---
license: cc-by-4.0
language:
- cop
task_categories:
- image-to-text
tags:
- coptic
- handwritten-text-recognition
- HTR
- historical-documents
- line-segmentation
pretty_name: SCAM – Sahidic Coptic Ancient Manuscripts
---

# SCAM – Sahidic Coptic Ancient Manuscripts

**Project page:** [scam.silviacascianelli.com](https://scam.silviacascianelli.com)

SCAM is a dataset of handwritten Sahidic Coptic manuscript pages, with manually annotated text-line polygons and HTR transcriptions. It is split into two subsets:

| Subset | Source | Pages | Lines |
|--------|--------|-------|-------|
| **SCAM-A** | Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana | 24 | 1,445 |
| **SCAM-B** | Biblioteca Nazionale di Napoli | 15 | 1,795 |
| **Full** | Combined | 39 | 3,240 |

Each split (train / eval / test) is encoded in the annotation XML files.

---

## Repository contents

```
annotations/
  page_annotations_RO.xml   # SCAM-A line polygons + transcriptions (CVAT 1.1 format)
  page_annotations_NA.xml   # SCAM-B line polygons + transcriptions (CVAT 1.1 format)
transcriptions/
  scam_a/  *.rtf            # Page-level transcriptions for SCAM-A
  scam_b/  *.rtf            # Page-level transcriptions for SCAM-B
```

The XML annotation files are in [CVAT Image 1.1](https://opencv.github.io/cvat/docs/manual/advanced/xml_format/) format.
Each `<image>` element contains `<polygon>` elements, one per text line, with:
- `points` – polygon vertices (x,y coordinates) within the page image
- `<attribute name="Content">` – the HTR transcription of that line

---

## ⚠️ Images not included

Due to intellectual property restrictions, the original manuscript page images are **not distributed** in this repository. They can be obtained as described below.

### SCAM-A — Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana

Images can be found in the **Vatican Apostolic Library Digital Repository**:

🔗 [https://digi.vatlib.it/mss/Borg.copt](https://digi.vatlib.it/mss/Borg.copt)

Please inquire with the library regarding the terms under which the images may be used.

The specific fascicles used in SCAM-A are:
- `MSS_Borg.copt.109.cass.XXV.fasc.120`
- `MSS_Borg.copt.109.cass.XXIX.fasc.159`

The image filenames in the annotations map directly to the folio identifiers used in that collection (e.g. `Borg.copt.109.cass.XXIX.fasc.159_0003_fa_0001r`).

### SCAM-B — Biblioteca Nazionale di Napoli

Images from the **National Library of Naples** must be requested directly from the library:

🔗 [https://www.bnnonline.it/it/1/home](https://www.bnnonline.it/it/1/home)

---

## Further support

For questions about the dataset, annotation methodology, or to request additional information, please contact the authors — their email addresses are provided in the accompanying paper.