In 2025, the Medieval session cycle explores the intersection of medieval studies and digital humanities. Through four sessions conducted via Zoom, each lasting up to 45 minutes and vibrant discussion, participants will delve into innovative approaches to digital editing and interdisciplinary document analysis.
The conferences aim to bring together scholars, researchers, and enthusiasts to share insights and foster collaboration in the realm of medieval heritage. Attendees will have the opportunity to get to know cutting-edge methods, tools, and technologies that enhance our understanding of medieval texts and artifacts. These conferences will enrich perspectives and inspire new research directions in the digital age by emphasising the importance of interdisciplinary dialogue. Each session promises to stimulate thought-provoking discussions and provide valuable networking opportunities within the medieval studies and digital humanities community.
The 1st Medieval Session will take place on March 26th, at 4 pm, online (via Zoom). We will have the contribution of researcher Filipa Roldão (History Center of the University of Lisbon), whose communication will focus on “The digital edition of Portuguese medieval charters: new methods, new questions, new results“.
The iForal project. Forais Medievais Portugueses: uma perspectiva histórica e linguística na era digital (FCT-PTDC/HAR-HIS/5065/2020) aims to develop a digital edition of the first royal charters attributed to Portuguese communities, until the end of the reign of D. Afonso III, as well as his testimonies until the 15th century. Based at the History Center of the University of Lisbon, this project brings together specialists in Medieval History, Paleography and Diplomatics, Philology and Textual Criticism, and Information Technologies. This communication aims to present the methodologies and tools used in editing, namely the collaborative digital editing system (EDICOLAB), created by the project, and also demonstrate the advances achieved by the team, based on this same documentation, in the fields of automatic text reading manuscript (HTR). Finally, we will reflect on the new historical-linguistic questionnaires that digital methods provide to study this documentary heritage of the Kingdom.
Filipa Roldão is a contract researcher at the History Center of the University of Lisbon, where she is deputy director for Digital Humanities and External Relations. She graduated in History (2003) and completed her master’s degree in Paleography and Diplomatics (2007) at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Lisbon, where she would also defend her doctorate in History, in the speciality of Medieval History (2011), with the thesis A memória da cidade. Administração urbana e práticas de escrita em Évora (1415-1536) (published at https://books.openedition.org/cidehus/3158). In 2012, she began a post-doctorate on “Cidades do Reino, cidades da Ásia: modelos e práticas de administração municipal, séculos XVI e XVII”. Since 2021, she has been the leading researcher of the iForal project. Forais Medievais Portugueses: uma perspectiva histórica e linguística na era digital. Her areas of interest are Diplomacy, Urban History, Paleography and digital editing of medieval manuscripts.
