Dates: date ranges

Abstract

Encoding date ranges using the date element

date phrase-level encoding

Encoding Instructions (new P5 version)

The WWP encodes date ranges using the when attribute of date, with the mechanism provided by ISO 8601, which allows the expression of a period of time as:

    a) start and end dates

    b) duration of time

    c) start date and duration

    d) end date and duration

Method (a) is the simplest to use for discussion here, as the start and end date are simply expressed as described above, and juxtapositioned with a slash between them. For example:

I enjoyed tremendously the TEI10 conference at Brown 1997-11-14/1997-11-16. (Note that this could be abbreviated 1997-11-14/16.) This would be encoded as <date when="1997-11-14/16">1997-11-14/1997-11-16</date>.

Another example:

The Eddic poems are preserved in a unique manuscript (Codex Regius 2365) from <date when="1250/1300">the second half of the thirteenth century/date, ...