Dictionary Of Ancient Akkadian Provides Glimpse Into Civilization’s Cradle

Linguists and researchers of ancient Mesopotamia began compiling the dictionary in 1921. The dictionary, which spans some 10,000 pages in 21 volumes, took no less than nine decades to complete. In the process, it outlived some of the nearly 100 scholars who devoted their careers to it. The final volume, published just weeks ago, caps what editor-in-charge Martha Roth describes as far beyond a mere lexicon. "There are about 28,000 entries in this -- 28,000 words -- that provide a window into the history, culture, and society of the ancient Near East. This was not designed to be a glossary. The entire project sought to explicate the world of ancient Mesopotamia through the words we have preserved," Roth says. Like each reference for each of the dictionary's words, it was discovered on one of the millions of tablets that have survived the centuries. And each line of wedge-shaped cuneiform writing, carved into the clay, has a story to tell.

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