The goal of the Siege of Antioch Project is not only to compile a critical edition and translation of the Siège d’Antioche for scholars, but also to provide supplemental material for new readers just taking an interest in crusades studies. In order to accomplish this, the graduate team at Fordham University are currently working to create a glossary of people, places, and terms that will help new readers to fully understand the text. This will help inexperienced readers understand the prominent players and locations in the poem and their place in the overall history of the crusades. Similarly, it will help them to unpack the vocabulary of the poem and its translation and understand the significance behind words such as “Saracen” for the text’s original audience. It is important to the entire SAP team that this project is not only a vital contribution to crusades studies, but also serves as a pedagogical tool that allows any reader to fully understand the complexities of this rich text.
While reading the text, observe that some words have been underlined and colored in blue. These words and phrases provide links to either the People, Places, or Glossary pages and to the supplementary material for this person, place, or term. By providing easy access to this information, similar to online dictionaries and encyclopedias, the SAP team is providing any curious reader the ability to dive into the Siège d’Antioche and experience it fully. We encourage readers to explore these materials at their own pace in order to enrich their reading experience.
The SAP team is always working to expand these resources; however, it is still a work in progress. As our projects evolves and grows, this section of the site will grow accordingly as more supplementary resources are put together by our growing team of graduate students. We ask users to be patient and continue to check back to see what new pages have been added.