Advances in Ancient Script Recognition and Decipherment

The field of ancient script recognition and decipherment is experiencing significant advancements, driven by the application of deep learning techniques and the development of specialized methods to address unique challenges. Researchers are exploring innovative approaches to automate the recognition and interpretation of ancient scripts, such as Greek papyri and Oracle Bone Script, which are vital carriers of human civilization and embed invaluable historical and cultural information. A key direction in this field is the development of image processing and analysis techniques to enhance the quality and readability of ancient script images, which often suffer from degradation and non-uniform backgrounds. Another important area of research is the creation of open-source tools and platforms for optical character recognition and writer identification, which can facilitate large-scale interpretation and advance research in archaeology and digital humanities. Noteworthy papers in this area include:

  • OracleFusion, which proposes a novel two-stage semantic typography framework to assist in the decipherment of Oracle Bone Script, and
  • Logios, an open-source Greek Polytonic Optical Character Recognition system that leverages convolutional and recurrent layers to address the unique challenges posed by Greek polytonic scripts.

Sources

Assessing the impact of Binarization for Writer Identification in Greek Papyrus

Ancient Script Image Recognition and Processing: A Review

OracleFusion: Assisting the Decipherment of Oracle Bone Script with Structurally Constrained Semantic Typography

Logios : An open source Greek Polytonic Optical Character Recognition system

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