Sealed cuneiform letter sources

Find the sources for the 4,000-year-old sealed letters

Start with the letter, not another retelling of the headline. Find the CT study, the record for each clay object and the published translations. Compare what was written on the envelope with what researchers could read inside it.

Search this question

Find primary sources and research data for the 4,000-year-old cuneiform letters read without opening their clay envelopes. Include the ENCI study and Kültepe objects Kt 94/k 1150, Kt 94/k 602 and Kt 93/k 144. Separate the translations from the researchers' interpretations.

Search these letters in PSF Read the open-access study

Copy the question above, then paste it into PSF. This link opens search without starting a credit-using request. These are selected records, not a saved live search.

Read how researchers read the sealed letter.

What the records establish

The ENCI study reports reading selected sealed cuneiform letters through X-ray CT and digital surface reconstruction. The envelopes stayed physically closed. The three objects below connect that technical result to specific messages about debt, trade and contract cancellation. They are kept at the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara, Türkiye, and come from Kültepe, ancient Kanesh.

Choose a letter to investigate

Kt 94/k 1150: Anna-anna's attempt to collect silver

Record: University of Hamburg object dataset and translation.

Read alongside: Figure 6 and the paper's account of Anna-anna's letter.

The envelope names Anna-anna and her husband, Ennum-Aššur. The hidden text describes her repeated attempts to collect silver and the debtor's refusal to pay her directly.

Can help prove: What Anna-anna reported about the dispute; how the envelope identifies the correspondents; how the researchers recovered the hidden text. The dataset lists photographs, reconstructed volume data and geometry files for the object.

Be careful: This is her account, not a record of the eventual outcome. It does not establish that the debt was repaid or provide a complete account of women's status in Old Assyrian society.

Question to take to Sofia:

Which facts about Anna-anna come from the envelope, which come from the letter, and which come from the researchers' historical interpretation?

Suggested tools: Find Source Online · Ask Sofia · Fact Check

Kt 94/k 602: two tablets in one envelope

Record: University of Hamburg dataset for the two-tablet letter.

Read alongside: Figure 7 and the paper's translation of both tablets.

The scan confirms that one envelope contains a main tablet and a smaller supplementary tablet. The main message concerns textiles, donkeys, transport costs and the return of silver proceeds.

Can help prove: That the two tablets were enclosed together and how they were positioned. The paper labels them Kt 94/k 602b and Kt 94/k 602c. The dataset lists separate geometry files for the two tablets.

Be careful: Physical association does not resolve every textual question. The authors explicitly say the supplementary text is not clearly linked to the main text. Use the paper for the supplementary tablet's English translation; the dataset's displayed English translation gives the main letter.

Question to take to Sofia:

What does the scan establish about the two tablets, and what remains uncertain about the relationship between their messages?

Suggested tools: Find Source Online · ADD to Chat · Ask Sofia

Kt 93/k 144: instructions to cancel a contract

Record: University of Hamburg object dataset and translation.

Read alongside: Figure 8 and the paper's explanation of cancellation.

This letter concerns an enveloped contract for an investment loan of 5 minas of silver. It instructs the recipients to hand over the contract tablet so it can be cancelled.

Can help prove: That the writers gave this instruction. Read with the paper's explanation, it shows how breaking a contract's envelope could be part of cancelling a debt document.

Be careful: The scanned letter is not the contract it discusses. Instructions to cancel a contract do not prove that cancellation happened. Do not describe this object as a scan of the 5-mina loan contract.

Question to take to Sofia:

Is this object the loan contract or a letter about it? Quote the passage that distinguishes the two, then explain what the letter cannot establish about repayment.

Suggested tools: Find Source Online · Ask Sofia · Fact Check

Use the sources in PSF

Search with the full excavation number. Keep spaces and the slash in your notes so Kt 94/k 1150 does not become an unnamed "ancient letter."
Use Find Source Online to look for the paper or the matching object record. Open the result and check that its title and excavation number match your source.
Use ADD to Chat on the relevant link to give Sofia the text to discuss. Ask for the passage supporting your claim, then compare the answer with the original page.
Save the source to a workspace with a note separating what the letter says from what you infer. Keep the object record and research paper together so the translation does not become detached from the method.

Search results can change. If PSF does not return the exact object, use its direct repository link above. A generated summary is not a substitute for checking the translation.

An example of the distinction to ask for

Question:

Does Kt 93/k 144 prove that the loan was repaid?

Example answer, edited from the cited sources:

Kt 93/k 144 records an instruction to hand over an enveloped tablet concerning a loan of 5 minas of silver so it can be cancelled. The paper explains cancellation by breaking the envelope in the context of repayment. The letter does not record confirmation that the instruction was carried out. Cite it as evidence of the instruction, not proof of completed repayment.

Check the object's translation against the paper's cancellation discussion. This is an editorial example of a source-based answer, not a transcript of a PSF session.

See how to work with a source in PSF

A general demonstration of finding a source online and discussing it with Sofia. It does not show a live search for these letters.

Keep the source types separate

Ancient letter and envelope: The message, address, seal impressions and physical object. Do not treat it as a neutral account of everything that happened.
Object dataset: Object identity, published readings, photos and processed research files. Do not treat it as an independent translation or a browser-ready tour of every data file.
ENCI paper: The team's method, results, translations and interpretation. Do not treat it as proof that every sealed tablet is readable.
Hamburg research announcement: An accessible introduction from the participating institution. Do not treat it as independent confirmation of the study's conclusions.

Questions about these sources

Where can I read Anna-anna's letter in English?

The Kt 94/k 1150 repository record includes an English translation. The research paper also prints the translation and explains the letter's context.

Can I download the scan data?

The repository records list photographs, reconstructed volume data and geometry files. The paper's data availability statement distinguishes these from unprocessed tomographic raw data, which can be requested from the authors. Some files require specialist software; the records are useful even if you only read the metadata and translations.

Are these primary sources?

The ancient letters are primary sources for what their writers communicated. Their modern translations are scholarly readings of those sources. The paper is a firsthand research report on the scanning work and an interpretation of the ancient material. Keep those roles clear when citing it.

Does the research show that AI translated the letters?

No. The paper credits Cécile Michel with reading and translating the Old Assyrian texts. Computational imaging exposed the surfaces for study. PSF can help you research the published material; it did not scan or decipher these objects.