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Image Credit: Marie-Lan Nguyen, CC-BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Ancient Cuneiform Letters Read Without Opening Their Clay Envelopes
Researchers have successfully revealed the contents of 4,000-year-old cuneiform letters still sealed inside clay envelopes using a newly developed portable X-ray computed tomography scanner. The breakthrough allows scholars to study fragile texts without physically opening or damaging the artefacts.
The project focused on cuneiform tablets discovered at ancient Kanesh, modern Kültepe in central Turkey, where Assyrian merchants operated extensive trade networks during the 19th and 18th centuries BC. Many letters and contracts were enclosed within thin clay envelopes that protected the text and authenticated the sender through seal impressions. Until now, accessing the hidden writings often required breaking the envelopes, permanently damaging them.
To solve this problem, an interdisciplinary team developed a transportable high-resolution CT scanner known as ENCI (Extracting Non-destructively Cuneiform Inscriptions). The system was specifically designed for use inside museums and archives, where moving artefacts is often impossible. After initial testing at the Louvre Museum in Paris, the scanner was deployed at the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations in Ankara, where around fifty sealed tablets were examined.
The scans revealed complete hidden letters, including correspondence between merchants and family members. One newly deciphered letter contained a message from a merchant’s wife requesting the repayment of silver owed to her husband and urging him to return home quickly. The text provides valuable insight into the economic and social role of women in Assyrian trading communities.
The imaging also uncovered details beyond the writings themselves. Researchers identified mineral and organic inclusions trapped in the clay, including what appears to be a barley seed embedded within one envelope. The scans further showed that envelopes were often made from multiple folded clay layers rather than a single sheet, offering new understanding of ancient manufacturing techniques.
According to the study, the portable scanner may open new possibilities for the non-destructive study of cultural heritage objects in museums and archives worldwide.
Published on: 08-05-2026
Edited by: Abdulmnam Samakie
Source: npj Heritage Science
