When I think about dates being vague, I do not think of days, weeks, months, or years. My mind automatically goes to everything associated with those awkward fist dates, whether it be trying to pick out an appropriate outfit, figuring out exactly where you are going or what you are doing, and deciphering the other person's intentions. Maybe my mind automatically goes there because it is Valentine's Day, I am wearing a sweater that says "love," and Google doodle is of candy hearts that all tell their own love story. Maybe it is just a coincidence that this day, Valentine's Day, is all about the perfect date.
Today, in the lab, we were again trying to figure out the perfect dates for Nicholas Revett's journey. We only have some exact dates for Revett, such as his baptismal date, the date he left England, and his date of death. Some dates for Revett were very vague, like he was in Pola for a three month period after May 1750, but returned to Venice before January 1751. Sources leave their audience the job of interpreting this information, as both the sources we used said he was there for three months. This is helpful, but does not tell the enitre story for Itinera. Itinera uses chronology, and therefore dates, as a means of organization so today we worked out what the three months meant, how to input the information, and how the user will see the information. We did not spend all morning deducing Revett's three months in Pola. His tour consists of ten stops, many of which we can only attribute probable dates, and so we worked on assigning dates to his entire journey. You can easily see how today was all about dates.