This summer, Washington University in St. Louis students Bayla Kamens (PhD student, Classics) and William Vargas (undergraduate, Computer Science and Creative Writing) made major strides in the field of digital humanities through their work on a database of ancient Greek dramatic meters.

Under the guidance of Professor Tim Moore and the Humanities Digital Workshop (HDW) team, Kamens and Vargas spent seven weeks redesigning and expanding the database. Their efforts focused on incorporating all the verses of Euripides, one of the great tragedians of classical Athens, into the system.

The revamped database lays the groundwork for a powerful research tool that will enable scholars, students, and theater practitioners to analyze and visualize the metrical and musical patterns of ancient Greek drama. By combining classical scholarship with computational methods, the project exemplifies the interdisciplinary innovation at the heart of the HDW’s mission.

This initiative not only enhances access to ancient texts but also opens new pathways for exploring the performative and poetic dimensions of Greek tragedy.