This web site is meant to report on archievements and efforts around my Master's Thesis written in 2000 at Regensburg University: I have developed a parser, an indexer and a Search GUI for BetaCode corpora like The Thesaurus Linguae Graecae (TLG) or the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum (CIL).

Traditional search tools are either workstation-based or run on outdated operating systems like DOS, and availability is limited to the current possession of the according CD-ROMs. I intended to open accessibility to a wider public by creating a web-enabled search engine for the corpora which is not limited to operate on an individual CD-ROM, but on the entire corpus of classical texts. Later, the PERSEUS PROJECT at Tufts University presented a similar application, however with a massive financial ressources, which I naturally could not stand up to. Given that my engine was a self-financed project, the archievements seem remarkable from a today's perspective.

The desire to build a search engine for historical corpora is a very deep desire within myself which eventually led me to choose this topic as my doctoral thesis - a project not yet finished.

I hope, those of you interested in my research on the BetaCode may find valuable insights still today. Have fun!

Markus Heller, M.A.