US EditionAI Reconstruction Yields Complete 2,000-Year-Old Babylonian Hymn
BABYLON, IRAQ, JUL 7 – Artificial intelligence helped researchers reconstruct a 3,000-year-old Babylonian hymn from 30 clay fragments, revealing new insights into urban life, religion, and women's roles, researchers said.
- Researchers from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and the University of Baghdad rediscovered and deciphered a Babylonian hymn missing for over a thousand years using AI technology.
- The rediscovery resulted from analyzing clay tablet fragments in the Sippar Library through an AI-supported platform that identified 30 related manuscripts, a process that formerly took decades.
- The 250-line hymn celebrates Babylon, highlighting its impressive architecture, the vital role of the Euphrates River in nourishing the land during spring, and detailing the functions of women as priestesses within the city.
- Jiménez noted that it is remarkable that a text once widely known in its time had remained undiscovered until recently, emphasizing the hymn’s valuable perspective on Babylon’s urban culture and its attitude of respect toward foreigners.
- Researchers utilizing AI technologies have made progress in deciphering Babylonian texts, enhancing knowledge of the ancient civilization and aiding preservation of its literary works, which are now recognized as part of UNESCO’s heritage.
51 Articles
51 Articles
‘The Mesopotamian Riddle’ - The Martha's Vineyard Times
If names like Nineveh, Persepolis, Babylon, or Noah and Nebuchadnezzar ring faint bells or spark your imagination even a little, you’ll be in for a great read with “The Mesopotamian Riddle: An Archeologist, a Soldier, a Clergyman, and the Race to Decipher the World’s Oldest Writing.” The author is Joshua Hammer, a longtime seasonal visitor to the Vineyard. Two hundred years ago, very little was known of the civilizations that flourished three or…
Lost Babylonian Hymn Deciphered - Archaeology Magazine
Cuneiform tablet inscribed with the text of a hymn MUNICH, GERMANY—According to a statement released by Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), LMU researcher Enrique Jiménez was able to decipher a Babylonian hymn that had been lost for 2,000 years. Jiménez, in collaboration with the University of Baghdad, is working on digitizing all cuneiform tablets from the legendary ancient Sippar Library, once located on the banks of the Euphrates Ri…
A team of international scientists, using artificial intelligence to piece together fragmented cuneiform tablets scattered around the world, has managed to decipher the famous Hymn of Babylon, breathing new life into the 3,000-year-old composition of verses.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 58% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
