a new generation of software and efficient database tools

GOSHA Software

GOSHA 5.0 has been designed and tested within a long period of years 1995-1999, that includes the period of research stay in Germany as a fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. This version allows the user to process a wide spectrum of cuneiform data. A special add-in provides for the automatic inputting of personal names together with patronymics and titles from transliterations of cuneiform documents. The program can automatically trace family relationships and produce family relationships chart. Another add-in provides for the analytic comparison of economic data that may be compiled in the reference catalogue for economic data. Other special features designed for the students of cuneiform can be divided in two groups.

One group includes text descriptions and main catalogues that provide key words for such descriptions. These are text type and subject, text specification, location (city, tell), dating (king, year, month and day). All main catalogues that provide descriptions (appear as combo boxes in other catalogues) contain a single index key word except the catalogue of dating by ruling years of ancient kings. The catalogue of dating has a double index that includes the king's name, provided by the main catalogue of kings, and a year index. Both are obligatory if the user will wish to specify the dating of the current text.

Another group of features adds to permanent vocabulary indexes 1-4 an index of personal names, an index of titles and professions, an index of cylinder seals, and an index for economic data.

The pop-up window that shows single records of the main catalogue of personal names looks similar to the corresponding window of Vocabulary Indexes 1-4. The only difference will be the label-indicator of sex. The program will set automatically in the main catalogue the sex of persons who might bear the name in the current record depending on the information specified by the user in the reference catalogue for each context reference. The pop-up window with single records of the reference catalogue also looks similar to the corresponding window of Vocabulary Indexes 1-4. The reference catalogue of personal names has an additional pop-up window that shows the relationships chart for the current registered person. The window with the relationships chart can be used to define at the speed of several mouse clicks complex data on family relationships. The data may be important for the functionality of analytic programs. One can use these analytic programs to draw family charts automatically, as well as to run relationships queries.

The main catalogue of titles and professions looks similar to the catalogue of personal names. There is no separate reference catalogue of titles and professions. Context occurrences of titles are included into the catalogue of personal names. Thus a title mentioned without any connection to a personal name shall be included into the basic vocabulary.

Personal names on cuneiform tablets and those on seal impressions are treated in separate catalogues. The program will treat separately those persons, who expose some activity (for patronymics, 'activity' can be 'patronymic'), and those mentioned on the symbols of identity (cylinder seals). Seal impressions represent complex units of data that may include a patronymic, the name of a divine or royal patron of their owners, etc. Such parameters that make any seal different from the other are included into the seal ID. They will be shown in the combo box that may be used for the input of a new reference into the appropriate catalogue. The program will automatically enter all details and text that the user had previously input into the main catalogue of seals.

Economic data will be shown in the pop-up work window differently depending on the type of document: deed of sale, lease, loan, letter, deed of exchange, litigation, hire contract, sale on credit, bill, promissory note, other. The above ten text type indexes cannot be deleted from the appropriate main catalogue (one can only change an index, for example, from English into another language). The type of text shall be defined before inputting economic data.

The catalogue may register any data that represent two parties to a contract, letter (sender and addressee), etc. Each document can be represented by any number of references (records) depending on the number of items stipulated or personal names mentioned as 'parties'. Any item (field, silver, etc.) or personal name shall be input only once in the appropriate 'party' section in the order stipulated in the document. Data from the current record can be evaluated against the data available in the database by special programs. The results can be shown in the 'express information field'.

Calculable data can be input only via a special calculator. Data will be automatically recalculated and viewed in any unit defined by the user. The calculator will make input in three formats. What one views may not be the data that is stored. This method allows changing the 'view' mode without making changes to the data. The use of calculator makes the input and processing of calculable economic data accurate, fast and easy.

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