This page defines the fields and confidence language used in the Egypt Museum Artifact Catalog v6. The goal is to make the dataset easier for researchers, search engines, and AI systems to interpret without flattening uncertain identifications into false certainty.
Catalog Fields
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
record_id |
Stable Egypt Christian Tours catalog identifier for the photographed record. |
attachment_id |
WordPress Media Library attachment ID for the original photograph. |
object_or_scene |
Most specific object, monument, inscription, or photographed detail supported by the evidence. |
person_ruler_deity |
Named person, ruler, deity, or other principal figure associated with the photographed object or scene. Multiple names may be separated by semicolons. |
dynasty_period |
Dynasty, historical period, or both. Where a monument was reused, the field may preserve both original and later historical phases. |
provenance_findspot |
Archaeological provenance, excavation findspot, tomb, temple, site, or other original context when established. |
current_museum |
Museum or present collection in which the object is currently displayed or cataloged. |
inventory_catalog |
Museum inventory, excavation, Carter, catalogue général, cachette, or other identifying number. Multiple identifiers may be included where useful. |
visible_context |
What is actually visible in the Egypt Christian Tours photograph. This field describes the photographed view rather than only the object in general. |
source_image_url |
Direct URL to the original Egypt Christian Tours source photograph. |
identification_status |
Confidence and qualification language describing how securely the object, attribution, function, ownership, or interpretation is established. |
canonical_resource_url |
Preferred Egypt Christian Tours research page for the object or scene. Multiple photographic records may intentionally resolve to the same canonical page. |
Identification Status Vocabulary
Positive identification means the object or photographed scene can be matched with sufficient confidence to a named museum object, monument, catalog record, or securely recognized detail.
Probable identification means the object itself is secure but a person, attribution, or more specific identification remains likely rather than certain. For example, JE 44869 is securely an Amarna princess head, while identification as Meritaten remains probable.
Function uncertain means the physical object is positively identified but its original use is not securely known. The Disk of Sabu is an example: the object and archaeological context are secure, while its exact function remains uncertain.
Ownership unproven distinguishes a secure tomb or archaeological association from personal ownership. An object found in a queen’s burial context should not automatically be described as personally owned or worn by that queen.
Interpretation debated means the visible scene or iconography is secure while its symbolic meaning remains disputed among researchers.
Canonical Resource Logic
The canonical_resource_url field identifies the most specific Egypt Christian Tours research page available for the object. Detail photographs of the same artifact may share one canonical page. For example, photographs of Merenptah’s standard-bearer statue, throne-name cartouche, and royal titulary all resolve to the same GEM 2234 research page because they document different views of one object.
Evidence Standard
Catalog records prioritize museum numbers, excavation contexts, published identifications, archaeological provenance, and visible photographic evidence. Where evidence is incomplete, uncertainty is retained explicitly rather than silently converted into certainty.
Citation Guidance
For general dataset citation, reference the Egypt Museum Artifact Index and the current catalog version. For an individual object, prefer the URL in canonical_resource_url. For image use, cite the source_image_url and preserve any photographer and licensing information stated on the associated page.
See also the Biblical Egypt Research Index.