Polybius is a Static Site Generator (SSG) tailored for Digital Humanities. It bridges the gap between raw spreadsheet data and immersive narrative.

Use online at shawngraham.github.io/polybius.

There is a tutorial available.

Prerequisites: Node.js

Download and install Node for your machine. Then, download and unzip (or git clone) this repository. Open the folder in your terminal or command prompt.

1. Install dependencies: npm install
2. Run the app: npm run dev

The generator will be available at localhost:3000 in your browser. Configure appropriately, hit the 'generate' button, and you'll get a zipped file with a static site ready to go.

Your CSV must have a header row. While header names are flexible, follow these guidelines for the best results:

• ID

• Unique Identifier: Useful for connecting nodes in Network Views.

• Labels: Names of people, places, or events. Used as primary text in tooltips.

• Temporal: Years should be numeric (e.g., 1250). Standard ISO dates also work.

+Geospatial: Use decimal coordinates (e.g., Lat 39.65, Lng 66.97).

Example data:

id,label,date,lat,lng,category,connections
S1,Samarkand,1210,39.65,66.97,Hub,"S2,S4"
S2,Dunhuang,1225,40.14,94.66,Hub,S1

Thus, for networks, S1 is connected to S2, S4. Yes, I should probably figure out loading in a separate edges.csv. Someday.

Mapping uses leaflet. If you want to have a historical map as base map (ie, from MapWarper), modify MapView.tsx and add the url:

  const tileLayers = {
    terrain: 'https://{s}.tile.opentopomap.org/{z}/{x}/{y}.png',
    toner: 'https://{s}.tile.stamen.com/toner/{z}/{x}/{y}.png',
    satellite: 'https://server.arcgisonline.com/ArcGIS/rest/services/World_Imagery/MapServer/tile/{z}/{y}/{x}',
    voyager: 'https://{s}.basemaps.cartocdn.com/rastertiles/voyager/{z}/{x}/{y}{r}.png'
  };

 const attributions = {
    terrain: 'Map data: &copy; <a href="https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright">OpenStreetMap</a> contributors, <a href="http://viewfinderpanoramas.org">SRTM</a> | Map style: &copy; <a href="https://opentopomap.org">OpenTopoMap</a> (<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/">CC-BY-SA</a>)',
    toner: 'Map tiles by <a href="http://stamen.com">Stamen Design</a>, under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0">CC BY 3.0</a>. Data by <a href="http://openstreetmap.org">OpenStreetMap</a>, under <a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright">ODbL</a>.',
    satellite: 'Tiles &copy; Esri &mdash; Source: Esri, i-cubed, USDA, USGS, AEX, GeoEye, Getmapping, Aerogrid, IGN, IGP, UPR-EBP, and the GIS User Community',
    voyager: '&copy; <a href="https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright">OpenStreetMap</a> contributors &copy; <a href="https://carto.com/attributions">CARTO</a>'
  };

There's a wee manual - hit the ? icon in the editor window for more guidance.

Sure! Knock yourself out. Views are in the components file. Just follow the pattern.

Now that I've got this up and running for my students' immediate use, I'm not likely to extend it, myself, and will probably ignore any pull requests. So - take a copy, do with it what you will.