Scribal Worlds: Scholarship and Classification in Cuneiform Cultures

Scribal Worlds: Scholarship and classification in cuneiform cultures delves into the history of the earliest writing cultures of the ancient Middle East, bridging disciplines that include ancient history, philology, semiotics, material culture studies and philosophy of science. Bringing together scholars in the fields of Assyriology, History of Science and Art History, the collection examines how language, ontology, classification and scribal learning shaped cuneiform traditions. Through focused textual and material case studies, contributors employ diverse heuristic tools to reconstruct the intellectual frameworks of scribal cultures and the transmission of knowledge. Inspired by and in appreciation of the work of Niek Veldhuis, this collaborative and timely exploration highlights the interwoven nature of classification and scholarship within cuneiform studies, demonstrating how specific texts, object groups and practices can be interpreted within their cultural contexts. By critically analysing and reframing these sources, the volume exemplifies how scholars extract meaning from even the most fragmentary evidence - truly 'squeezing juice out of stones'.