/emeszida

SIGBOVIK 2024

Primary LanguageTeX

𒅴𒋃𒀀 (emešida) - "language of counting"

This project is an attempt to write a programming language using Sumerian cuneiform as defined in the Unicode standard [cuneiform codeblock](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuneiform_(Unicode_block\)). It is of course, (almost) completely useless but serves as an interesting thought experiment, and an opportunity to learn more about the fascinating history of the ancient Near East, in particular the cuneiform writing system and its associated languages (Sumerian, Akkadian, etc.). We submitted it to Sigbovik in 2023 as a farticle (farsicle-article).

Inspiration

The initial inspiration for this project came from قلب (Qalb) a programming language written in both the Arabic script and language. قلب was initially designed as both an art project and an attempt to bring attention to the issue of English-language bias in computer science.

NB: I doubt your default installed fonts have cuneiform signs in them (if so, that's amazing!). So to aid in seeing the code below please install one of the fonts listed under "Cuneiform Fonts" on this page