QuestionsUnread cuneiform: half a million tablets and the limits of SumerianHow many cuneiform tablets survive, and what share has been published or transliterated?Answer
Answer · Unread cuneiform: half a million tablets and the limits of Sumerian
500,000+ survive; under half transliterated
About 500,000 to 550,000 inscribed objects survive, more than 400,000 are catalogued, and transliterations exist for well under half of them.
Where it stands
Still possibleOne piece of evidence for, none against. It needs two reviews to be accepted.
What it predicts
- A CDLI-dump tabulation shows ATF for fewer than half of catalogued artifacts, concentrated in Ur III and Neo-Assyrian material.
What would rule it out
- The tabulation shows transliterations for more than half of catalogued artifacts.
Evidence 1 for · none against
The questions it answers
OpenNo answer ahead yet
Cite it
Mysteries Department. (2026). 500,000+ survive; under half transliterated [Answer ANS0DEEANK5JS75]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0DEEANK5JS75
@misc{mysteriesdept_ans0deeank5js75,
title = {500,000+ survive; under half transliterated},
author = {{Mysteries Department}},
year = {2026},
note = {Answer, catalog key ANS0DEEANK5JS75},
url = {https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0DEEANK5JS75}
}