This course introduces students to Digital Humanities methods with a focus on their application to the study of ancient languages, using Hittite as the primary case study. Students explore key concepts such as digital corpus creation, annotation, text encoding, and automated linguistic analysis, while addressing the specific challenges posed by cuneiform script, fragmentary texts, and historical language data.
Through practical work with existing Hittite digital corpora and tools, students gain hands-on experience in managing, processing, and analyzing texts. Case studies demonstrate how computational methods can enhance philological research, support linguistic reconstruction, and visualize language change within the Anatolian branch of Indo-European.
By the end of the course, students will understand both the potential and limitations of Digital Humanities approaches for ancient languages and will acquire practical skills transferable to historical linguistics, epigraphy, and cultural heritage studies.
Last update: Frantíková Dita, Mgr., Ph.D. (01.08.2025)
This course introduces students to Digital Humanities methods with a focus on their application to the study of ancient languages, using Hittite as the primary case study. Students explore key concepts such as digital corpus creation, annotation, text encoding, and automated linguistic analysis, while addressing the specific challenges posed by cuneiform script, fragmentary texts, and historical language data.
Through practical work with existing Hittite digital corpora and tools, students gain hands-on experience in managing, processing, and analyzing texts. Case studies demonstrate how computational methods can enhance philological research, support linguistic reconstruction, and visualize language change within the Anatolian branch of Indo-European.
By the end of the course, students will understand both the potential and limitations of Digital Humanities approaches for ancient languages and will acquire practical skills transferable to historical linguistics, epigraphy, and cultural heritage studies.
Last update: Frantíková Dita, Mgr., Ph.D. (01.08.2025)
Course completion requirements
The students will be asked to do their own digital project within the frame of what they learned in the course. The project will be based on the dataset of the Hethitologie portal Mainz.
Last update: Frantíková Dita, Mgr., Ph.D. (01.08.2025)
Literature -
Hutter, M., et al. (2021). Hethitologie-Portal Mainz (HPM): Digital Resources for Hittitology. Mainz Academy of Sciences and Literature.
Melchert, H. C. (2020). Digital Hittitology: Current State and Prospects. In Proceedings of the 10th International Congress of Hittitology.
Hoffner, Harry A., Melchert, H Craig. A Grammar of the Hittite Language. Part 1: Reference Grammar. Part 2: Tutorial. Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 2008.
van den Hout, Theo. Elements of Hittite. Cambridge University Press, 2011.
Zeman, D., et al. (2020). Universal Dependencies for Historical Languages. Proceedings of LREC 2020.
Berti, M. (ed.) (2019). Digital Classical Philology: Ancient Greek and Latin in the Digital Revolution. De Gruyter.
Last update: Frantíková Dita, Mgr., Ph.D. (01.08.2025)
Hutter, M., et al. (2021). Hethitologie-Portal Mainz (HPM): Digital Resources for Hittitology. Mainz Academy of Sciences and Literature.
Melchert, H. C. (2020). Digital Hittitology: Current State and Prospects. In Proceedings of the 10th International Congress of Hittitology.
Hoffner, Harry A., Melchert, H Craig. A Grammar of the Hittite Language. Part 1: Reference Grammar. Part 2: Tutorial. Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 2008.
van den Hout, Theo. Elements of Hittite. Cambridge University Press, 2011.
Zeman, D., et al. (2020). Universal Dependencies for Historical Languages. Proceedings of LREC 2020.
Berti, M. (ed.) (2019). Digital Classical Philology: Ancient Greek and Latin in the Digital Revolution. De Gruyter.
Last update: Frantíková Dita, Mgr., Ph.D. (01.08.2025)
Requisites for virtual mobility
There are no prerequisites for this course. Students from any field of study are welcome. Instruction will be tailored to their background, and they will receive guidance and practical tools to support their own research interests.
Last update: Frantíková Dita, Mgr., Ph.D. (01.08.2025)
Syllabus
Course length: 13 weeks Focus: Digital methods in the study of ancient languages, with Hittite as the primary case study.
Course Description
The course introduces students to Digital Humanities (DH) methods applied to ancient languages, combining theoretical background with hands-on practice. Hittite serves as the central case study to explore challenges of working with historical corpora, cuneiform writing systems, and fragmentary data. Students will learn to work with digital corpora, annotation tools, and encoding standards, developing transferable skills for historical linguistics, philology, and cultural heritage studies.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
Understand the role of Digital Humanities in the study of ancient languages.
Navigate and use digital Hittite corpora and databases.
Apply basic text encoding and annotation techniques to ancient texts.
Critically evaluate the potential and limitations of computational approaches for historical languages.
Conduct a small-scale DH project using Hittite textual data.
Outline of 13 lessons:
Introduction to Digital Humanities: Define DH and explore its relevance for the study of ancient languages.
Hittite as a Case Study: Present the historical and linguistic background of Hittite and its textual corpus.
Digital Corpora for Ancient Languages: Introduce principles of building and using corpora with a focus on Hittite data.
Cuneiform and Digital Representation: Examine challenges of encoding cuneiform and transliterations in digital formats.
Text Encoding Standards: Learn the basics of TEI XML and its application to ancient texts.
Annotation Methods: Explore morphological and syntactic annotation techniques for historical languages.
Working with the Hittite Digital Corpus: Practice querying and analyzing Hittite texts in existing online platforms.
Automated Analysis: Introduce computational tools for tokenization, lemmatization, and parsing of ancient languages.
Digital Philology: Integrate digital methods into traditional philological research using Hittite examples.
Visualizing Data: Learn techniques for mapping and visualizing linguistic and cultural data from Hittite texts.
Preservation and Accessibility: Discuss digital preservation, sustainability, and open access for ancient language resources.
Student Project Workshop: Develop and refine individual digital projects using Hittite textual material.
Future Directions: Reflect on the role of DH in ancient language studies and explore emerging trends in digital Hittitology.
Last update: Frantíková Dita, Mgr., Ph.D. (01.08.2025)
