Database

The Edfu Project Database

Development of the Database

In order to provide more targeted support for the editorial work on the Edfu volumes, efforts had been intensifying since 1999 to consolidate the extensive data from the Edfu Project’s card archives into databases. The specially developed “Edfu Explorer” (no longer available) combined the original form database with the list of place names and the list of deities, and allowed direct access to the photos associated with the respective data records. The form for volumes Edfu V–VIII comprised more than 10,300 records, which were supplemented by the photo concordance (including access to approximately 15,000 scanned photos), the list of place names (approximately 1,250 records), the word list (approx. 4,600 of 16,000 records), and the list of deities (approx. 9,500 records).

In order to make more efficient use of the Edfu Project’s materials, which had grown significantly over the years, a new version was developed in 2012 that was, for the first time, capable of potentially accessing all materials. This includes internal access to the project’s word list containing all spellings. In a second phase, the database interface was linked to a virtual temple, which displays the locations of database queries along with their positions within the temple. In addition, the Edfu Explorer displayed both the Chassinat transcriptions and project-internal collations and secondary literature. Most of the materials are accessible via the online version of the Edfu Explorer.