Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Anthropology

eppur_se_muova

(39,616 posts)

11. True ! I understand most of those tablets were preserved due to accidental fires, not deliberately baking them.

Reply to Hekate (Reply #7)

Tue Jul 29, 2025, 12:24 PM

Jul 29

I'm sure that's not true in every case. But scribes did soak older tablets in water to soften them up and re-use them.

For obvious reasons, I am reminded of this:

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

14 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Newly Deciphered Cuneiform Tablet Contains Unknown Sumerian Myth [View all] Judi Lynn Jul 29 OP

At what point did cuneiform scribes say "Man, we gotta find a better way ! This stuff is a mess !" ? nt eppur_se_muova Jul 29 #1

Ironically, the clay tablets survived where paper/papyrus cannot. While earthquakes shatter clay, fire hardens the clay Hekate Jul 29 #7

True ! I understand most of those tablets were preserved due to accidental fires, not deliberately baking them. eppur_se_muova Jul 29 #11

Very funny! Hekate Jul 29 #13

Echoes of Persephone alittlelark Jul 29 #2

Echoes of Inanna, who went to the Underworld to see her sister Ereshkigal, who was queen there Hekate Jul 29 #8

Very interesting, I have never heard the tale alittlelark Jul 29 #10

Enjoy. If you like a feminist psychological interpretation, Maureen Murdoch's "The Heroine's Journey"... Hekate Jul 29 #12

I'm gonna have to dive into that soon alittlelark Jul 29 #14

She needs to go to Crete and try to decipher the Baitball Blogger Jul 29 #3

Cretan Linear A, too Zorro Jul 29 #4

If I had access to AI tools, that would be the first thing I would do. Baitball Blogger Jul 29 #6

I bet the fox completed its misson nuxvomica Jul 29 #5

I agree -- it would be a wonderful thing to read, even in fragments Hekate Jul 29 #9