An Essay on Digital Classics

This paper aims to outline the overall topography and academic consequences of the many classical studies that have been attempted as a component of digital humanities study in recent years, as well as to investigate the possibilities of digital classics derived from them. Sketching the design of digital classics may appear to be a contradiction in a situation where it is difficult to provide the traditional denotative definition of classical studies. While it is impossible to define classical studies in an analog context, it is equally worthwhile to investigate the universal qualities of classical studies generated in a digital environment to gain greater clarity on the meanings of classical studies as a “discipline” (學). This is because many components of classical studies undertaken in a digital context assume classical studies’ traditional problematic consciousness. In this sense, the term “digital classics,” as used in this paper, is not a precise definition of a discipline, but rather a broad statement intended to cover all parts of classical scholarship that intersect with digital technology. The continuation of “co-ation” represented by “cooperation” – “communication” – “computation” is necessary for digital classics to function as a point of interaction between classical research and digital technology. As an active exploration and tangible movement to continue such new research activities, a series of knowledge processing methods such as “sharing,” “representation,” and “analysis” of classical data must be accepted.