Ludwig-Maximilian University in Germany has created an artificial intelligence system capable of deciphering fragments of ancient Babylonian texts. The algorithm, dubbed Fragmentarium, can process some of the oldest texts, including the Epic of Gilgamesh, according to Gismeteo.
It is noted that since 2018, the university has been digitizing the surviving Babylonian cuneiform tables. The problem with understanding these texts is that the narratives are written on clay tablets, most of which have been found broken into many fragments. Thus, parts of the same text can be found in museums and repositories on different continents. In addition, these texts are composed of two complex writing systems, Akkadian and Sumerian, which makes the task of recreating the works even more difficult.
Previously, researchers deciphered texts by copying characters onto paper, then carefully compared their transcripts with others to see which parts connected and where to fill in the gaps. Fragmentarium greatly simplifies this process. From the 22,000 passages of text digitized so far, the AI compiles the appropriate fragments in seconds, whereas it used to take scientists months to do so.
According to Professor Enrique Jimenez, now science has the opportunity to move much more rapidly along the path of recreating Babylonian literature.
Last fall, AI recognized a fragment belonging to the last table of the Epic of Gilgamesh, the world’s oldest surviving literary work dating back to 2100 BC. e. The most famous parts of this epic describe the catastrophic flood and are considered the source of the Noah’s Ark story developed in the Bible.
In another fragment, Jiménez and his colleague from Iraq identified the hymn to Babylon. According to the researchers, the text is very beautiful and describes the arrival of spring in the city.
Source: Rosbalt
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