Italian scientists find ancient Ur tablets

Link

The most surprising thing is the time span the tablets cover, ranging from 2,700 B.C., the First Dynasty of Ur, to 2,100 B.C., the Third Dynasty," Giovanni Pettinato, an expert on Sumerian civilization, told ANSA. Pettinato surmised that if the tablets were part of a library, there might be thousands of them at the site.

This is pretty cool. Anyone know how long it would take to translate them?






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[edit on 3/29/2006 by Majic]

not very long, cuneiform isn't exactly an unknown language.

though, depending on the legibility, number, and age of the tablets, it could take weeks or months.

Thats is a great find! Cant wait to see the results of wht they say.

I've been anticipating and happily awaiting for this to start happening. True enough, with the US invasion there was a loss of material from museums and there's allways an issue of looting of sites, but with a favourable regime in charge in iraq, we're going to start seeing more and more archaeologists and researchers in the country. The placehas been shut down for archaeologists for nearly a generation, this find is only the start of incredible stuff to come out of there!

This site keeps records of this very topic infact, its one of the english google results for the researcher's name
iwa.univie.ac.at...

Anyone know how long it would take to translate them?

Shouldnt' take long, there are many peopel that can transliterate and translate this stuff.

Originally posted by Anjaba

This is pretty cool. Anyone know how long it would take to translate them?

Actually, I read recently that there aren't many people who know ancient Sumerian. I'm thinking it will take longer than other posters anticipate.

I could be, and I hope I am, wrong.

Originally posted by madnessinmysoul
not very long, cuneiform isn't exactly an unknown language.

Will this turn into an event like the dead sea scrolls where the tablets are taken to a university or somewhere and little or no access will be granted for 20+ years?

I don't want to see a travelling road show with the tablets, but I would like to see them collaborate with others on the reading, dating and researching.

JDub

[edit on 3/29/2006 by BlueTileSpook]

there aren't many people who know ancient Sumerian

There's more than one might expect, there shouldn't be anything like the hang up it too with the dead sea scrolls.

A side issue is, how quickly can Italy translate this stuff, since its an Italian reserach project, I think, and that means that they get to keep it. Hell, the researchers invovled are the ones that get to keep them really. Hopefully they will be willing to permit other scholars to see the finds and work on them.

Originally posted by Nygdan

There's more than one might expect, there shouldn't be anything like the hang up it too with the dead sea scrolls.

What I read said there are about 20.

Originally posted by imbalanced
Thats is a great find! Cant wait to see the results of wht they say.

Prolly a shopping list: eggs, milk, laundry soap. bread and oh yeah a few gaots for supper...

Or maybe a to do list...Build tower to gods, have a feast, sacrifice a few virgins...

Originally posted by Landis

Originally posted by Nygdan

There's more than one might expect, there shouldn't be anything like the hang up it too with the dead sea scrolls.

What I read said there are about 20.

REally? I am pretty sure that there are more than 20 that can read the stuff from the tablets. I had asked around not too long about to some linguistics groups, because I had thought it was only a handful of people, and that, for example, Sitchin should'nt be able to read the stuff, but I was told that there is a large number of people.

It said in the article that the epic of Gilgamesh was written in Ur - meaning they have already translated such texts, and it could serve as kind of a Rosetta Stone for this particular find.

Am I thinking wrong here?

Originally posted by Nygdan
REally? I am pretty sure that there are more than 20 that can read the stuff from the tablets. I had asked around not too long about to some linguistics groups, because I had thought it was only a handful of people, and that, for example, Sitchin should'nt be able to read the stuff, but I was told that there is a large number of people.

Google Scholar shows a good 100 and more who have published papers (available there, anyway.) Googling for "university sumerian cuneiform" gives 131,000 English language sources, including collections (which means scholars are around), news stories about seniors at Brown translating a tablet and courses, too.

So... as you said... not that unusual. Sitchin couldn't translate it (as you pointed out) but there are hundreds of others who can.

Your point about the number of Italian scholars is well taken, but I suspect they may consult with other scholars.

Originally posted by Nygdan
I've been anticipating and happily awaiting for this to start happening. True enough, with the US invasion there was a loss of material from museums and there's allways an issue of looting of sites, but with a favourable regime in charge in iraq, we're going to start seeing more and more archaeologists and researchers in the country. The placehas been shut down for archaeologists for nearly a generation, this find is only the start of incredible stuff to come out of there!

Perspective is a funny thing.
I too have been anticipating "incredible" stuff that will make the false messiah appear "credible" to the worlds majority.

Not argueing here, just offering another view some might want to keep in mind when 'a living god' starts telling US to kill people who won't worship him.