AI Translating the Past

Cover: The Rosetta Stone in the British Museum.
By Hans Hillewaert. 21 November 2007
Source: Wikimnedia Commons.

“Gilgamesh, where are you hurrying to? You will never find that life for which you are looking. When the gods created man they allotted to him death, but life they retained in their own keeping. As for you, Gilgamesh, fill your belly with good things; day and night, night and day, dance and be merry, feast and rejoice. Let your clothes be fresh, bathe yourself in water, cherish the little child that holds your hand, and make your wife happy in your embrace; for this too is the lot of man.”― The Epic of Gilgamesh ―

Maurício Pinheiro

The field of archaeology and ancient history has always held a special place in my heart, and I have my father to thank for it. He gifted me a remarkable book, Gods, Graves and Scholars: The Story of Archaeology (1949) by C.W. Ceram (aka Kurt Wilhelm Marek), when I was just thirteen, and it left a lasting impact on me. Ceram’s work is a treasure trove of knowledge, covering a broad spectrum of ancient civilizations, including the Greeks, Egyptians, Mesopotamians, as well as those of Mexico, Central America, and South America.

What captivated me most was Ceram’s comprehensive exploration of the subject, as he delved into the techniques and methods used by archaeologists to uncover ancient artifacts that help us understand our past. Additionally, the book features brief biographies of several prominent archaeologists, such as Heinrich Schliemann, Jean-François Champollion, Paul-Émile Botta, and Howard Carter, among others, which added a personal touch to the stories of these legendary figures.

I was particularly inspired by the chapter on Schliemann, and years later, I found myself in 2000 walking through the Cyclopean Lion Gate at Mycenae, feeling a deep connection to his story. My journey to Greece was a thrilling adventure, and I visited numerous museums, ancient sites, and islands, culminating in my arrival in Crete. This, however, is a story for another time.

The Lion Gate. Mycenae. Argolis, Greece. By George E. Koronaios
Creat 26 March 2019. Source: Wikimedia Commons

*Page from Jean Francois Champollion’s 1824 precis, demonstrating the differences between his decipherment and that of Thomas Young. Public Domain. Source Wikimedia Commons.*

Ah, and the Champollion chapter, it was truly a gem. I was fascinated by how he compared the names of kings in Greek, Latin, and Egyptian hieroglyphs inside cartouches, leading to the translation of the Rosetta Stone and becoming the father of Egyptology. Champollion’s work was groundbreaking and opened the door to the study of ancient Egyptian civilization, allowing us to understand its language, culture, and history in ways previously impossible. It’s amazing to think how one person’s dedication and passion for a subject can make such a significant impact on our understanding of the past. I believe Champollion’s story is a testament to the importance of pursuing one’s interests and the power of interdisciplinary knowledge and collaboration in advancing our understanding of the world. I was really excited when I saw it at the British Museum in 2002.

Another chapter that intrigued me was the one about George Smith, the father of Assyriology, who discovered and translated the marvelous Epic of Gilgamesh, with clues of the great Diluvian flood in ancient clay tablets.

Mr. George Smith, the man who transliterated and read the so-called the Babylonian Flood Story of Tablet XI. Mr. George Smith was an assistant at the British Museum in London. In 1872, he transliterated and read the cuneiform inscriptions on Tablet XI of the Epic of Gilgamesh. The inscriptions narrate a story that is very similar to the Biblical story of Noah’s Ark and the Flood in the Book of Genesis. This image is on display near Tablet XI of the Epic of Gilgamesh at the British Museum. Unknown photographer and date; this image was photographed (not scanned) and edited by the uploader. By Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg). March 16, 2016. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Although I am fascinated by ancient Egypt with its beast-headed pantheon and millennia of history, I prefer ancient Mesopotamia. It was much more diverse in terms of history and conflicts, as it was located at the crossroads of the ancient world. Mesopotamia was a Noyau, in Robert Ardrey’s sense: a society bound together by antagonisms. It was a growing society that assimilated even the smallest nomadic tribe that arrived there, dynamically shaping itself into a cradle of empires.

Ceram’s book not only sparked my interest in archaeology and ancient history but also encouraged me to explore the world and its wonders (including languages), leading me down a path of discovery and adventure that I continue to pursue to this day.

As my fascination with ancient history my fascination with ancient languages and inscriptions continued to grow. I became increasingly interested in hieroglyphs, Linear A and B, and cuneiform.

During my time at the University of Paderborn in the early nineties, I had a fellow physics PhD colleague from Italy who had a hobby of translating hieroglyphs. I was amazed and inspired by his patience, professionalism, and technical knowledge, though it was not a hobby that I personally pursued at the time.

Instead, after finishing my physics PhD, I started exploring various sources on the topic just to learn a bit more and stumbled upon another remarkable book, Reading the Past: Ancient Writing From Cuneiform to the Alphabet (1990), which includes an introduction by J.T. Hooker.

Linear B tablet, with inscription: “Granaries (or rather Sitopotnia) and craftsmen of blue glass.” 1250-1180 BC. Finding from Cult Centre Area of Mycenae, Room 4. Archaeological Museum of Mycenae, MM 2044. By Zde (CCASA 4.0). September 22, 2020. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

I learned a lot from this book, although I only memorized a few hieroglyphs at the time and wasn’t yet ready to make my own translations. Translating ancient inscriptions wasn’t even a hobby that I had considered pursuing. However, I always kept an open mind to the possibility of delving deeper into the world of hieroglyphs and cuneiform. Recently, as I prepared notes for a future course on the history of science, this topic resurfaced from the dormant recesses of my mind. Also, by reading about AI, I just connected the dots and realized that the future is unpredictable.

You know, there is still a vast collection of texts that remain untranslated (mostly cuneiform), and the few experts in this field do an incredible job that would take several lifetimes. There are already algorithms and models being developed that can automatically transcribe and translate ancient languages. This not only saves time but also allows for more accuracy and consistency in translations.

Researchers at LMU Munich have utilized AI to translate 300,000 lines of text from ancient languages found on cuneiform tablets in Mesopotamia. They have developed an algorithm to piece together fragments of texts to make them intelligible. This tool is expected to help in reconstructing Babylonian literature, which will allow for much faster progress in understanding the texts. DeepMedia is also integrating ancient languages using its text and voice platform, and the Ithaca AI system successfully deciphered gaps in ancient Greek inscriptions last year.

As digitization of ancient texts increases, AI algorithms can more efficiently and accurately process data, leading to new insights into the underlying structure of ancient languages and a deeper understanding of their meanings. With the help of deep learning algorithms and neural networks, AI can increasingly predict the meaning of ancient texts. In addition, AI can process images of texts, identify patterns in the data, make informed guesses about the meaning of ancient scripts, and transcribe texts on fragile or damaged manuscripts to help preserve these important historical documents. AI archaeology is still in its infancy, but holds great promise for unlocking the secrets of our ancient past by providing never-before-seen insights, as technology continues to improve.

AI can process vast amounts of data very quickly, potentially speeding up certain processes by months or years. As technology continues to improve, the possibilities for unlocking the secrets of the ancient world become increasingly exciting and promising. So, let’s wait for AI to provide insights into the fascinating ancient world and keep connecting the dots, or glyphs, as we uncover new information about our past.

#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #MachineLearning #TranslatingThePast #AITranslatingThePast #ArtificialIntelligenceTranslation #LinguisticAdvancements #ReadingThePast

Here are a collection of short videos on the subject: