Interpersonal violence in all its facets is at the core of many fields of research. But despite the abundance of sources for every historical epoch, overarching structures are hardly recognizable up to the present day. In Greco-Roman antiquity violence was ubiquitous. In order to facilitate access to ancient data related to violence, a team of ancient historians is building "Eris: An Information System on Greek and Roman Violence" at the University of Hamburg, Germany. The information system seeks to incorporate all descriptions of violence to be found in the works of Greek and Latin authors. Specific criteria characterize each scene of violence.

Eris currently contains data records for thirteen Plutarch Parallel Lives (Alexander, Alcibiades, Arat, Agesilaos, Demetrios, Pyrrhos, Demosthenes, Lysander, Pericles, Phocion, Solon, Timoleon, Nicias). The Annals of Tacitus will soon be completed. The system also contains data sets for selected source passages from Thucydides, Diodorus, Cassius Dio, Herodian, Historia Augusta, Ammianus, Orosius, Sozomenus, Procopius. Significant passages from medieval sources (Jordanes, Widukind, Annales Regni Francorum, Annales Bertiniani, Annales Vedastini, Regino of Prüm, Adalbert, Lampert of Hersfeld, Wipo, Carmen de bello Saxonico, Adam of Bremen, Berthold of Reichenau, Hermann of Reichenau, Bernold of Constance) have also been annotated.

It is our goal to make all passages describing or mentioning interpersonal violence accessible to a simple as well as extended search. The semantic challenge of modeling an act of violence consists of abstracting complex ancient societies and social processes in a way that allows us to digitally analyze and model experiences of violence within their contexts. At the same time, the reduction of complexity that is necessary to keep the system useful must not compromise its scholarly value. The semantic annotations of the sources are linked to each other in multiple ways so that even the analysis of big data leads to meaningful results. For this purpose, a system of carefully linked objects and categories is necessary to do justice to the multiple dimensions of the sources. Adequately and independently modeled objects are accessible by means of their characteristics via the input screen. Categories are worked in as filters underneath the objects (in drop down menus). Beside obvious markers like author and chronological setting of work and contents, many more characteristics of violent acts are included. They concern, for example, the contexts, motives, locations, the socio-economic status, and the age of all parties involved. We also consider the consequences of an act of violence in the broadest possible sense, ranging from immediate counter-reactions to long-term consequences such as the issuing of laws and decrees in order to quell violence. The abundance of criteria makes a targeted search possible while at the same time enabling a high level of user-friendliness. Each source passage is presented in the original Greek and Latin as well as in English translation. Thus, we hope to appeal to a broad audience of users: while the original languages are indispensable for the research conducted by trained classicists, the English translations will make the material accessible to an international scholarly community interested in phenomena of pre-modern violence. It is our hope that the search criteria will appeal not only to historians and philologists, but also to political scientists and sociologists. Currently, Google Maps or Open Street Map serves as the platform with which studies of regional violence can also be conducted. ERIS contains about 450 towns and villages. By establishing the respective thematic filters, specific histories of violence of certain regions at certain times can be written. Also, comparative regional studies of violence are feasible. In the realm of cartography, cooperation with the Adaptive, Interactive, and Dynamic Atlas of History (AIDA, based in Trier, Germany) will occur soon, making it possible to overlay several thematic maps. In this way, new historical maps will emerge. Our goals are to create dynamic and interactive maps, which might also lead to new forms of teaching history at schools. ERIS offers new digital ways of analyzing, visualizing and representing data about violence in antiquity. Open access to all contents as well as the broad spectrum of information available will help disciplines outside Classics to access and consider data relevant to their own research agendas in an unprecedented way. If Eris can only help us a bit to learn and understand more about the emergence, unfolding, curbing, and prevention of violence, our goal would be achieved.

Search in Eris

Eris offers several search options. You can search for violence , persons , groups , authors and topologies . You can also browse in classifications contained in Eris.