Skip to content

7 Cuneiform Texts

Gabriel Bodard edited this page Dec 12, 2024 · 15 revisions

Working with Cuneiform texts

SunoikisisDC Digital Classics: Session 7

Date: Thursday March 6, 2025. 16:00-17:30 GMT.

Convenors: Seraina Nett (Copenhagen University), Émilie Pagé-Perron (University of York), Rune Rattenborg (Lund University), Katharine Shields (King's College London)

Youtube link: https://youtu.be/QnQBRC_mzEQ

Slides: tba

Outline

Cuneiform is a writing system used for over 3000 years to record texts in multiple languages over a wide geographical area. This session gives an overview of digital resources for the study of cuneiform texts, and then introduces the most important databases and platforms relating to cuneiform studies, and the application of digital methods to cuneiform texts. In particular, the session focuses on the Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative which has so far catalogued over 350 000 artefacts, including metadata, photographs, and transliterations, and demonstrates various functions of this database. Students have the opportunity to try out the search functions and investigate the metadata.

Required readings

  • Homburg, Timo, Tim Brandes, Eva-Maria Huber, and Michael A. Hedderich. 2023. “From an Analog to a Digital Workflow: An Introductory Approach to Digital Editions in Assyriology.” Cuneiform Digital Library Bulletin 2023 (4). https://cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/articles/cdlb/2023-4.
  • Rattenborg, Rune, Gustav Ryberg Smidt, Carolin Johansson, Nils Melin-Kronsell, and Seraina Nett. 2023. "The Archaeological Distribution of the Cuneiform Corpus". Altorientalische Forschungen 50 (2): 178–205. https://doi.org/10.1515/aofo-2023-0014.

Further readings

  • Finkel, Irving L., and Jonathan Taylor. 2015. Cuneiform. London: The British Museum.
  • Huehnergard, John, and Christopher Woods. 2008. "Akkadian and Eblaite". In The Ancient Languages of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Aksum, edited by Roger D. Woodard, 83–152. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Michalowski, Piotr. 2008. "Sumerian". In The Ancient Languages of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Aksum, edited by Roger D. Woodard, 6–46. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Rattenborg, Rune, Carolin Johannsson, Gustav Ryberg Smidt, Jakob Andersson, and Seraina Nett. 2021. “An Open Access Index for the Geographical Distribution of the Cuneiform Corpus.” Cuneiform Digital Library Journal 2021 (1). https://cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/articles/cdlj/2021-1.
  • Schmitt, Rüdiger. 2008. "Old Persian". In The Ancient Languages of Asia and the Americas, edited by Roger D. Woodard, 76–100. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Stolper, Matthew W. 2008. "Elamite". In The Ancient Languages of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Aksum, edited by Roger D. Woodard, 47–82. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Streck, Michael P. 2010. "Großes Fach Altorientalistik: Der Umfang Des Keilschriftlichen Textkorpus". Mitteilungen Der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft 142:35–58.
  • Watkins, Calvert. 2008. "Hittite". In The Ancient Languages of Asia Minor, edited by Roger D. Woodard, 6–30. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Wilhelm, Gernot. 2008. "Hurrian". In The Ancient Languages of Asia Minor, edited by Roger D. Woodard, 81–104. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Resources

Exercise

tba