The Semantic Census: a new expression of The Census of Antique Works of Art and Architecture Known in the Renaissance as open data

George Bruseker, Kathleen Christian, Denitsa Nenova

«Archeologia e Calcolatori» 2025, 36.2, 39-54; doi: 10.19282/ac.36.2.2025.05

Abstract

The Census of Antique Works of Art and Architecture Known in the Renaissance, established in 1946, is a research project that traces the knowledge and reception of antiquities known during the Renaissance by linking them with Early Modern visual and textual records. It has over its long history evolved from an analog system, to one of the earliest digital art history projects, to an online database (https://database.census.de). Recent innovations (2021–2023) have transformed the database into semantic data using the CIDOC-CRM ontology, aligning it with FAIR principles and encouraging broader engagement with the Census’s rigorously-researched dataset. The modeling process involved creating eight Semantic Census models, supported by extensive documentation. The semantic transformation of Census data used the X3ML language and 3M tool for mapping and verification, ensuring consistency and compatibility with other datasets, such as those in the CORDH network. Queries can now be performed using SPARQL, with documented query examples to guide researchers unfamiliar with semantic data. The Semantic Census models have the ability to facilitate new research purposes for Census data, not only in the fields of art history and archaeology, but also beyond the project’s original scope.

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