CuKa -- Computer-aided cuneiform analysis Cross-repository and cross-domain analysis of cuneiform tablets for collaborative, user-centered operationalization of philological working methods

楔形文字是一种在古代近东地区使用了三千多年的书写系统。到今天为止，已经发现了60多万个楔形文字。与通常由背景颜色对比表示的字母字符不同，楔形文字是一种三维无色文字，由于阴影投射，只能在特定照明下才能看到。挑战在于由此产生的变化的阴影、书写表面的曲率和符号的变化。因此，对楔形文字文本的检索目前只能通过抄本及其标引的方式进行，因此没有考虑古地理特征。该项目在检索这些文件方面取得了新的进展。研究项目的主要目标是为提供一个跨越领域内部(2D照片、3D扫描)和跨域搜索功能的储存库/展览器奠定基础，以寻找字符和文本段落以及实施分析。这将在一个基于网络的、实用的、以用户为中心的科学信息管理系统中实现，用于协作、系统化的语文工作方法。该项目旨在通过自动注释原始文档的2D和3D复制品/图像而不是手动注释，使快速找到文本段落成为可能，例如用于校对。第一次提供了跨域分析工具。授权用户通过每次搜索扩展了系统的专业知识。为此，实现了自动提取和复杂表示与语义相关的楔形星座特定特征的现代方法。此外，用于线片段假设的自动识别和概率建模的方法也是额外的目标。对于楔形搜索查询，实现了基于单词识别的方法(例如，用于客观字符和字体比较)和主动/深度学习的概念。它还计划确定具有特定楔形特征的相应2D和3D数据集之间的双向映射。其实际好处尤其在于快速定位文本段落，搜索字符形式的参考点(用于断代的稀有或诊断字符；用于文本补充的损坏字符的比较字符)以及用于检查笔身份或碎片连接和其他古文问题的跨文档分析。测试机构包括2,000多个自己的楔形文字3D模型，位于Hethitologie门户、美因茨和约克斯。7万张照片、10万多张额外的照片和3D扫描都可以在网上找到。

The cuneiform script was a writing system that has been used for more than three millennia in the Ancient Near East. As of today, more than 600,000 cuneiform texts have been discovered. In contrast to alphabet characters which are usually represented by a color contrast to the background, cuneiform is a three-dimensional colorless script, which can only be seen under specific lighting due to shadow casting. The challenges lie in the resulting changing shadows, the curvature of the writing surface and the variations of the signs. Therefore, the search in cuneiform texts is currently only possible by means of transcriptions and their indexing, hereby paleographic characteristics are not taken into account. The project is breaking new ground in the retrieval of these documents.The main objective of the research project is to lay the foundations for the provision of a repository/exhibitor spanning both domain-internal (2D-photographs, 3D-scan) and cross-domain search function for finding characters and text passages as well as for operationalizing the analysis. This is to be realized in a web-based, practical and user-centered system for scientific information management for collaborative, systematized philological working methods. The project is intended to make it possible to find text passages quickly, e. g. for collation, by automatically annotating 2D and 3D reproductions/images of the original documents instead of a manual annotation. For the first time, cross-domain analysis tools are provided. Authorized users extend the expertise of the system with each search.For this purpose, modern methods for automated extraction and complex representation of semantic-relevant wedge constellation-specific characteristics are implemented. Furthermore, methods for the automatic identification and probabilistic modeling of line fragment hypotheses are additional objectives. For cuneiform search queries Word spotting-based methods (e. g. for objective character and font comparison) and concepts of Active/Deep Learning are realized. It is also planned to determine a bidirectional mapping between corresponding 2D and 3D datasets with specific cuneiform characteristics.The practical benefit lies in particular in the fast locating of text passages, the search for reference points for character forms (rare or diagnostic characters for dating; comparison characters for damaged characters for text supplements) as well as the cross-document analysis for checking for pen identity or join of fragments and other paleographic questions. The test body comprises over 2,000 own 3D-models of cuneiform scripts in the Hethitologie Portal Mainz and approx. 70,000 photos, more than 100,000 additional photos and 3D-scans are available online.