4,000-year-old tablet detected 11 ancient civilizations
(9 years ago)Archaeologists have identified the location of 11 cities lost thanks to a 4,000-year-old clay tablet created by ancient merchants from the Assyrian Empire. The tablets were discovered in today's Turkey in an ancient city known as Kanes. Clay tablets reveal the details of markets from the narrow kingdom of Assyria, reports “Washington [...]
The tablets were discovered in today's Turkey in an ancient city known as Kanes. Clay tablets show the details of markets from the narrow kingdom of Assyria, reports the “Washington Post”, Periscopi broadcast.
The careful translation of ancient clay texts has revealed something that archaeologists have never expected: The sites of ancient cities that have long been lost in sand.
Written according to ancient cuneiform letters ʹ developed by ancient Sumerians ʹ clay tablets detail a series of business transactions, accounts, seals, contracts, and even marriage certificates.
As reported, the discovery has the potential to change our understanding of the ancient Assyrian Empire.
After deciphering and gathering all information, researchers began describing possible locations mentioned on clay tablets: Data shows the distance between Mesopotamian cities already discovered by archaeologists from those who have not yet found it.
According to the University of Harvard of Assyriology senior lecturer Gojko Barjamovic, after studying more than 12,000 clay tablets found in Kanesch, it is possible to develop a kind of map of Mesopotamian cities according to data.
Archaeologists must now begin digging into the estimated sites to find even more information about one of the first civilizations organised in history.
Experts believe they have already identified 26 of them; 15 of them have been found before, but 11 ancient cities remain a mystery, preventing the discovery.
It will take time to locate ancient cities, as clay tablets do not provide the precise coordinates of their location.
The researchers explained: “for most of the lost cities, quantitative estimates come very close to the quality concepts produced by historians, confirming both such historical models and our simple quantum method. ”
Ancient clay tablets have discovered that Kanes, once a small commercial settlement, eventually became one of the most critical commercial countries in the region.
The tablets offer a journey in the past, as they detail how Kane's city was a thriving “market economy”.
The data has enabled experts to develop the so-called “structural gravity model”, which provides a powerful assessment of where lost cities can be found.
Now, the only thing left to do is determine a number of archaeological expeditions and the beginning of the digging in hopes of discovering a dozen long - lost ancient cities./Periscopi/