Advanced Deep Learning Approaches for Automated Recognition of Cuneiform Symbols

TL;DR

This study develops and evaluates deep learning models for automated recognition and translation of ancient cuneiform symbols, demonstrating high accuracy and potential for archaeological and linguistic research.

Contribution

Introduces a novel deep learning framework for cuneiform recognition, achieving high accuracy and translating symbols into English, advancing computational archaeology.

Findings

Two models achieved outstanding recognition performance

Models accurately translated Akkadian symbols into English

Research highlights deep learning's potential in deciphering ancient scripts

Abstract

This paper presents a thoroughly automated method for identifying and interpreting cuneiform characters via advanced deep-learning algorithms. Five distinct deep-learning models were trained on a comprehensive dataset of cuneiform characters and evaluated according to critical performance metrics, including accuracy and precision. Two models demonstrated outstanding performance and were subsequently assessed using cuneiform symbols from the Hammurabi law acquisition, notably Hammurabi Law 1. Each model effectively recognized the relevant Akkadian meanings of the symbols and delivered precise English translations. Future work will investigate ensemble and stacking approaches to optimize performance, utilizing hybrid architectures to improve detection accuracy and reliability. This research explores the linguistic relationships between Akkadian, an ancient Mesopotamian language, and Arabic, emphasizing their historical and cultural linkages. This study demonstrates the capability of deep learning to decipher ancient scripts by merging computational linguistics with archaeology, therefore providing significant insights for the comprehension and conservation of human history.