Applying Linked Open Data to non-standardised typologies: the example of Celtic coinages
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 2020-09-27

Online resources based on the concepts published by Nomisma.org, such as Online Coins of the Roman Empire (OCRE) Hellenistic Royal Coinages (PELLA), have served to prove the enor-mous potential of Linked Open Data in the field of numismatics. However, these projects are based on typologies for coinages that were mass-produced and standardised, and where unam-biguous attributions to particular types are very much the norm. The situation with many Celtic coinages is significantly different: often the coinages cannot be divided into clearly distinguish-able types, but instead display a gradual, flowing development of iconography with no distinct divisions or breaks. The typologies into which they are arranged by numismatists are by nature very much subjective. Furthermore, there is often more than one commonly used typology for some coinages, with no 1:1 correlations between typologies, but instead complex, interwoven relationships. In this presentation we will inspect how the Nomisma.org project is tackling the difficulties inherent in providing the LOD framework for Celtic coinages. The lessons that we are learning can be applied not only to other fields of numismatics with non-standard typologies, but also to classes of archaeological objects with similar challenges and conflicting typologies.


David Wigg-Wolf, Karsten Tolle