Reading Closed Cuneiform Tablets Using High-Resolution Computed Tomography
UWA-DESY Cooperation
In this project, a portable and high-resolution X-ray tomograph was developed and built for the non-invasive examination of enclosed cuneiform tablets. The X-ray tomograph makes it possible for the first time to read enclosed cuneiform letters without breaking the cover or altering the artefact in any way.
Cuneiform writing is among the earliest forms of writing. It was developed as imprints in clay by the Sumerians in Mesopotamia more than 5000 years ago and used throughout the Middle East. As early as the middle of the third millennium BC, people wrote letters to each other in this form: wrapped in a protective envelope made of clay and bearing the sender's seal, the inscribed tablets travelled great distances over mountains and through deserts to reach their addressees. They tell of kings and their rule, of merchants and their trade, but also of the everyday and private lives of families and spouses. To read the contents, the recipient had to break the clay envelope. To date, about one million clay tablets have been discovered. Among them are letters that did not reach their destination and remained sealed in their envelope. Of these unopened letters - whose contents remained hidden - many are now in renowned museums, such as the Louvre.
The tomograph’s development and construction phase was completed in 2022 and is almost ready for being transported and used in archives and museums all over the world.
The project is funded by the DFG as part of the Cluster of Excellence ‘Understanding Written Artefacts’ at Universität Hamburg.
Key Facts
Project coordination: Cécile Michel (CNRS, Paris/UHH), Stephan Olbrich (UHH), Christian G. Schroer (DESY)
Cooperation partners: Deutsches Elektronensynchroton (DESY), Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS), Louvre, Paris
Duration: 2020–2025
Further information: