GoviB combines traditional philological methods with methods from the repertoire of archaeology and digital humanities. On this page, you find further information on our cutting-edge digital methods for the documentation of cuneiform tablets, 3D imaging using a stripe light scanner and Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) using GoviB’s own dome to shoot the images. Archaeological approaches to the material in question are explained here.
RTI stands for "Reflectance Transformation Imaging." This is a computer-assisted type of photography which allows for viewing the recorded objects with variable lighting. The lighting can be adjusted interactively to every direction needed. Aside from recording the shape and colour of the object in question, these parameters can also be enhanced to show characteristics of an artefact which may not be visible to the naked eye.
The process of photographing takes place within a dome that contains 64 LED-lights. These are activated one after the other, and a high-resolution photograph is taken with each light before it turns off and the next light turns on. This leaves us with photographs of an object in 64 different light settings. These images are then combined into one depiction of the tablet, thereby allowing the interactive changes in lighting. When used for cuneiform tablets, all preserved sides of the tablet need to be recorded, leading to up to six RTI-images per tablet. The results allow for working with the texts without actually being present at the museum.
There is one downside when dealing with RTI imaging for tablets, namely, that the photographs work with flat surfaces of each side of the tablet. This can lead to difficulties because tablets are three-dimensional and in many cases, scribes wrote their information over the edges of the tablet. This is why GoviB relies not only on RTI imaging, but also on 3D scanning of tablets. Both types of data will be openly available online once GoviB's editorial work on the texts is published.
In addition to RTI, GoviB also uses 3D scanning of tablets for research and documentation. Tablets inscribed over the edges are scanned using a stripe light scanner provided by ZEDIKUM of the Staatliche Museen - Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz. The tablets are scanned by a student assistant, and afterwards reworked by Fanet Göttlich (ZEDIKUM).
The downside of 3D scanning is the huge amount of data created in the process, especially when tablets are large and badly preserved. Furthermore, the 3D scans have a lower resolution compared to the RTIs we use and the image is not photo-realistic. This is why a combination of both datasets works best for GoviB's goals - high-resolution photography allows for identifying minute traces of signs of broken tablets and 3D scans allow for an examination of writing that extends over the edges, an indispensable tool when working with three-dimensional objects such as cuneiform tablets. Both types of documentation will be openly accessible for further research once GoviB's editorial work on the texts is published.
by Georg Neumann
Since the excavations in Babylon started more than 120 years ago, the archaeological methodology used in the project to reconstruct the archaeological context of the Neo-Babylonian cuneiform archives must be adjusted to the preserved excavation documentary.
This documentary consists of two excavation journals, recording not only the progress of excavation, but also the weather, water levels, visitors, paydays, and preliminary results. Sometimes there are also small sketches to be found. These entries are supplemented by short reports published in the “Mitteilungen der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft” (MDOG), which appeared every 1-2 months.
There are also find journals, photo inventories, maps, plans, and section drawings. All of the documentation is hosted today at four different archives: the Archive of the Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft, the Central Archive of the Staatliche Museen in Berlin, and the Archive and Photo Archive of the Vorderasiatisches Museum (Berlin).
Not every excavation area is very well documented. This is due to the constant development of excavation and documenting techniques throughout the years (1899-1917). Looking at the final reports published in 10 volumes in the series „Wissenschaftliche Veröffentlichungen der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft“ (WVDOG) it becomes obvious that some information must be derived from private notes or field journals of the respective authors. These journals are missing, but may still be found in the estates of the excavators and their assistants (like G. Buddensieg, O. Reuther, F. Wetzel etc.).
To analyze the archaeological context and to re-contextualize the cuneiform archives, every data source will be used because R. Koldewey’s methodology is based on architectural research. His aim was the reconstruction of the architectural structure of the ancient city of Babylon, not the analysis and interpretation of objects. Therefore, the architecture – mostly dating to Neo-Babylonian times – is – even from a modern point of view –published quite well, but the other findings and their archaeological context, like e.g. room inventories, are often missing. In the course of re-interpreting the archival contexts, all objects associated with the cuneiform tablets will be (re-)evaluated and – if possible - embedded into the stratigraphy of the relevant buildings. Special focus lays on the archaeological analysis of the pottery to establish a more detailed chronological framework. The pottery processing is carried out by Ch. Kainert.
To fix the position of the objects and installations, the section drawings and plana of the excavation are used. By looking at the section drawings it is obvious that their aim was to include as much information as possible. Therefore, the section drawings themselves are to be seen as X-ray images of the excavated area, rather than as the drawing of a “cut” at a specific position in the trench. This data source must be handled with caution, but it also bears a lot of information. Unfortunately, not every area was documented by section drawing.
All data and results will be connected to the edited texts, their content and dating to support the reconstruction of the social, economic, and political life in the first Millennium BCE in Babylon.
O. Pedersén, Archive und Bibliotheken in Babylon. Die Tontafeln der Grabung Robert Koldeweys 1899-1917. Abhandlungen der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft 25, Saarbrücken, 2005.
K. Sternitzke, Der Kontext der altbabylonischen Archive in Babylon. Mitteilungen der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft 148 (2016) 179-197.