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The Race to Decipher Cuneiform in the 19th Century

The Race to Decipher Cuneiform in the 19th Century

2 comments

·March 20, 2025
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irchans

The article is a very enjoyable history of how Cuneiform was deciphered by a small group of often competing scholars.

bazzargh

it's a bit odd at the end referring to "a German high school teacher and amateur decipherer who, in 1802, looked at Aramaic-related inscriptions..." without naming him like everyone else mentioned - that is Georg Friedrich Grotefend. The explanation of how he managed to translate some cuneiform (but was then ignored) is interesting too https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_Friedrich_Grotefend#Deci...