Ontology‐based analysis of the large collection of historical Hebrew manuscripts

Abstract

In this study we proposed and implemented a new research framework based on the data‐driven approach that aims to quantitatively analyse the largest catalogue in the world of Hebrew manuscripts' metadata records. We used an event‐based ontology model which captures the information on the main types and relationships of manuscript metadata. Then, we utilized the ontology‐based inference to automatically complete and expand the data on Hebrew manuscripts recorded in the catalogue and further mine and analyse this data at the large scale. As part of the quantitative analysis we applied statistical and data visualisation techniques in order to compare the effect of time and place on the manuscripts' characteristics and distribution, to discover previously unknown distant relationships between entities and events, to reveal global phenomena and trends, and better appreciate their impact on the Hebrew writing and its different manifestations.