Objective
Sumerian is probably the earliest recorded language of humankind and its writings are among the most significant sources for studying the ancient Near East. It has been documented in the cuneiform script for over three millennia, from approximately 3300/3200 BCE to 74/5 CE. To date, however, a fundamental question in the field remains elusive: Why, if the last native Sumerian speaker passed away no later than the beginning of the second millennium BCE, did Sumerian continue to be used by the cultural and religious elite until the beginning of the Common Era? What was it about Sumerian that enabled it to trump Akkadian, Aramaic, Persian, Parthian, and many other languages of that time in the lottery of longevity? The main hypothesis of LASU is that Sumerian survived for so long because it was considered sacred. Two interrelated obstacles have prevented scholarship from advancing in this area of knowledge. First, Sumerian texts of the first millennium BCE, referred to as Late Sumerian, were often written in a bilingual for-mat, combining Sumerian and Akkadian, and are extremely challenging to translate. Second, modern scholars often consider this phase of Sumerian “corrupted” in comparison to the earlier stages, when it was likely still a spoken language. They therefore have tended to overlook Late Sumerian. Applying, for the first time, an innovative philological and religious-historical approach to tackle the longstanding puzzle of Sumerian linguistic longevity, LASU aims to apply a unique, language-order-based framework for deciphering Sumerian’s interactions with other languages of the multilingual ancient Near East of the first millennium BCE. The proposed study has the potential to open new vistas on the interactions among ancient languages, as well as lay the foundation for a ground-breaking understanding of how ancient societies dealt with multilingualism. Ultimately LASU is poised to establish a new subfield called “Late Sumerian Studies” within Assyriology.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-STG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
50121 Florence
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.