworking, andmetamodelling is still not a standard procedure in conceptual modelling. Therefore the development team
decided not to make it a part of the standard to become.
We present in the Annex the amendment history from version 3.2.1 on. This, together with the meeting minutes
and the “issues list” on the CIDOC CRM home page, allows for tracing the correctness of this document withrespect to the decisions of the development team.

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model83

Amendments to version 3.3
In the Second Joined Meeting of ISO/TC46/SC4/WG9 and CIDOC CRM SIG the following has been decided: 3,
new entities and 14 new properties have been declared, domain of 3 properties and range of 2 properties waschanged and 1 property renamed
1) New Entities and their properties
E78 Collection is curated by (curates): Actor
E79 Part Addition added to (was augmented by): Physical Man-Made Stuff
E79 Part Addition added (was added by): Physical Stuff
E80 Part Removal removed from (was diminished by): Physical Man-Made Stuff
E80 Part Removal removed (was removed by): Physical Stuff
2) New properties
E2 Temporal Entity. removed (was removed by): Temporal Entity
E2 Temporal Entity. equal in time: Temporal Entity
E2 Temporal Entity. finishes (finished-by): Temporal Entity
E2 Temporal Entity. starts (started-by): Temporal Entity
E2 Temporal Entity. during (includes): Temporal Entity
E2 Temporal Entity. overlaps in time (overlapped-by in time): Temporal Entity
E2 Temporal Entity. meets in time (met-by in time): Temporal Entity
E2 Temporal Entity. before (after): Temporal Entity
E53 Place overlaps. with: E53 Place
E53 Place borders. with: E53 Place
3) The Property:
E19 Physical Object. has former or current location (is former or current location of): Place
has been redirected to:
E18 Physical Stuff. has former or current location (is former or current location of): Place
4) The Property:
E19 Physical Object. has current permanent location (is current permanent location of): Place
has been redirected to:
E18 Physical Stuff. has current permanent location (is current permanent location of): Place5) The Property:
E19 Physical Object. has current location (currently holds): Place
has been redirected to:
E18 Physical Stuff. has current location (currently holds): Place
6) The Property:
E7 Activity. was motivation for (motivated): Conceptual Object
has been redirected to:E7 Activity. was motivation for (motivated): Man-Made Stuff
7) The Property:
E7 Activity. motivated the creation of (was created for): Conceptual Object
has been redirected and changed to:E7 Activity. motivated the creation of (was created because of): Man-Made Stuff
8) The property “P33 used specific technique” was declared as subproperty of “P15 took into account”
9) The property “P111 added to” was declared as subproperty of “P31 has modified”
10) The property “P113 removed from” was declared as subproperty of “P31 has modified”
11) Scope note for Actors Hierarchy, Actor and Title have been revised.

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model8412) Scope notes for properties have been added.

Amendments to version 3.3.1
In the 3rd joined meeting of the CIDOC Special Interest Group and ISO/TC46//SC4/WG9 the following havebeen decided: 1 new entity and 5 new properties have been declared, domain of 4 properties was changed and 1
property renamed, 1 entity has been deleted, 7 entities was renamed.
1) New Entity and its properties
E81 Transformation resulted in (was result on): Persistent Item
E81 Transformation transformed (was transformed by): Persistent Item
2) New properties
E7 Activity. used general object (was used for): Type
E11 Modification Event. employed (was employed by): Material
E55 Type. has broader term (has narrower term): Type3) The Property:
E19 Physical Object. has former or current keeper (is former or current keeper of): Actor
has been redirected to:
E18 Physical Stuff. has former or current keeper (is former or current keeper of): Actor
4) The Property:
E19 Physical Object. has keeper (is current keeper of): Actor
has been redirected to:
E18 Physical Stuff. has keeper (is current keeper of): Actor
5) The Property:
E19 Physical Object. has former or current owner (is former or current owner of): Actor
has been redirected to:
E18 Physical Stuff. has former or current owner (is former or current owner of): Actor
6) The Property:
E19 Physical Object. has owner (is current owner of): Actor
has been redirected to:
E18 Physical Stuff. has owner (is current owner of): Actor
7) The Property:
E7 Activity. used object (was used for): Physical Object
has been renamed to:E7 Activity. used specific object (was used for): Physical Object
8) The entity
E76 Gender and the property P61 has gender
have been deleted
9) 7 entities has been renamed:
E8 Acquisition
E11 Modification
E12 Production
E16 Measurement
E65 Conceptual Creation
E66 Formation
E77 Existence

E8 Acquisition Event
E11 Modification Event
E12 Production Event
E16 Measurement Event
E65 Creation Event
E66 Formation Event
E77 Persistent Item

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

85

Amendments to version 3.3.2
In the 3th joined meeting of the CIDOC Special Interest Group and ISO/TC46//SC4/WG9 the following havebeen decided: 2 new entities and 12 new properties have been declared, 1 entity has been renamed, domain of 4
properties was changed, range of 8 properties was changed, 6 properties renamed, 7 properties has been deleted.
1) New Entities:
E82 Actor Appellation.
It was declared as subclass of E41 Appellation
E83 Type Creation.
It was declared as subclass of E65 Creation Event
2) New properties:
E23 Information Carrier. P128 is carried of (is materialized by): E73 Information Object
E73 Information Object. P129 is about (is subject of): E1 CRM Entity
It was declared as subproperty of
E28 Conceptual Object. P67 refers to (is referred to by): E1 CRM Entity
E70 Stuff. P130 shows features of (features are also found on): E70 Stuff(kind of similarity: Type)It was declared as superproperty of
E33 Linguistic Object. P73 has translation (is translation of): E33 Linguistic Object
E4 Period. P132 overlaps with: E4 Period
E4 Period. P133 is separated from: E4 Period
E7 Activity. P134 continued (was continued by): E7 Activity
It was declared as subproperty of
E7 Activity. P15 (was influenced by (influenced): E7 Activity
E83 Type Creation. P135 created type (was created by): E55 Type.
It was declared as subproperty of
E65 Creation Event. P94 has created (was created by): E28 Conceptual Object
E83 Type Creation. P136 was based on (supported type creation): E1 CRM Entity(in the taxonomic role: E55 Type)It was declared as subproperty of
E7 Activity. P15 was influenced by (influenced): E1 CRM Entity.
E55 Type. P137 is exemplified by (exemplifies): E1 CRM Entity(in the taxonomic role: E55 Type)
E36 Visual Item. P138 visualizes (has visualization): E1 CRM Entity,
It was declared as subpropertry of
E28 Conceptual Object. P67 refer to (is referred to by): E1 CRM Entity
E41 Appellation. P139 also represented by: E41 Appellation
3) The entity E23 Iconographic Object has been renamed to E23 Information Carrier
4) The domain of the following properties was changed:
The property:
E18 Physical Stuff. P43 has dimension (is dimension of): E54 Dimension
has been redirected to:

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model86E70 Stuff. P43 has dimension (is dimension of): E54 Dimension.
The property:
E28 Conceptual Object. P67 refers to (is referred to by): E1 CRM Entity
has been redirected to:E73 Information Object. P67 refers to (is referred to by): E1 CRM Entity
The property:
E18 Physical Stuff. P54 has current permanent location (is current permanent location of): E53 Place
has been redirected to:E19 Physical Object. P54 has current permanent location (is current permanent location of): E53 Place
The property:
E18 Physical Stuff. P55 has current location (currently holds): E53 Place
has been redirected to:E19 Physical Object. P55 has current location (currently holds): E53 Place5) The ranges of the following properties were changed:
The property:
E16 Measurement Event. P39 measured (was measured by): E18 Physical Stuff
has been redirected to:E16 Measurement Event. P39 measured (was measured by): E70 Stuff
The property:
E7 Activity. P16 used specific object (was used for): E19 Physical Object
has been redirected to:E7 Activity. P16 used specific object (was used for): E70 Stuff
The property:
E8 Acquisition Event. P24 transferred title of (changed ownership through): E19 Physical Object
has been redirected to:E8 Acquisition Event. P24 transferred title of (changed ownership through): E18 PhysicalStuff
The property:
E5 Event. P12 occurred in the presence of (was present at): E70 Stuff
has been redirected to:
E5 Event. P12 occurred in the presence of (was present at): E77 Persistent Item
7) The property:
E7 Activity. P15 took into account (was taken into account by): E77 Persistent Item
has been renamed and redirected to:E7 Activity. P15 was influenced by (influenced): E1 CRM Entity8) The property:
E7 Activity. P17 was motivation for (motivated): E71 Man-Made Stuff
has been renamed and redirected to:E7 Activity. P17 was motivated by (motivated): E1 CRM Entity
9) The property:
E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff. P62 depicts object (is depicted by): E18 Physical Stuff
has been renamed and redirected to:E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff. P62 depicts (is depicted by): E1 CRM Entity10) The property:
E74 Group. P107 had member (was member of): E39 Actor
has been renamed to :E74 Group. P107 has current or former member (is current or former member of): E39 Actor

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model8711) The property:
E52 Time-Span. P81 at least covering: E61 Time Primitive
has been renamed to :E52 Time-Span. P81 ongoing throughout: E61 Time Primitive
12) The property:
E52 Time-Span. P82 at most within: E61 Time Primitive
has been renamed to :E52 Time-Span. P82 at some time within: E61 Time Primitive
13) The following properties was deleted:
E3 Condition State. P6 falls within (contains): E3 Condition State
E7 Activity. P18 motivated the creation of (was created because of): E71 Man-Made Stuff
E21 Person. P60 is member of: E40 Legal Body
E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff. P63 depicts event (is depicted by):E5 Event
E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff. P64 depicts concept (is depicted by):E55 Type
E28 Conceptual Object. P66 refer to concept (is referred to by): E55 TypeE52 Time-Span. P85 consists of (forms part of): E52 Time-Span
14) The property:
E5 Event. P11 had participants (participated in): E39 Actor
has been renamed to :E5 Event. P11 had participant (participated in): E39 Actor
15) The property:
E7 Activity. P21 had as general purpose (was purpose of): E55 Typehas been renamed to :E7 Activity. P21 had general purpose (was purpose of): E55 Type16) The property:
E9 Move. P26 moved to (occupied): E53 Place
has been renamed to :E9 Move. P26 moved to (was destination of): E53 Place
17) The property:
E9 Move. P27 moved from (vacated): E53 Place
has been renamed to :E9 Move. P26 moved from (was origin of): E53 Place
18) The property:
E15 Identifier Assignment. P37 assigns (is assigned by): E42 Object identifier
has been renamed to :E15 Identifier Assignment. P37 assigned (was assigned by): E42 Object identifier19) The property:
E15 Identifier Assignment. P38 deassigns (is deassigned by): E42 Object identifier
has been renamed to :E15 Identifier Assignment. P38 deassigned (was deassigned by): E42 Object identifier20) The property:
E19 Physical Object. P48 preferred identifier is (is preferred identifier of): E42 Object identifier
has been renamed to :E19 Physical Object. P48 has preferred identifier (is preferred identifier of): E42 Object identifier21) The property:
E32 Authority Document. P71 contains (is part of): E55 Typehas been renamed to :E32 Authority Document. P71 lists (is listed in): E55 TypeDefinition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model8821) The property:
E39 Actor. P76 has contact points (provides access to): E51 Contact Point
has been renamed to :E39 Actor. P76 has contact point (provides access to): E51 Contact Point
22) The property:
E52 Time-Span. P83 had at least duration: E54 Dimension
has been renamed to :E52 Time-Span. P83 had at least duration (was minimum duration of): E54 Dimension23) The property:
E52 Time-Span. P84 had at most duration: E54 Dimension
has been renamed to :E52 Time-Span. P84 had at most duration (was maximum duration of): E54 Dimension24) The property:
E54 Dimension. P90 value: E60 Number
has been renamed to :E54 Dimension. P90 has value: E60 Number25) The property:
P15 was influenced by (influenced)
was declared as superproperty of
P16 used specific object (was used for)P17 was motivated by (motivated)
P19 was intended use of (was made for)P20 had specific purpose (was purpose of)P134 continued (was continued by)
26) The property:
P11 had participant (participated in)
was declared as subproperty of
P12 occurred in the presence of (was present at)27) The entity
E72 Legal Object was declared as subclass of E70 Stuff
28) The entity
E55 Type was declared as subclass of E28 Conceptual Object
29) All uses of the word “link” as synonym for “property” have been replaced by the term “property”
The following changes for internal consistency have been proposed, but they have not been decided in the
Copenhagen meeting. They are incorporated in this document, in expectation of a positive decision:
1) The property:
E40 Legal Body. consists of (belongs to): E40 Legal Body
was deleted (new issue 104).
2) The property
P105.2 has note: E62 String
was deleted (new issue 106).
3) The property:
P33 used specific technique
was declared as subproperty of
P12 occurred in the presence of (was present at)

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model894) New property
E39 Actor. P131 is identified by (identifies): E82 Actor Appellation.
It was declared as subproperty of
E1 CRM Entity. P1 is identified by (identifies): E41 Appellation

Amendments to version 3.4
In the 5th joined meeting of the CIDOC Special Interest Group and ISO/TC46//SC4/WG9 the following havebeen decided: 3 entities were deleted and 1 new entity was declared, 24 properties has been renamed, domain of
1 property was changed, and range of 1 property was changed.
1) The entity:
E23 Information Carrier
was deleted.
2) New entity
E84 Information Carrier
was declared.
3) The property
E8 Acquisition Event. P22 transferred title to (acquired title to): E39 Actor
has been renamed to :E8 Acquisition Event. P22 transferred title to (acquired title through): E39 Actor
4) The property
E10 Transfer of Custody. P28 custody surrendered by (surrendered custody): E39 Actor
has been renamed to :E10 Transfer of Custody. P28 custody surrendered by (surrendered custody through): E39 Actor
5) The property
E10 Transfer of Custody. P29 custody received by (received custody): E39 Actor
has been renamed to :E10 Transfer of Custody. P29 custody received by (received custody through): E39 Actor
6) The property
E10 Transfer of Custody. P30 transferred custody of (custody changed by): E19 Physical Object
has been redirected and renamed to :E10 Transfer of Custody. P30 transferred custody of (custody transferred through): E18 Physical Stuff
7) The property
E16 Measurement Event. P40 observed dimension (was observed): E54 Dimension
has been renamed to :E16 Measurement Event. P40 observed dimension (was observed in): E54 Dimension8) The property
E19 Physical Object. P58 has section definition (defines section): E46 Section Definition
has been redirected to:
E18 Physical Stuff. P58 has section definition (defines section): E46 Section Definition
9) The property
E52 Time-Span. P79 begins at qualify: E62 String
has been renamed to :E52 Time-Span. P79 beginning is qualified by: E62 String10) The property
E52 Time-Span. P80 ends at qualify: E62 String
has been renamed to :Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model90

E52 Time-Span. P80 end is qualified by: E62 String11) The property
E54 Dimension. P91 unit: E58 Measurement Unit
has been renamed to :E54 Dimension. P91 has unit (is unit of): E58 Measurement Unit
12) The property
E78 Collection. P109 is curated by (curates): E39 Actor
has been renamed to :E78 Collection. P109 has current or former curator (is current or former curator of): E39 Actor
13) The property
E79 Part Addition. P110 added to (was augmented by): E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff
has been renamed to :E79 Part Addition. P110 augmented (was augmented by): E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff
14) The property
E79 Part Removal. P112 removed from (was diminished by): E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff
has been renamed to :E79 Part Removal. P112 diminished (was diminished by): E24 Physical Man-Made Stuff
15) The property
E2 Temporal Entity. P114 equal in time: E2 Temporal Entity
has been renamed to :E2 Temporal Entity. P114 is equal in time to: E2 Temporal Entity16) The property
E2 Temporal Entity. P115 finishes (finished-by): E2 Temporal Entity
has been renamed to :E2 Temporal Entity. P115 finishes (is finished by): E2 Temporal Entity17) The property
E2 Temporal Entity. P116 starts (started-by): E2 Temporal Entity
has been renamed to :E2 Temporal Entity. P116 starts (is started by): E2 Temporal Entity18) The property
E2 Temporal Entity. P117 during (includes): E2 Temporal Entity
has been renamed to :E2 Temporal Entity. P117 occurs during (includes): E2 Temporal Entity19) The property
E2 Temporal Entity. P118 overlaps in time (overlapped-by in time): E2 Temporal Entity
has been renamed to :E2 Temporal Entity. P118 overlaps in time with (is overlapped in time by): E2 Temporal Entity20) The property
E2 Temporal Entity. P119 meets in time (met-by in time): E2 Temporal Entity
has been renamed to :E2 Temporal Entity. P119 meets in time with (is met in time by): E2 Temporal Entity21) The property
E2 Temporal Entity. P120 before (after): E2 Temporal Entity
has been renamed to :E2 Temporal Entity. P120 occurs before (occurs after): E2 Temporal Entity22) The property
E81 Transformation. P123 resulted in (was resulted on): E77 Persistent Item

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model91

has been renamed to :E81 Transformation. P123 resulted in (resulted from): E77 Persistent Item
23) The property
E7 Activity. P125 used general object (was used for): E55 Typehas been renamed to :E7 Activity. P125 used object of type (was type of object used in): E55 Type24) The property
E11 Modification Event. P126 employed (was employed by): E57 Material
has been renamed to :E11 Modification Event. P126 employed (was employed in): E57 Material
25) The property
E23 Information Carrier. P128 is carried of (is materialized by): E73 Information Object
has been redirected and renamed to :E24 Physical Man-Made stuff. P128 carries (is carried by): E73 Information Object
26) The property
E36 Visual Item. P138 visualizes (has visualization): E1 CRM Entity
has been renamed to :E36 Visual Item. P138 represents (has representation): E1 CRM Entity27) The property
E41 Appellation. P139 also represented: E41 Appellation
has been renamed to :E41 Appellation. P139 has alternative form: E41 Appellation
28) The property
P3 has note
has been declared as superproperty of
P79 beginning is qualified by
P80 end is qualified by
29) The property
P11 had participant (participated in)
was declared as superproperty ofP14 carried out by (performed)
P96 by mother (gave birth)
P99 dissolved (was dissolvedby)
30) The property
P12 occured in the presence of (was present at)
was declared as superproperty ofP11 had participant (participated in)
P16 used specific object (was used for)P25 moved (moved by)
P31 has modified (was modified by)
P33 used specific technique (was used by)
P92 brought into existence (was brought into existence by)
P93 took out of existence (was taken out of existence by)31) The property:
P15 was influenced by (influenced)
was declared as superproperty of
P16 used specific object (was used for)P17 was motivated by (motivated)
P33 used specific technique (was used by)
P134 continued (was continued by)

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

92

P136 was based on (supported type creation)32) The property:
E40 Legal Body. consists of (belongs to): E40 Legal Body
was deleted33) The property
P105.2 has note: E62 String
was deleted34) New property
E39 Actor. P131 is identified by (identifies): E82 Actor Appellation.
It was declared as subproperty of
E1 CRM Entity. P1 is identified by (identifies): E41 Appellation

Amendments to version 3.4.1
Introduction and Scope Notes for classes E21 – E84 have been revised, and 2 new paragraphs were inserted(CIDOC CRM Class Declarations and CIDOC CRM Property Declarations).

Amendments to version 3.4.2
Scope Notes for all entities and properties have been revised, 2 new properties was declared, 1 property was
redirected and two properties was renamed:
1) New property
E13 Attribute Assignment. P140 assigned attribute to (was attributed by): E1 CRM Entity
It was declared as superproperty of
E14 Condition Assessment. P34 concerned (was assessed by): E18 Physical Stuff
E15 Identifier Assignment. P36 registered (was registered by): E19 Physical Object
E16 Measurement Event. P39 measured (was measured by): E70 Stuff
E17 Type Assignment. P41 classified (was classified by): E1 CRM Entity
2) New property
E13 Attribute Assignment. P141 assigned (was assigned by): E1 CRM Entity
It was declared as superproperty of
E14 Condition Assessment. P35 has identified (identified by): E3 Condition State
E15 Identifier Assignment. P37 assigned (was assigned by): E42 Object Identifier
E15 Identifier Assignment. P38 deassigned (was deassigned by): E42 Object Identifier
E16. Measurement Event. P40 observed dimension (was observed in): E54 Dimension
E17 Type Assignment. P42 assigned (was assigned by): E55 Type3) The Property:
E6 Destruction. P13 destroyed (was destroyed by): E19 Physical Object
has been redirected to:E6 Destruction. P13 destroyed (was destroyed by): E18 Physical Stuff
4) The property:
E8 Acquisition Event. P23 transferred title from (surrendered title of): E39 Actor
has been renamed to:E8 Acquisition Event. P23 transferred title from (surrendered title through): E39 Actor
5) The property:
E8 Acquisition Event. P24 transferred title of (changed ownership by): E18 Physical Stuff

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model93

has been renamed to:E8 Acquisition Event. P24 transferred title of (changed ownership through): E18 Physical Stuff

Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model94