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The Archaeological Distribution of the Cuneiform Corpus : A Provisional Quantitative and Geospatial Survey

Rattenborg, Rune LU orcid ; Smidt, Gustav Ryberg ; Johansson, Carolin ; Melin-Kronsell, Nils and Nett, Seraina (2023) In Altorientalische Forschungen 50(2). p.178-205
Abstract
The present study offers a first comprehensive, quantifiable overview of the geographical extent and scale of the cuneiform corpus. Though one of the oldest and longest-lived scripts in history, the sheer size of this corpus, being among the largest discrete bodies of written source material from the pre-modern world, is seldom properly appreciated. We review and evaluate past quantitative assessments of the corpus and current levels of catalogue digitisation and integration, pointing to gaps in general catalogues and principal issues relating to the quantification and interrogation of textual sources at the corpus-level. Combining a newly developed open access spatial index of c. 600 locations from across Europe, Asia, and Africa where... (More)
The present study offers a first comprehensive, quantifiable overview of the geographical extent and scale of the cuneiform corpus. Though one of the oldest and longest-lived scripts in history, the sheer size of this corpus, being among the largest discrete bodies of written source material from the pre-modern world, is seldom properly appreciated. We review and evaluate past quantitative assessments of the corpus and current levels of catalogue digitisation and integration, pointing to gaps in general catalogues and principal issues relating to the quantification and interrogation of textual sources at the corpus-level. Combining a newly developed open access spatial index of c. 600 locations from across Europe, Asia, and Africa where cuneiform texts have been found with a quantitative survey of reported finds from scholarly literature, we then proceed to discuss the formation of the cuneiform corpus as an archaeological artefact. Aided by an extremely broad diachronic and diatopic outlook on a uniquely large body of written source material, this study offers an innovative and novel perspective on written corpora as archaeological artefacts. (Less)
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author
; ; ; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
cuneiform, archaeology, geographical information systems, open access, history of writing, material culture
in
Altorientalische Forschungen
volume
50
issue
2
pages
28 pages
external identifiers
  • scopus:85179790934
DOI
10.1515/aofo-2023-0014
project
Skriftlandskap (GLoW): Storskalig analys av kilskriftskorpusen (ca. 3400 fvt till 100 vt)
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
ff8a1b16-58b4-4332-b21a-16544be586e6
date added to LUP
2025-04-02 14:26:16
date last changed
2025-04-24 13:23:30
@article{ff8a1b16-58b4-4332-b21a-16544be586e6,
  abstract     = {{The present study offers a first comprehensive, quantifiable overview of the geographical extent and scale of the cuneiform corpus. Though one of the oldest and longest-lived scripts in history, the sheer size of this corpus, being among the largest discrete bodies of written source material from the pre-modern world, is seldom properly appreciated. We review and evaluate past quantitative assessments of the corpus and current levels of catalogue digitisation and integration, pointing to gaps in general catalogues and principal issues relating to the quantification and interrogation of textual sources at the corpus-level. Combining a newly developed open access spatial index of c. 600 locations from across Europe, Asia, and Africa where cuneiform texts have been found with a quantitative survey of reported finds from scholarly literature, we then proceed to discuss the formation of the cuneiform corpus as an archaeological artefact. Aided by an extremely broad diachronic and diatopic outlook on a uniquely large body of written source material, this study offers an innovative and novel perspective on written corpora as archaeological artefacts.}},
  author       = {{Rattenborg, Rune and Smidt, Gustav Ryberg and Johansson, Carolin and Melin-Kronsell, Nils and Nett, Seraina}},
  keywords     = {{cuneiform; archaeology; geographical information systems; open access; history of writing; material culture}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{178--205}},
  series       = {{Altorientalische Forschungen}},
  title        = {{The Archaeological Distribution of the Cuneiform Corpus : A Provisional Quantitative and Geospatial Survey}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/aofo-2023-0014}},
  doi          = {{10.1515/aofo-2023-0014}},
  volume       = {{50}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}