Assyrian Dictionary Project Completed 90 Years

Assyrian Dictionary Project to identify and explain the words written in letters of nails on pieces of clay, carved in the Babylonian, Assyrians and others in the region of Mesopotamia between 2500 BC - 100 finally finished after worked for 90 years. University of Chicago announced on Sunday (05/06/2011).

"I feel proud and privileged have completed this project," said Martha Roth, editor of the dictionary project this ambitious and dean at the Department of Humanities at the University of Chicago who was involved projects since 1979. "I feel that this project is the foundation on how to run the other dictionary projects in the future," he added.

Meanwhile, Gil Stein, director of the Oriental Institute, University of Chicago who was also involved in this project said, "The Assyrian Dictionary is the greatest effort that I know of to systematically collect, codify and make the Akkadian language at the heart of textual records in his native Mesopotamia , can be accessed. "

In working on the project for decades, researchers fill millions of index cards with references to the use of 28 000 words. The collected words have meaning and refers to the context and how different usage. For example, in the dictionary that has been completed, the word "umu" which means "day" has the meaning and use described in 17 pages.

Assyrian Dictionary Project was started in 1921, initiated by James Henry, founder of the Oriental Institute of University of Chicago and the Middle East renowned archaeologist. Scientists found that the Assyrian language is actually a dialect of another Semitic language, Akkadian ie. Therefore, this dictionary can also be a bridge to understand the language of Akkadian.