Artifacts

This tutorial describes how to create a new artifact and add information to it. The following elements are involved:

• Artifact: A physical object, made by humans – e.g. a coin, a letter or a tool

• Actor: As creator and/or owner of the artifact

• Event: Creation of the artifact

• File: You can upload an image file connected to the artifact

• Reference: Link a reference to the artifact

Add a new artifact

To create an artifact as representation of the object you want to add:

• Click on Artifact in the Menu and create a new entry by using the + Artifact button

• Choose a descriptive name

• Select an appropriate Type from the list

• Owned by: If applicable, choose an owner of the artifact, e.g. a museum it is stored at

• Add further information e.g. date or description or choose option from type trees

• Press Insert to save the entry

Regarding date: the begin date represents the creation of the artifact and can be entered as a time span. Regarding the description field: this can be used to record information that is not covered by the several types you can choose from above. Keep in mind, it has several advantages to cover as much information as possible by using types over free text in the description field. If there is no fitting type, please follow this instructions to add new types to the list. Please note, that “owned by” is not used to link a creator of an artifact. You can link a creator by adding a creation event (see below).

Add a reference to the artifact

To link a reference to the newly created artifact, choose Reference from the tabs

Then choose from the following options:

• Link the artifact to an already existing reference by using the Link button

• Create a new Reference by using the +Bibliography or +Edition button

• Create a new external reference by using the +External reference button

Add a file to the artifact

To add an image file to the artifact, choose File from the tabs. Then choose from the following options:

• Link the artifact to an already uploaded file

• Upload a new file by using the +File button, you can add information and choose a file here

Link a creation event

To do so, click the Event tab. Here you can choose between a move event (+Move button) and a creation event (+Production button). Tab the +Production button (to learn how a move event can be used, please see the tutorial on Letters).

• Choose a descriptive name for the creation event

• Select an appropriate Type from the list

• Add other information as needed, e.g. a date or add free text in the description field

• Press Insert to save the entry

Add a creator to the creation event

If the creator of an artifact is known, you can add the person after saving the creation event by clicking Event in the artifact’s view. On the event’s landing page, click the Actor tab to link a creator (or other kind of actor involved).

Here you can:

• Link the creation event to an already existing Actor

• Create a new person as actor connected to the Event

• Create a new group as actor connected to the event

Please use Link here to be able to choose an actor as creator (or add a new actor, go back to the event page, choose actor - link again and follow the steps below). You can now add the following information:

• Type of the actor, in this case choose creator

• Actor: choose the creator of the artifact from a list of already added actors

• Change activity “from participated” in to “performed”

• if wanted, add a date and/or description

With the above steps you have created an artifact connected to a creation event and actor as creator.

Add multiple locations to an artifact

First of all, adding an artifact to more than one Place or Feature is not possible. If an artifact has a link to multiple locations, it is possible to keep track of that in the following way:

• Choose the Place the artifact has it’s first occurrence at - e.g. the production site or a place an artifact was found at during archaeological excavation.

• link any other place the artifact is linked to by adding a move event - e.g. when an artifact is transfered to a place where it is later found during an archaeological excavation after the production event or when it is moved to a museum or sold to a new owner. Click here to see a short tutorial on adding a Move events

Example: Leonardo painted the Mona Lisa in his workshop in Florence, therefore Florence would be linked to the artifact as place. It was then acquired by King Francis of France and exhibited in Château d’Amboise. This change of location can also be tracked in the database by a Move events. Another Move events maps the transfer of the image to Fountainebleau. By adding further move events the way of the picture to the Louvre in Paris can be documented.