Chapter 1

Working with Text

E.L. Tonkin*^{,†    *} Department of Digital Humanities, King's College London, London, UK^† Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, The University of Bristol, Bristol, UK

1.1 Introduction: Portraits of the Past

The year is 1439, and a curly-haired, hawk-nosed young man in his early thirties is about to indulge his argumentative streak by starting an argument with the Catholic church. The man's name is Lorenzo Valla, and it has fallen to him to share his contentious findings with the public. Like many others, he has come to the conclusion that the Donation of Constantine, the Constitutum Constantini, is a fake. It is a matter of more than academic importance. Purportedly, this document grants broad powers ...