Objective This long-term research project is based on the data-mining of the Llibres d'Esposalles conserved at the Archives of the Barcelona Cathedral, an extraordinary data source comprising 244 books of marriage licenses records. It covers about 550.000 unions from over 250 parishes of the Diocese between 1451 and 1905. Its impeccable conservation is a miracle in a region where parish archives have undergone massive destruction. The books include data on the tax posed on each couple depending on their social class, on an eight-tiered scale. These data allow for research on multiple aspects of demographic research, especially on the very long run, such as: population estimates, marriage dynamics, cycles, and indirect estimations for fertility, migration and survival, as well as socio-economic studies related to social homogamy, social mobility, and transmission of social and occupational position. Being continuous over five centuries, the source constitutes a unique instrument to study the dynamics of population distribution, the expansion of the city of Barcelona and the constitution of its metropolitan area, as well as the chronology and the geography in the constitution of new social classes.To this end, a digital library and a database, the Barcelona Historical Marriages Database (BHiMaD), are to be created and completed. An ERC-AG will help doing so while undertaking the research analysis of the database in parallel.The research team, at the U. Autònoma de Barcelona, involves researchers from the Center for Demo-graphic Studies and the Computer Vision Center experts in historical databases and computer-aided recognition of ancient manuscripts. 5CofM will serve the preservation of the original “Llibres d’Esposalles” and unlock the full potential embedded in the collection. Fields of science natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesdatabasesnatural sciencescomputer and information sciencesartificial intelligencecomputer visionsocial sciencessociologydemographyfertilitysocial sciencessociologygovernancetaxation Programme(s) FP7-IDEAS-ERC - Specific programme: "Ideas" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) Topic(s) ERC-AG-SH6 - ERC Advanced Grant - The study of the human past Call for proposal ERC-2010-AdG_20100407 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-AG - ERC Advanced Grant Host institution UNIVERSITAT AUTONOMA DE BARCELONA EU contribution € 939 800,00 Address EDIF A CAMPUS DE LA UAB BELLATERRA CERDANYOLA V 08193 Cerdanyola Del Valles Spain See on map Region Este Cataluña Barcelona Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Núria Claver (Ms.) Principal investigator Anna Cabré (Prof.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data Beneficiaries (3) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all UNIVERSITAT AUTONOMA DE BARCELONA Spain EU contribution € 939 800,00 Address EDIF A CAMPUS DE LA UAB BELLATERRA CERDANYOLA V 08193 Cerdanyola Del Valles See on map Region Este Cataluña Barcelona Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Núria Claver (Ms.) Principal investigator Anna Cabré (Prof.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data CENTRO DE ESTUDIOS DEMOGRAFICOS Spain EU contribution € 503 600,00 Address CERDANYOLA V GR UNIVERSITAT AUT BARCELONA EDIFICI E 08193 Barcelona See on map Region Este Cataluña Barcelona Activity type Research Organisations Administrative Contact Hermínia Pujol Estragués (Ms.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data CENTRE DE VISIO PER COMPUTADOR Spain EU contribution € 404 000,00 Address CAMPUS UAB EDIFICI O 08193 BELLATERRA CERDANYOLA DEL VALLES See on map Region Este Cataluña Barcelona Activity type Research Organisations Administrative Contact Gisele Kohatsu (Ms.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data