Archaeologists Harness Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Instant Translation of 5,000-Year-Old Cuneiform Tablets
In a groundbreaking development, a group of archaeologists and computer scientists have leveraged the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to swiftly translate ancient cuneiform tablets. By utilizing neural machine learning translations, an AI program has been created to decode Akkadian texts with remarkable precision. Published in the esteemed journal PNAS Nexus by the Oxford University Press, this remarkable achievement marks a significant milestone in deciphering the intricacies of an ancient East Semitic language. Akkadian, once spoken in various regions of ancient Mesopotamia, including Akkad, Assyria, Isin, Larsa, Babylonia, and possibly Dilmun, has been preserved on clay tablets dating back to 2500 BC. These tablets bear the script known as cuneiform, characterized by wedge-shaped symbols pressed into wet clay and adopted from the Sumerians. The researchers behind this innovative project emphasize the immense historical value contained within the hundreds of thousands of clay t...