Eckart Frahm

The Perils of Omnisignificance: Language and Reason in Mesopotamian Hermeneutics

Abstract The article discusses the Mesopotamian commentary corpus, assesses its intellectual underpinnings, explores its place within Mesopotamia’s scholarly tradition, and addresses the question of whether Mesopotamian hermeneutics should be considered a “philosophical” pursuit. It is argued that the cuneiform commentaries are characterized, on one hand, by certain limitations and, on the other, by an overabundance of interpretational opportunities, and that the answer should therefore be negative; but it is admitted that, depending on what one considers the defining features of philosophy, other views are possible.

QR Coded 3D Prints of Cuneiform Tablets

This article discusses the design of a quick response (QR) coded 3D model of a Babylonian mathematical clay tablet for 3D printing purposes, in an attempt to make better use of advanced 3D visualizations, encourage public engagement and question the influence of tagging and 3D printing on the way humans interact with ancient documentary artefacts. The main emphasis of this article is the methodological challenge, taking under consideration both the technical constrains and object-oriented requirements, such as aesthetics and authenticity. The proposed methodology for the successful implementation of the project incorporates 3D modelling, 3D printing, Automatic Identification Data Capture (AIDC) technologies, and a new open source platform named Cultural Heritage Object (CHER-Ob), for data management, decision making and scientific collaboration.