Temporal Modelling in Cultural Heritage Knowledge Graphs: Use Cases, Requirements, Evaluation, and Decision Support

Our culture, history and world are in constant motion, continuously shaped by the flow of time, evolving narratives, and shifting relationships. Capturing this temporal complexity within cultural heritage (CH) knowledge graphs is essential for preserving the dynamic nature of human heritage. However, standard RDF predicates fail to effectively model the temporal aspects of cultural data, such as changing facts, evolving relationships, and temporal concepts. Over the past two decades, a variety of RDF-based approaches have been proposed to address this limitation, yet guidance is missing on which method best suits specific CH contexts. This paper presents a systematic evaluation of temporal RDF modelling approaches from a CH perspective. Based on an analysis of real-world CH use cases, core temporal requirements are identified that reflect both modelling expressivity and practical concerns. Six prominent approaches - RDF*, tRDF, Named Graphs, Singleton Property, N-ary Relations, and 4D Fluents - are assessed across these requirements. Our findings reveal that no single solution fits all scenarios, but suitable approaches can be selected based on project-specific priorities. ... mehrTo support practitioners, a decision-support tool is introduced to guide them in selecting the most suitable extension for their specific needs. This work provides practical guidance for CH modelling and contributes to the broader development of temporally aware Linked Data.