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How to make best use of the Index of Latin Inscriptions

Sample line:

[image ALT: zzz]

Column 1

The identifying number of the photograph. In the example above:

  •  97: Year 1997
  •   A: Series (usually corresponding to a trip)
  •  66: Roll
  • .11: Sequential number (of the negative on the strip)

    If column 1 is a link:

  • the link is in Helvetica: you will be sent to the raw JPG.
  • the link is in your default font: you will be sent to the photograph as used on a webpage. If the same photo is linked on several pages, the best webpage will be selected (several criteria being balanced: largest photo, best captioning, most context provided, etc.).
          Requests for any photo already linked will be ignored, of course. (If the JPG is defective, you will need to tell me what the problem is.)

    If the number appears in green the photo is not onsite yet, but is scheduled to be included. Others may be placed on the site as well; I just haven't made up my mind.
          If I get many photo requests, the photos not numbered in green will be given priority.

    Column 2

    The letters represent the quality of the photograph:
  • A: outstanding ( example )
  • B: good:
           boldface B are the best of them ( example )
           the others are just plain B (here's an example of the bottom of the range).
  • C: more or less adequate ( example )
  • D: poor but possibly useful ( example )

    The quality is judged based on my intent in taking the picture (assumed to be the intent of a reasonable person!). Two near-identical photos of an old rock in deep shade under a tree may be A and D respectively, if the first rock had no inscription, and the second rock had an inscription that is unreadable.

    Column 3

    To help your searches, I followed a few basic rules:

    Transcriptions

    As will be readily apparent, these transcriptions should not be considered scholarly.

  • spelling and graphism (V for U, e.g.) are retained
  • words are separated, with interpuncts and intercolons omitted and replaced by spaces to facilitate consistent searching
  • hederae, macrons and other non-alphabetic signs are ignored; now that Unicode is slithering into general usage, that may change at some point.
  • Some CIL or other refs may be inserted; eventually I hope to put them in systematically.
  • Two run-on versions of each inscription, one verbatim and one with the abbreviations expanded, will be placed in a comments field in the source of this page, so that should anyone search for words divided across lines, this page will be returned by the search engines. [ 12/97: ] this has not been done yet.

    Places

    Each listing follows this general format:
    Town name: type of monument: name of specific monument: details

    This allows you to find, say, all the churches in Milan by searching for Milan: church

  • cathedrals should be searched for as Placename: church: cathedral
          which insures their retrieval among just plain churches, as well.
          Do not use "Duomo", although I'll try and remind you.
  • abbeys should be searched for as Placename: church: abbey
  • basilicas can be searched for as Placename: church: basilica
          but I've been less consistent here, often omitting basilica

    Abbreviations

    "Saint", "San" etc. are abbreviated:
  • building names: S. (SS. covers both the French "Saint(e)s" and the Italian "Santissimo/a".)
  • placenames: according to country postal conventions
          (in France, e.g., Saint‑Bertrand-de‑Comminges is listed as St‑Bertrand . . .)
  • 16th century is entered as 16c
  • "16th and/or 17th century" is entered as 16c‑17c

    Postal Codes, Ordnance Survey Grid Numbers, etc.

    In France, postal codes precede the placenames, as Fnnnnn. This allows you:
  • to enter the code rather than the often long name
  • to search for small regions or entire départements:
          e.g., Bouches-du-Rhône département is F13 and the area around and including Arles is F132
  • to search, conversely, for specific areas of the larger cities:
          e.g., the 4th arrondissement of Paris can be searched for with F75004

    In Britain, Ordnance Survey (OS) grid numbers will be referenced as possible. For now, the question is moot: I have no photos of Latin inscriptions in Britain.

    Alternate Names and Spellings

    Alternate terms are given once only in each webpage, in { bold curly brackets }. For example, if you search for

    Hispellum
    you will find
    Spello { /Hispellum/ }
    and after that, should therefore search for
    Spello

    General Index of All Photographs

    This Index of Latin Inscriptions is excerpted from the master Index of Photographs Available thru this Site which indexes about 20 times the number of photos appearing here. The format and search rules there differ slightly from these.
  • Page updated: 10 May 98