Ancient Ugarit text studied by US researcher using computers
Syria, Science, 7/14/1998

John Lee Ellison is a US archaeology researcher. He is a Ph.D. candidate at Harvard University on near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. His dissertation topic is a paleographic study of the Cuneiform alphabetic texts from Ras Shamra.

In a statement to ArabicNews.com, Ellison said: "the purpose of my dissertation is to conduct a general study of the cuneiform alphabetic scripts found in the tablets discovered at the late bronze age city of Ugarit," (modern Ras Shamra) on the Syrian Mediterranean coast, near Lattakia. He added that while the need for paleographic research is widely recognized in Ugaritic scholarship, there has never been a study dedicated to the script used in the Ugaritic alphabetic texts.

He said that paleographic discussion is most often based on what a scholar believes a given text to be saying and not necessarily what is represented in the cuneiform script. This has placed Ugaritic studies on an unsure foundation whereby paleographic decisions are made "without knowing what is actually possible in the Ugaritic script."

"My study is designed to correct this problem," he said. By using modern computer technology Ellison plans to document with unparalleled accuracy the handwriting that is encountered on the tablets discovered at Ras Shamra. Among his professional studies are "Ugaritic Paleography," a paper delivered at the annual meeting of the US schools of Oriental Research in November 1996, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Another lecture given by him was "New Tools for Old Texts: Using the Computer to Study Ugarit," read at the American Cultural Center in Damascus on March 25. On May 11, his lecture "Computer Applications and the Study of Ancient Written Remains" was read at the Damascus Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

He added that the way he is doing his study with the computer and with the images should change the way that all of those scholars who study ancient languages go about their work, with graphic representations instead of telling each other what is on the tablet. He commented, "We have been very slow at using computers to study ancient languages, archaeology and ancient history, and one of the things my study is to do is to show how we can use computers in this area."

He said his lecture "New Tools for Old Texts" was to show how the computer can change the way experts study these ancient languages. "This is the big picture of what I am doing. The small picture is the actual study of Ugarit," Ellison said.

On the support given by the Syrian side to enable him to complete his dissertation, Ellison said: "The Syrians are much more helpful than I have expected." He added, "I expected access to the tablets, but I did not expect that everything I wanted or needed would be given to me without question. This is a great experience for me to get close to professionals in my field."

On what benefits Syria would get out of this new archaeological technique, he said: "Because most scholars have not come to Ras Shamra and their information about it is just from books, they could not do the kind of work I am doing. Others will follow what I am doing. And this will grow and blossom with Western scholars and students coming to Syria."

He expressed hope that his publications and work will also help Syrian scholars advance their own research.

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