Access to Cuneiform Texts (CDLI-ACT)

Open access to cuneiform heritage for the Arabic-speaking world, with a new interface, vocabularies, and collaborative workshops.

The Access to Cuneiform Texts (CDLI-ACT) project is building the first major open access digital interface for the study and dissemination of cuneiform inscriptions in the Arabic language. Once completed, this resource will allow scholars and the public in the Arab world to access a digital catalogue of nearly 400,000 cuneiform artifacts from the Middle East, now spread across the globe.

Project duration: February 2025 – February 2026
Budget: £23,736
Main applicants: Dr. Rune Rattenborg (Lund University), Dr. Émilie Pagé-Perron (University of York), Prof. Haider ‘Aqīl ‘Abid, Prof. Jaafar Jotheri (Al-Qadisiyah University)
Project staff: Moudhy al-Rashid (Oxford), Zainab Mizyidawi, Zahra Dabaghmanesh, Lars Willighagen, Malath Feadha

Open Collective project page

Project Overview

CDLI-ACT augments the Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI) with an Arabic-language interface and specialized vocabularies. The project will:

  • Enable Arabic-speaking users to explore, download, and reuse data from the CDLI catalogue for research, teaching, and communication.
  • Allow researchers and cultural heritage specialists to edit and contribute records to the CDLI catalogue through the existing crowdsourcing system.
  • Develop Arabic vocabularies for cuneiform studies, contributing to broader international resources like the Getty Art and Architecture Thesaurus.

The project is developed by a team of assyriologists, archaeologists, digital humanists, translators, and programmers, with workshops and seminars in the UK and Iraq. A test version of the Arabic interface will launch in late 2025, with a production release planned for the 2026 Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale in Baghdad.

Work Packages

  • WP1: Building project awareness through presentations, publications, and online outreach.
  • WP2: Interface and database development for Arabic internationalization.
  • WP3: Workshop at Oxford University for translating catalogue vocabularies.
  • WP4: Workshops at Al-Qadisiyah, Babil, Baghdad, and Mosul Universities to launch the test version.
  • WP5: Translating website documentation into Arabic.
  • WP6: Testing and release with feedback from Arabic-speaking users.
  • WP7: Formal launch at the Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale, Baghdad, 2026.
Left: Bilingual project flyer. Middle: Workshop at Al-Qadisiyah University. Right: Prototype of the Arabic-language interface.

Why It Matters

The cuneiform corpus is one of the largest bodies of ancient writing, but most resources are in Western languages and based in Europe or North America. CDLI-ACT will:

  • Support the decolonisation of access to the Mesopotamian heritage.
  • Empower Arabic-speaking researchers, students, and the public.
  • Foster international collaboration and knowledge exchange.

Milestones

  • February–July 2025: Awareness and outreach, including presentations at major conferences and an Arabic-language article in ISIN Journal.
  • Before January 2026: Workshop at Oxford University for vocabulary translation.
  • Before March 2026: Workshops in Iraq and launch of the test interface.
  • Early 2026: Production release and formal launch at the Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale, Baghdad.

You can follow project progress, contribute, or support financially via the Open Collective project page.

Left: Map of cuneiform artifact distribution. Right: CDLI-ACT project team.

For more information, visit CDLI-ACT on Open Collective or CDLI.