Archaeologists have often been challenged by ancient languages and texts and deciphering them, but the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionising the field. Researchers are now employing AI to swiftly translate ancient languages, including Cuneiform and Egyptian hieroglyphs, into English, uncovering hidden secrets that have remained elusive for millennia.
The Power of AI in Decoding History
AI continues to astound the world, enabling scientists to solve enigmatic mysteries that have long puzzled humankind. A team of researchers from the University of Tel Aviv in Israel recently announced a ground-breaking development in the field of language deciphering.
Utilising AI, they have successfully interpreted forgotten languages from history, shedding light on ancient societies and revealing details about their political, social, economic, and scientific institutions ideas.
The Akkadian Breakthrough:
The researchers focused on the Akkadian language, a crucial but challenging linguistic puzzle. Akkadian was spoken by ancient Assyrian and Babylonian cultures in Mesopotamia between 2,700 BC and AD 76.
Akkadian, as a written language, demonstrated greater resilience over time due to their ‘Cuneiform Script’. The term ‘cuneiform’ is derived from the Latin word for “wedge-shaped”. This Cuneiform script involved the use of a reed stylus to create wedge-shaped symbols on moist clay tablets, which were then hardened through baking.
These baked clay tablets tried to stand the test of time but most of the tablets had deteriorated due to weathering or broke into pieces. Due to the scattered and difficult-to-translate nature of Akkadian material, understanding this language had been a significant hurdle.
However, with the help of a cutting-edge Neural Machine Translation (NMT) model based on cuneiform glyphs, AI came to the rescue. The researchers aimed to create a collaborative environment where AI functions as an intelligent tool assisting scholars and students of ancient languages, facilitating translation and analysis.
The first step in the process involved transcribing the original material, which included fragments of inscriptions, letters, transaction reports, astrological reports, literary works, and more. However, dealing with ancient clay tablets presented additional challenges, as the material deteriorates over time, resulting in cracks and illegibility.
Despite these obstacles, the AI system effectively deciphered the language and helped in the creation of an English translation, enabling researchers to delve deeper into the ancient societies’ mysteries.
Translating an ancient language into a modern tongue is no simple task. It requires an understanding of how languages convey thoughts and maintaining the linguistic nuances of the original text. With the development of AI models specifically designed for ancient languages, such as Akkadian, the translation process becomes significantly more efficient.
These models, akin to the technology behind Google Translate, rely on neural networks trained on cuneiform texts and cuneiform symbols. By learning to translate transliterations and cuneiform directly, the AI system gains the ability to capture the context and nuances of different genres within the texts.
The Future Possibilities
The results of the research demonstrate promising advancements in AI-driven language translation. While there is still room for improvement, particularly in the accuracy of translations, the researchers envision a future where AI serves as a virtual assistant to human scholars.
This collaboration would allow AI to provide initial translations rapidly, while experts refine the output based on their knowledge of historic languages, cultures, and people. Furthermore, the AI models used in the study may have potential applications beyond translation, offering scholars access to the sources and references behind the translations.
The application of AI in language deciphering offers new hope for unlocking the wealth of knowledge contained within ancient tablets and manuscripts. Hundreds of thousands of cuneiform tablets hold invaluable insights into the political, social, economic, and scientific history of ancient Mesopotamia.
Since Mesopotamian texts and inscriptions are just the beginning for the AI led language deciphering, many more mysterious languages of the ancient world like Egyptian, Mayan, and Incan. Not to forget the closest ancient civilisation to India, the Indus Valley Civilisation, whose language is waiting to be deciphered, could finally be understood with the help of AI.
With limited experts available to translate these documents, AI can play a vital role in preserving and disseminating the cultural heritage of these ancient civilisations.
Thanks to AI-driven language deciphering, the once insurmountable task of unravelling ancient languages and texts is becoming more accessible. Through the collaboration between human scholars and intelligent AI models, we can now bring the secrets of the past to light.