A ground-breaking new artificial intelligence (AI) tool has emerged, revolutionizing the decoding of ancient cuneiform tablets to unlock the secrets of ancient civilizations, reports Tech Xplore.
Developed in a collaborative effort between Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, and Mainz University of Applied Sciences, this AI technology takes the conventional approach to deciphering these tablets to the next level by utilizing 3D models of the artifacts.
The shift to 3D models has significantly improved the accuracy and reliability of data obtained from the cuneiform tablets. By making the contents more accessible and allowing for comparisons between multiple tablets, it opens the door to potential new research inquiries.
The researchers have used 3D models of nearly 2,000 cuneiform tablets, including around 50 from MLU’s collection. It is important to note that these tablets are among the oldest surviving written records, dating back over 5,000 years.
Deciphering these ancient tablets poses its set of challenges, given their composition as unfired clay chunks with pressed writing, as well as the complexity of the ancient writing system. The team proposed the use of an innovative AI system based on 3D models to overcome these challenges. This AI system operates similarly to Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software, converting images of writing into machine-readable text, making it more accessible for reading and searching once converted into computer text.
The success of this novel approach not only represents a significant breakthrough in deciphering cuneiform tablets but also opens up new avenues for research. The prototype currently excels at discerning symbols from two languages, although a total of 12 cuneiform languages are known to exist.
The research team’s findings have been published in The Eurographics Association, with the software holding promise for deciphering weathered inscriptions, such as those found in cemeteries. This groundbreaking AI tool has tremendous potential in advancing our understanding of ancient civilizations and looks set to pave the way for further breakthroughs in the field of archaeology.
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