The Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI): A free database of all cuneiform texts

Abstract

Since its inception in 1998, the Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (https://cdli.earth) has become the global authority index for inscribed artifacts of the cuneiform world, providing an essential reference for a corpus of half a million historical documents that form an important part of the world’s written heritage. The CDLI infrastructure is now foundational to the study of the history of the pre-Classical Middle East and an exemplary resource for digital humanities scholarship in the field of cuneiform studies and beyond. The present overview offers a summary and an introduction to the research database that continues to form the core of its mission. We also describe related data collections that have grown from the primary tables of the CDLI over the years, and how these are gradually expanding the reach of the catalogue well beyond its original intent. Moreover, we review current features for data acquisition and download and how to contribute to and augment the database using the CDLI crowdsourcing interface. Finally, we review plans for the future development of the website interface and data model into a multi-language format, allowing Arabic, Farsi and Turkish-speaking audiences increased access to an essential part of the cultural heritage of the Middle East.