Extensive Review of State-of-the-Art Classification Techniques for Cuneiform Symbol Imaging: Open Issues and Challenges

The cuneiform script reveals some previously unknown aspects of our past. However, reading ancient clay tablets demands a substantial investment of time and persistent practice over a long period of time. As the fourth millennium came to a close, earlier recording methods gave way to the developmen...

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Main Authors: Farah Maath, Maha Mahmood, Belal Al-Khateeb
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: College of Education, Al-Iraqia University 2023-08-01
Series:Iraqi Journal for Computer Science and Mathematics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journal.esj.edu.iq/index.php/IJCM/article/view/837
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author Farah Maath
Maha Mahmood
Belal Al-Khateeb
author_facet Farah Maath
Maha Mahmood
Belal Al-Khateeb
author_sort Farah Maath
collection DOAJ
description The cuneiform script reveals some previously unknown aspects of our past. However, reading ancient clay tablets demands a substantial investment of time and persistent practice over a long period of time. As the fourth millennium came to a close, earlier recording methods gave way to the development of writing – the visual representation of spoken language. The first language to be transcribed in written form in Mesopotamia was Sumerian. Predominantly, the earliest tablets originate from the Uruk site in southern Mesopotamia, possibly marking its birthplace. Digitization cuneiform documents is imperative to boost research focused on the ancient Middle East. A few initiatives embarked upon this endeavor around the year 2000. Nonetheless, the digitization process is time-consuming due to the extensive volume of documents, and a dependable (semi) automatic methodology has yet to be developed. Given the antiquity of cuneiform script, recognizing cuneiform signs using real-world applications via two graph-based algorithms, each with complementary runtime characteristics, remains a manual procedure. Translating cuneiform proves to be a daunting task. Only in relatively recent times has grammar been established scientifically, while lexical challenges remain abundant and far from resolved. Furthermore, the majority of the Sumerian tablets have succumbed to the ravages of time, leaving behind only a handful of ancient depictions. Some of these old images have been preserved in a unique collection or in museums worldwide, allowing specialists to easily apply the sign detector to their cuneiform text studies. In this paper, we will discuss the categorization and analysis of clay tablets using a trained cuneiform model, employing artificial intelligence methodologies. Additionally, we will explore the methods employed, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses. Finally, we will propose potential directions for future research.
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spelling doaj.art-7776d165e8c84815b006115e63c8b6012023-10-29T06:11:50ZengCollege of Education, Al-Iraqia UniversityIraqi Journal for Computer Science and Mathematics2958-05442788-74212023-08-014310.52866/ijcsm.2023.02.03.011Extensive Review of State-of-the-Art Classification Techniques for Cuneiform Symbol Imaging: Open Issues and ChallengesFarah Maath0Maha Mahmood1Belal Al-Khateeb2University of AnbarUniversity of AnbarUniversity of Anbar The cuneiform script reveals some previously unknown aspects of our past. However, reading ancient clay tablets demands a substantial investment of time and persistent practice over a long period of time. As the fourth millennium came to a close, earlier recording methods gave way to the development of writing – the visual representation of spoken language. The first language to be transcribed in written form in Mesopotamia was Sumerian. Predominantly, the earliest tablets originate from the Uruk site in southern Mesopotamia, possibly marking its birthplace. Digitization cuneiform documents is imperative to boost research focused on the ancient Middle East. A few initiatives embarked upon this endeavor around the year 2000. Nonetheless, the digitization process is time-consuming due to the extensive volume of documents, and a dependable (semi) automatic methodology has yet to be developed. Given the antiquity of cuneiform script, recognizing cuneiform signs using real-world applications via two graph-based algorithms, each with complementary runtime characteristics, remains a manual procedure. Translating cuneiform proves to be a daunting task. Only in relatively recent times has grammar been established scientifically, while lexical challenges remain abundant and far from resolved. Furthermore, the majority of the Sumerian tablets have succumbed to the ravages of time, leaving behind only a handful of ancient depictions. Some of these old images have been preserved in a unique collection or in museums worldwide, allowing specialists to easily apply the sign detector to their cuneiform text studies. In this paper, we will discuss the categorization and analysis of clay tablets using a trained cuneiform model, employing artificial intelligence methodologies. Additionally, we will explore the methods employed, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses. Finally, we will propose potential directions for future research. https://journal.esj.edu.iq/index.php/IJCM/article/view/837Cuneiform, Sumerians TabletsArtificial Neural NetworkDeep LearningClassification Algorithms
spellingShingle Farah Maath
Maha Mahmood
Belal Al-Khateeb
Extensive Review of State-of-the-Art Classification Techniques for Cuneiform Symbol Imaging: Open Issues and Challenges
Iraqi Journal for Computer Science and Mathematics
Cuneiform, Sumerians Tablets
Artificial Neural Network
Deep Learning
Classification Algorithms
title Extensive Review of State-of-the-Art Classification Techniques for Cuneiform Symbol Imaging: Open Issues and Challenges
title_full Extensive Review of State-of-the-Art Classification Techniques for Cuneiform Symbol Imaging: Open Issues and Challenges
title_fullStr Extensive Review of State-of-the-Art Classification Techniques for Cuneiform Symbol Imaging: Open Issues and Challenges
title_full_unstemmed Extensive Review of State-of-the-Art Classification Techniques for Cuneiform Symbol Imaging: Open Issues and Challenges
title_short Extensive Review of State-of-the-Art Classification Techniques for Cuneiform Symbol Imaging: Open Issues and Challenges
title_sort extensive review of state of the art classification techniques for cuneiform symbol imaging open issues and challenges
topic Cuneiform, Sumerians Tablets
Artificial Neural Network
Deep Learning
Classification Algorithms
url https://journal.esj.edu.iq/index.php/IJCM/article/view/837
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