Peter of Poitiers' Compendium historiae

a research platform and edition

About the Project

TEI Source

Table of Contents

  1. Objectives
  2. Team
    1. Art History and Manuscript Studies
    2. Editorial Sciences
    3. Medieval Latin Philology
    4. Digital Humanities, Information Modeling and Publication
  3. Dissemination
  4. Technical Solutions
  5. How to cite?
  6. Licence

1 Objectives

The project "History as a visual concept: Peter of Poitiers' Compendium historiae" was generously funded by the DFG (504265959) and FWF (I 6133, Grant-DOI:10.55776/I6133) under the Weave European funding scheme. The project is running from 2023 to 2026 and during this time researchers at the University of Tübingen, University of Wuppertal, University of Graz, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, and University of London are creating the first (digital) edition of Peter of Poitiers' Compendium historiae. The international and interdisciplinary project team brings together researchers from the fields of art history, mediaeval history, Latin philology, text editing, and digital humanities. Among other technologies the project team will make use of the standard of the Text Encoding Initiative (TEI/XML), the International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) and Semantic Web technologies.

The aims of the project are

  1. a comprehensive overview of the tradition of the Compendium historiae,
  2. an analysis of the graphic metastructure as well as the texts, diagrams and images embedded in it (recording variants),
  3. a critical scholarly edition,
  4. an investigation of socio-cultural context.

The project will result in

  1. a codicological database,
  2. a navigable visualisation of the graphic metastructure,
  3. a critical edition of the text,
  4. publications and lectures regarding individual case studies of manuscript witnesses, socio-cultural context, and other aspects of the tradition.

Digital and freely accessible, our digital edition will break new methodological ground with graphic and textual elements displayed in a navigable graph. In making accessible one of the most visually innovative and influential works of the Middle Ages, our project will shed new light on the history of the visualisation of knowledge.

Read more about the Compendium historiae ...

2 Team

2.1 Art History and Manuscript Studies

Kunsthistorisches Institut, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen und School of Advanced Study, University of London

  1. Prof. Dr. Andrea Worm (DFG PI)
  2. Dr. Laura Cleaver (School of Advanced Study, University of London, Mercator Fellow)
  3. Dr. Eleanor Goerss (postdoc researcher)
  4. Maria Streicher (praedoc researcher, 2/2023-9/2023, 10/2024-)
  5. Katharina Bauer (praedoc researcher, 9/2023-)
  6. Melina Behnke (student assistant, 2/2023-10/2023)
  7. Annabelle Berghof (student assistant, 1/2024-8/2024)
  8. Jonathan Gorenflo (student assistant, 6/2023-9/2023)

2.2 Editorial Sciences

Fakultät für Geistes- und Kulturwissenschaften, Bergische Universität Wuppertal

  1. Prof. Dr. Patrick Sahle (DFG PI)
  2. Dr. Elisa Cugliana (postdoc researcher, 2/2023-10/2023)
  3. Andreas Mertgens (praedoc researcher, 1/2024-)
  4. Lennart Rouxel (student assistant, 2/2023-)
  5. Lukas Schievelbusch (student assistant, 1/2024-)
  6. Johannes Ioannu (research intern, 2/2024-7/2024)

2.3 Medieval Latin Philology

Venice Centre for Digital and Public Humanities, Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia

  1. Prof. Dr. Franz Fischer (Mercator Fellow)
  2. Dr. Agnese Macchiarelli (postdoc researcher, Bergische Universität Wuppertal, Fakultät für Geistes- und Kulturwissenschaften – Geschichte / Ca‘ Foscari University of Venice, Department of Humanities – Venice Centre for Digital and Public Humanities)
  3. Dr. Daniele Fusi (research software developer, 6/2023-12/2024)
  4. Dr. Chiara Cauzzi (visiting scholar, 11/2024-2/2025)
  5. Beatrice Tomada (research intern, 11/2023-10/2024)
  6. Matteo Cigardi (research intern, 12/2024-)

2.4 Digital Humanities, Information Modeling and Publication

Department of Digital Humanities, University of Graz

  1. Dr. Roman Bleier (FWF PI)
  2. Sina Krottmaier (praedoc researcher, 4/2023-12/2025)
  3. Jakob Sonnberger (technician, 9/2023-)
  4. Chiara Citro (student assistant, 10/2025-)
  5. Teresa Potenza (05/06 2023, Erasmus+ Internship)
  6. Michele Potenza (05/06/07 2024, Erasmus+ Internship)
manuscript image
Fig. 1: The project team at the kick-off meeting in Tübingen in 2023.

3 Dissemination

    Research Articles

  • Goerss, E., Worm, A. 2025. "tres gradus fidelium in ecclesia fuerunt. The Seven-branched Candelabrum as an Allegory of the Spiritual Modes of Life in Peter of Poitiers' Compendium historiae." In The Menorah and the Seven-branched Candelabrum. Jewish and Christian Manifestations in the Medieval and Early Modern Periods, eds. A. Worm, M. Streicher. Berlin, 169–213.
  • Bauer, B.; Bleier, R.; Sonnberger, J. 2025. "Linked Open Data and Manuscript Descriptions." Das Mittelalter 2025/1. 38-53.
  • Bleier, R., Cleaver, L., Cugliana, E., Fischer, F., Goerss, E., Krottmaier, S., Macchiarelli, A., Streicher, M., Sahle, P., Worm, A. 2025. "History as a Visual Concept: Peter of Poitiers' Compendium Historiae." Manuscript Studies 9.2. 322–335. DOI:10.1353/mns.2024.a945378.
  • Bunselmeier, J., Krottmaier, S. 2024. "Untangling Data Complexity: Custom Oxygen Frameworks for Edition Projects." RIDE: A Review Journal for Scholarly Digital Editions and Resources 19. DOI:10.18716/ride.a.19.2.
  • Fischer, F., Macchiarelli, A. 2024. "Rappresentare la Storia Sacra: un’impresa ieri, una sfida oggi. Proposta di edizione scientifica digitale del 'Compendium' di Pietro di Poitiers." In Me.Te. Digitali. Mediterraneo in rete tra testi e contesti. Proceedings del XIII Convegno Annuale AIUCD2024 (Quaderni di Umanistica Digitale), 221–225. DOI:10.6092/unibo/amsacta/7927.

    Presentations

  • Bleier, R., Sonnberger, J. 2025. "IIIF and GAMS Projects: Peter of Poitiers' Compendium Historiae as Example." IIIF in/and Digital Scholarly Editions, Vienna, 7.5.2025.
  • Goerss, E. 2025. " 'Laid out in front of their eyes …'. Names and Representations." In nomine – Name und Benennung im Mittelalter, 20. Symposium des Mediävistenverbands e. V., Salzburg, 24.2.2025.
  • Fischer, F., Macchiarelli, A. 2025. "Iste Lamech primus introducens bigamiam… Names and sources." 20. Symposium des Mediävistenverbands e. V., Salzburg, 24.2.2025.
  • Bleier, R., Sonnberger, J. 2025. "Adam and Eve are actually 62342107. Biblical Figures and the Semantic Web." 20. Symposium des Mediävistenverbands e. V., Salzburg, 24.2.2025.
  • Cugliana, E., Mertgens, A., Sahle, P., Ioannu, J., Rouxel, L., and Goerss, E. 2025. "Phylogenetische Überlieferungsanalyse mit Feature-Matrizen zur Bild- bzw. Diagrammbeschreibung. Ein Versuch an den Handschriften des 'Compendium Historiae' (12. Jh.ff)." Book of Abstracts: DHd 2025 Under Construction. Geisteswissenschaften und Data Humanities. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.14943153.
  • Cleaver, L. 2024. "Visual and Textual Dialogue in English Genealogical Diagrams from the Thirteenth Century." Diagrams in Dialogue. Visual Configurations and their Contexts, Tübingen, 25.10.2024.
  • Worm, A. 2024. "Cosmology and History. Wind-Diagrams as Co-transmission in Peter of Poitiers' Compendium historiae in genealogia Christi." Diagrams in Dialogue. Visual Configurations and their Contexts, Tübingen, 25.10.2024.
  • Cleaver, L. 2024. "History Repeated: Patterns in 13th-Century Genealogies", International Medieval Congress, Leeds, 2.7.2024.
  • Goerss, E. 2024. "History's Circles: The Apostles in Peter of Poitier's Compendium Historiae." International Medieval Congress, Leeds, 2.7.2024.
  • Streicher, M. 2024. "'Hic tibi scire datur genesys quo norma ferantur': Trees of Consanguinity and Peter of Poitier's Compendium Historiae." International Medieval Congress, Leeds, 2.7.2024.
  • Worm, A. 2024. "'Fac tibi arcam': Diagramming the Ark of Noah." International Medieval Congress, Leeds, 2.7.2024.
  • Bleier, R., Goerss, E., Worm, A. 2024. "Das 'Compendium historiae' des Petrus von Poitiers: Eine Informationsgraphik aus dem 12. Jahrhundert und ihre digitale Edition", Ringvorlesung Digital Humanities, 14.5.2024, Erhart Karls Universität Tübingen.

    Poster

  • Cugliana, E., Krottmaier, S., Rouxel, L., 2024. "Über den Text hinaus: Die Edition eines Historiogramms." DHd 2024 Quo Vadis DH (DHd2024) , Passau, Deutschland. DOI:10.5281/zenodo.10698492.
  • Bleier, R., Cleaver, L., Cugliana, E., Fischer, F., Goerss, E., Krottmaier, S., Macchiarelli, A., Streicher, M., Rouxel, L., Sahle, P., Worm, A. 2023. "History as a visual concept: editing Peter of Poitiers' Compendium historiae in genealogia Christi." Digital Humanities 2023. Collaboration as Opportunity (DH2023), Graz, Austria. DOI:10.5281/zenodo.8107534; Book of Abstracts: DOI:10.5281/zenodo.7961822.

    Organisation of academic events

  • Bleier, R., Kurz, S. IIIF in/and Digital Scholarly Editions, Vienna, Workshop, 7.-8.5.2025. DOI:10.5281/zenodo.15366110.
  • Worm, A., Goerss, E., Cleaver, L., Diagrams in Dialogue, Conference, Tübingen, 24.-26.10.2024.
  • Fischer, F., Macchiarelli, A., History as a visual concept Peter of Poitiers' "Compendium historiae", Symposium and Round Table, Venice, 7.5.2024.

4 Technical Solutions

The digital scholarly edition uses a wide array of technologies and standards, most prominently the Text Encoding Initiative (TEI), the International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF), and the Resource Description Framework (RDF). These standards are natively used within the GAMS asset management system, which hosts the edition. Detailed documentation of the technologies used in the project is provided in the project’s GitHub Wiki.

For individual resources, a download button for the source code (TEI, RDF, etc.) is provided at the top right of the page.

5 How to cite?

We provide citation recommendations at the bottom of individual webpages. Please cite the entire edition as follows:

Peter of Poitiers' Compendium historiae: a research platform and edition, ed. by Andrea Worm, Roman Bleier, Patrick Sahle, and Franz Fischer, Graz: 2026. https://gams.uni-graz.at/chigc

6 Licence

If no other restrictions or licences are explicitly mentioned the licence CC-BY applies for the source code and texts of this digital scholarly edition.

Unless otherwise specified, image rights remain with the institutions hosting and providing the manuscript images. Many images are included via IIIF, and the rights remain with the hosting institutions.

Citation recommendation

Andrea Worm, Roman Bleier: About the Project. In: Peter of Poitiers' Compendium historiae: a research platform and edition, ed. by Andrea Worm, et al., Graz: 2026. https://gams.uni-graz.at/o:chigc.about.

Credits

  • Data modeling, data curation and web development: Roman Bleier, Sina Krottmaier and Jakob Sonnberger
  • Project principal investigators: Andrea Worm, Roman Bleier and Patrick Sahle
  • Mercator Fellows: Laura Cleaver and Franz Fischer

Versions

  • Last Update/Current Version: 2026-03-09