About the DICES Database

For each instance of direct speech in our corpus of Greek and Roman epic, we include a record noting the extent of the speech (by line number) and who is speaking to whom. We do not record the words of the speeches, only their starting and ending locations. Other searchable features of the speeches include: which turn in the conversation each speech represents; whether it is embedded; the conversation type and content-based speech type tags. About the speakers and addressees we record the essentials: name, gender, divinity; whether the character is a named individual, a collective, or anonymous. We distinguish between characters (e.g. "Achilles") and character instances (e.g. "ghost of Achilles - Odyssey"), mapping changes of status (e.g. dead/alive) and distinguishing between characters of the same name in different poems.

The data presented in this database are the result of teamwork and a data collation process spanning many years. Consistency has always been a priority, but at the same time literary features tend to resist straightforward classification, especially with regard to more subjective categories such as the content-based speech type tags. Databased users are advised to critically contrast our data with their own observations. Corrections are welcome via info@epicspeeches.net.

Within the database, all characters, character instances, speeches, works and authors have a unique and citable id-number, which we want to encourage our users to use when referring and linking to items in our database.

For textual loci we use Universal Resource Names (URNs) developed as part of the Canonical Text Services (CTS) standard and include links to the Perseus Scaife Viewer. For characters we link to three external databases: MANTO, Topostext and Wikidata.