A Breakthrough in Ancient Communication
On June 28 at 10:00 PM, researchers achieved a remarkable milestone: using the mobile CT scanner ENCI, they read sealed cuneiform letters from ancient Anatolia that date back 4,000 years—all without damaging the clay envelopes. This project opens up new possibilities for studying ancient history and culture, offering a non-invasive window into the past.
Unlocking Cuneiform Correspondence
The wedge-shaped letters were discovered in ancient Anatolia and date to a period when Assyrian merchants from the city of Ashur traded textiles and silver. These traders lived in Kanesh, modern-day Kültepe, during the 19th and 18th centuries BCE. Through the study, researchers produced 64 tomograms of 48 artifacts, successfully reading a message from a woman named Anna-Anna to her husband Ennuma-Ashshur. A key finding was that scribes used additional small tablets as a second page for their correspondence.
The ENCI scanner, developed by scientists from the University of Hamburg and the DESY center in Germany, weighs roughly 420 kilograms and breaks down into eight parts for easy transport. It has already been tested at the Louvre in Paris and the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara. Scanning revealed that the envelopes holding the letters were constructed with multiple layers to ensure durability during transport.
The results of this unique work were published in the scientific journal npj Heritage Science, underscoring the study's significance and scientific value.
Thanks to innovative technology, this research has the potential to reshape our understanding of ancient civilization and its trade practices. The discovery, including the marital correspondence, may offer fresh insights into the social and cultural aspects of life in Anatolia at the time. It highlights the importance of interdisciplinary approaches in history and archaeology, while paving the way for further studies in this field.