Glossary

This glossary provides shared definitions to bridge the gap between numismatic research and graph data engineering.

1. Domain-Specific Terms (Numismatics & Iconography)

Imagines Nummorum: Our research intiative at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities
Corpus Nummorum: Our previous research intiative, which we are still actively maintaining
ThING (Thesaurus Iconographicus Nummorum Graecorum): The central, multidimensional ontology (Tree of Concepts) that serves as the semantic backbone for our studies.

SSoT (Single Source of Truth): The primary relational database (PostgreSQL) where all data is strictly validated and stored before being projected into the graph.
Reification: The process of turning an abstract relationship (like an interpretation) into a physical node in the graph to allow for properties like certainty and reasoning_statement.
Hub-and-Spoke (Centroid Model): A design pattern where a central node (the Hub) connects multiple entities to avoid a quadratic explosion of direct relationships (Spokes).
Materialized Path: A performance optimization where the entire lineage of a concept is stored as an array (concept_path_ids) on the node itself to avoid recursive queries.

Unit: The physical or virtual object acting as the information carrier (e.g., a specific ancient coin).
Composition: A visual container representing a specific side or area of a Unit, housing all formal elements identified during analysis.
Pattern: An abstract iconographical blueprint or "preset" used to identify recurring scene structures across different Compositions.
Entity: Any discrete being or object (concrete or abstract).
Feature: Attributes, states, or typographic properties belonging to an Entity.
Relation: Directed atomic actions or relationships between two Entities.
Modifier: Specific details describing the execution of a Relation (e.g., handedness).
Event: Macro-level actions composed of multiple atomic Relations.
Context: References to external frameworks like mythology, history, or publication contexts.
Group: Logical containers or spatial regions (e.g., a text block or a logical arrangement). (no Concept)

Certainty: A floating-point value (0.0 to 1.0) representing the level of confidence an Agent has in a specific interpretation.
Interpretation Node: The mandatory intermediary node between a formal element and its semantic concept, used to model the "epistemic act" of identification.
Architectonic: Meta-concepts used to describe the methodology or the source of uncertainty (e.g., "damaged surface" or "stylistic comparison").