EpiDoc provides for both detail and flexibility in describing what is known or recorded about the origin and subsequent history of a text-bearing object. As described in the History Section of the TEI Guidelines, this information is collected in a history element that is part of the msDesc in the teiHeader. Within history, one first encodes an origin element, which is used to lay out what is known about the date(s) and location(s) associated with the original (historic) creation and publication of the object (the origDate and origPlace elements are provided for each of these purposes). After the origin element, the editor may create one or more provenance elements, each of which describes a discrete event in the history of the object, capturing whatever is known and relevant in the way of temporal and spatial information. Examples of provenance events include: (modern) place and date of finding, subsequent observation and recording, or transfers, gifts and sales.
Here is an example adapted from the Inscriptions of Aphrodisias project:
If detailed historical, dating and provenance information is not known (e.g. for an object or manuscript long held in a repository or private collection), a general description of the history of the object may be given in one or more p element (as shown below) rather than using the structured elements described above.
More detailed discussion and specific examples (e.g., for dealing with a range of possible places of origin or fragmentary objects whose component parts have been separated in modern times) see the following sections of the guidelines:
Note that inventory numbers, repository information and related indicia are treated in a separate part of msDesc (a sibling element of history called msIdentifier). The encoding of this information is described in the Inventory numbers and repositories section.
The TEI offers a separate set of elements <custodialHist> and <custEvent> to record information about custodial actions such as photography, conservation and loans, also encoded in a separate part of msDesc (a sibling element of history called additional). See: Availability and Custodial History.
Other pages describing <history>:
Other pages describing <origin>:
Other pages describing <provenance>:
Other pages describing <custodialHist>:
Other pages describing <custEvent>: