Cuneiform transliteration and translation service

Have added A NEW INEXPENSIVE SERVICE.

This covers inscribed tablets, cones, bricks, plaques, vessels and inscribed cylinder seals.

Photographs

Working from good pics is perfectly feasible: light should come from the upper left corner at about a 45 degree angle in order to cast shadows into the wedges. Use a directional light, not overall overhead lighting. If you are unsure which way is “up” ask me!

JPEGs saved in low resolution (72ppi), about c. 500 pixels high for objects up to 3inches tall; larger objects would need several photos. For inscribed seals, an appropriately illuminated photo of the seal impression is also needed.

Authenticity.

It is generally possible to make statements about authenticity of inscribed clay tablets, cones, and bricks, even from a photo. However, the authenticity of engraved stone or metal cannot be guaranteed in this way so no statement about authenticity can be offered for seals, or vessels

Prices

• A foundation cone, stamped brick, or short votive inscriptions on objects £45

• Basic reading of a tablet : period, language, description of contents, remarks on interesting names, date, or other features (not full transliteration and translation) : £25

• A seal inscription: £65

• Typical short URIII or OB administrative tablet: £65

• Average longer/more complex administrative/contract tablet: £85

• For anything else (literary, lexical, large and difficult tablets etc.) you would get a quote.(I have had one large and very interesting tablet worked on for just under £150 and well worth the money!)

If your piece is thought to be fake:

Tablets

Faked tablets are usually very easily spotted.

Pastiches; some tablets on the market are actually recomposed of fragments of several tablets, covered with mud to hide the joins.

These take a bit more study to determine and generally they are not really translatable since the pieces are fragments.

For producing a description of the item if it is thought to be a fake or pastiche. £25

Seals.

No statement about authenticity can be offered for seals.

You get a transliteration and translation of the inscription, including a note about any errors/variations in the inscription. We cannot go into iconographic and thematic details; the emphasis is on the inscriptions as such.

The full fee would be charged, £65

How you can help

I would very much like to place some of the images of the pieces (or just the text parts, if collectors would prefer not to have their pieces shown) on my website along with the reading work.The translator would also use an image the photo of the text on which they would add text and drawing, indicating which groups of signs mean what.This would not be for the entire text, but would focus on the commonly encountered signs, such as names of kings and gods.

This would allow us to develop a database which would help us cuneiform illiterates to start learning to recognise the commonly found sign groups.

When you get in touch with me please let me know one way or the other. Attribution to you by name, by your membership ID or anonymously: whatever you prefer.

Academic databases and Publication

If the piece is of academic importance and interest the translator requests that you would agree to allow the images/inscription to be recorded for eventual publication, so the new information is made available to scholars.

So………………