Klaus Wagensonner

Klaus Wagensonner specializes in Sumerian literature (MA thesis “Wenn Götter reisen …”, Vienna 2006) and (early) lexicography in Mesopotamia. His PhD at the University of Vienna (2016) was a study on knowledge organization in the earliest cuneiform record dating to the last third of the fourth millennium with its subsequent tradition up to the early second mill. BC. Besides a diachronic study of the available sources and their contents, Klaus introduces in his dissertation a methodological framework for the analysis of the arrangement of entries in the available lexical lists. A revised version of this dissertation will appear.

Letters dating to the Old Babylonian period comprise another research topic. Currently Klaus is finishing a volume on approx. 80 unpublished letters at the British Museum together with John Nicholas Reid (Reformation Bible College; D.Phil Oxford) with an edition of additional 80 letters belonging to an archive or group of archives at the ancient site of Kish in northern Mesopotamia. Between 2011 and 2015 Klaus was part of the Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI; http://cdli.ucla.edu(link is external)) while digitizing and cataloguing thousands of cuneiform documents in numerous collections in Europe and the United States.

Between 2019 and 2022 he was conducting the NEH-funded full digitization of the c. 35,000 cuneiform artifacts housed in the Yale Babylonian Collection. The images are being made available on the Peabody Museum Search Portal (https://peabody.yale.edu/explore/collections/yale-babylonian-collection) and other online repositories. Currently he is setting up a translation project, whose aim is to make the rich textual record in the Babylonian Collection accessible for a wider audience.

As an Associate Research Scholar and Lecturer at Yale he is preparing two volumes for publication, one on Sumerian literary texts including hand copies and editions, as well as a volume on the lexical texts housed in the Yale Babylonian Collection.

Publications                                      

Monographs

(in preparation) The Lexical Texts in the Yale Babylonian Collection.

2025: J. N. Reid and K. Wagensonner, Letters from Old Babylonian Kish. Oxford Editions of Cuneiform Texts 16, Oxford.

2018: E. Cancik-Kirschbaum & J. Kahl with collaboration of K. Wagensonner, Philologie – Archäologie einer Disziplin zwischen Tigris und Nil. 

Edited Books                               

2020: A. W. Lassen and K. Wagensonner (eds.), Women at the Dawn of History, New Haven.

2019:  E. Frahm, A. W. Lassen, and K. Wagensonner (eds.), Ancient Mesopotamia Speaks … Highlights from the Yale Babylonian Collection, New Haven.

G. J. Selz und K. Wagensonner (eds) Orientalische Kunstgeschichte(n). Festschrift für Erika Bleibtreu, Wiener Offene Orientalistik 13, Wien. 2011 

G. J. Selz und K. Wagensonner (eds) The Empirical Dimension of Ancient Near Eastern Studies / Die empirische Dimension altorientalischer Forschungen, Wiener Offene Orientalistik 6, Wien.)

Articles

2024b: “Unchain Divine Wrath: Texts Concerning Amulets to Counteract Evil and Other Afflications,” in: Louise Hitchcock, Andrew Jamieson, and Caroline Tully (eds.), Plague in Antiquity. Ancient Near Eastern Studies – Supplement Series 65 (Leuven): 155–220.

2024a: “Rites, Music, and Banquets. Some Observations on Rituals in Sumerian Divine Journeys,” in: S. de Martino, E. Devecchi, and M. Viano (eds.) Eating and Drinking in the Ancient Near East. Proceedings of the 67^th Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale, Turin, July 12–16, 2021, Dubsar 33 (Münster): 462–82.

2023b:  ”Learning the Basics: The First Steps at School,” in: Susanne Paulus (ed.), Back to School in Babylonia. ISAC Museum Publications 1 (Chicago): 74–83

2023a:  ”When legal case becomes scribal lore,” in: M. Béranger, F. Nebiolo, and N. Ziegler (eds.) Dieux, rois et capitales dans le Proche-Orient ancien. Compte rendu de la LXVe Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale (Paris, 8-12 juillet 2019)Publications de l’Institut du Proche-Orient Ancien du Collège de France 5 (Leuven): 1003–48.

2022a: “Classifiers Between Euphrates and Tigris. On development and use of noun categorization in cuneiform script,” in: G. Gabriel, K. Overmann, and A. Payne (eds.) Signs – Sounds – Semantics. Nature and Transformation of Writing Systems in the Ancient Near East (Wien): 171–212.

2022b: “The Middle East after the Fall of Ur: Isin and Larsa,” in: K. Radner, N. Moeller, and D. T. Potts (eds.) The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East. From the End of the Third Millennium BC to the Fall of Babylon, Volume II (Oxford): 190–309.

2022c: “Another Sumerian model contract,” N.A.B.U. 2022/14.

2022d: “The list Lugal-me, some preliminary notes,” N.A.B.U. 2022/15.

2021a: “Two medical conditions at night,” Journal des Médecines Cunéiformes 37: 4–8.

2021b: “‘Both my Cleansed Hands’ – A New Akkadian Letter-prayer,” Altorientalische Forschungen 48: 150–158.

2020a: “Another Copy of the Laws of Hammurabi,” Revue d’Assyriologie 114: 1–14.

2020b: “Food: Its Gathering, Storage, and Consumption According to the Early Textual Record,” in: N. Borrelli and G. Scazzosi (eds.) After the Harvest. Storage Practices and Food Processing in Bronze Age Mesopotamia. Subartu 43 (Turnhout): 7–28.

2020c: “Expelling demons by the use of a fish and bird,” Akkadica 141: 115–125.

2020d: “From Demons to a Slippery Slope: MLC 1948, a new list of Sumerian terms and their equivalents,” Journal of Near Eastern Studies 79: 51–64.

2020e: “Larsa Schools: A Paleographic Journey,” in: E. Devecchi, J. Mynářová and G. G. W. Müller (eds.) Current Research in Cuneiform Palaeography 2. Proceedings of the Workshop organised at the 64th Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale, Innsbruck 2018 (Gladbeck): 41–86.

2019a: “Bilingual Šuruppak,” N.A.B.U. 2019/16

2019b: “A new reading to Old Babylonian Etana,” N.A.B.U. 2019/15

2019c: Jacob L. Dahl, Hendrik Hameeuw, and Klaus Wagensonner, “Looking both forward and back: imaging cuneiform,” Cuneiform Digital Library Preprints 14.0

2019d: “A new duplicate of a Sumero-Akkadian incantation,” N.A.B.U. 2019/43

2019e: “A new source of ‘Word List C’,” N.A.B.U. 2019/44

2018a: “Sumerian in the Middle Assyrian Period,” in: M. J. Geller and J. Braarvig (eds.) Multilingualism, Lingua Franca and Lingua Sacra (Studies 10: Berlin): 225–297

2018b: “‘If his chin is permanently slack …,’ a new collection of diagnostic omens,” in: S. Panayotov and L. Vacín (eds) Mesopotamian Medicine and Magic. Studies in Honor of Markham J. Geller (Ancient Magic and Divination 14; Brill): 801–832.

2017a: Eva Cancik-Kirschbaum and Klaus Wagensonner, “Abschrift, Offenbarung, Sukzession. Autoritätsnarrative in der Textkultur Mesopotamiens,” in: A.-B. Renger and M. Witte (eds.) Sukzession in Religionen. Autorisierung, Legitimierung, Wissenstransfer (Berlin & Boston), 33–54.

2017b: John Nicholas Reid and Klaus Wagensonner, “Let the Alĝar be Played: A New Manuscript of Šū-Suen B,” Journal of Near Eastern Studies 76/2, 249–264.

2015a: “Vessels and other containers for the storage of food according to the early lexical record,” Origini – Rivista di Preistoria e Protostoria delle Civiltà Antiche 37: 15–27.

2015b: “On an alternative way of capturing RTI images with the camera dome,” Cuneiform Digital Library Notes 2015:1.

2015c: “Turning the Laws of Ur-Namma,” Cuneiform Digital Library Notes 2015:3.

2015d: “A legal text at the Russell Library, Maynooth University,” Cuneiform Digital Library Notes 2015:6.

2015e: “A, B, C, … Word List Z,” Cuneiform Digital Library Notes 2015:8.

2015f: “A note on a new manuscript of ED Lu2 A and its colophon,” Cuneiform Digital Library Notes 2015:13.

2014a: J. N. Reid und K. Wagensonner, “My tooth aches so much,” Cuneiform Digital Library Bulletin 2014:3.

2014b: nam-dub-sar-ra a-na mu-e-pad3-da-zu … De l’apprentissage et l’éducation des scribes médio-assyriens,” in: L. Marti (ed) La famille dans le Proche-Orient ancien: réalités, symbolismes, et images. Proceedings of the 55th Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale at Paris, 6-9 July 2009 (Winona Lake): 457-479.

2014c: M. Jursa und K. Wagensonner, “The Estates of Šamaš on the Hābūr,” in: M. Kozuh, W. F. M. Henkelman, C. E. Jones und C. Woods (eds) Extraction & Control. Studies in Honor of Matthew W. Stolper (SAOC 68; Chicago): 109-130.

2014d: “Digitizing in the round,” Cuneiform Digital Library Notes 2014: 8.

2014e: “Šulpa’e Re-joined,” Cuneiform Digital Library Notes 2014: 10.

2014f: “Some notes on a Middle Assyrian letter,” Cuneiform Digital Library Notes 2014: 15.

2014g: “Lu2 A Again!,” Cuneiform Digital Library Notes 2014: 15.

2014h: “Elamites in Edinburgh,” Cuneiform Digital Library Notes 2014: 18.

2014i: “A note on the colophon of VAT 9487,” Cuneiform Digital Library Notes 2014: 19.

2014j: “Addendum to CDLN 2014:15,” Cuneiform Digital Library Notes 2014:24.

2012: Early Lexical Lists and Their Impact on Economic Records. An Attempt of Correlation Between Two Seemingly Different Kinds of Data-Sets, in: G. Wilhelm (ed) Organization, Representation, and Symbols of Power in the Ancient Near East. Proceedings of the 54th Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale at Würzburg 20-25 July 2008 (Eisenbrauns: Winona Lake): 805-817.

2011a: A Scribal Family and its Orthographic Peculiarities. On the Scientific Work of a Royal Scribe and his Sons, in: G. J. Selz und K. Wagensonner (eds) The Empirical Dimension of Ancient Near Eastern Studies / Die empirische Dimension altorientalischer Forschungen (Wiener Offene Orientalistik 6, Wien): 645-701.

2011b: New Light on ‘Sîn-iddinam and Iškur’, Kaskal 8: 11-42.

2010a: Early Lexical Lists Revisited. Structures and Classification as a mnemonic device, in: L. Kogan, N. Koslova, S. Loesov und S. Tishchenko (eds) Language in the Ancient Near East. Proceedings of the 53e Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale, Vol. 1, Part 1 (Babel und Bibel 4/1, Winona Lake): 285-310.

2010b: When I was going, when I was going. BM 15794 Re-visited, Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes 100: 219-242.

2009a: What is the matter with the numun-plant? BM 120011 Reconsidered, Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes 99: 355-376.

2009b: Non-textual markers or pseudo-written references. Some glimpses from the Mesopotamian field, in: P. Andrássy, J. Budka und F. Kammerzell (eds) Non-Textual Marking Systems, Writing and Pseudo Script from Prehistory to Modern Times (Lingua Aegyptia - Studia monographic 8, Göttingen): 33-67.

2008: Nin-Isina(k)s Journey to Nippur Reconsidered, Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes 98: 277-294.

2007: Götterreise oder Herrscherreise oder vielleicht beides?, Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes 97 (Fs Hunger): 541-559.

Reviews

2009 Rezension von J. Klinger, Die Hethiter, Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes 99: 409-411.

2008 Rezension von C. Mittermayer, Altbabylonische Zeichenliste der sumerisch-literarischen Texte (OBO Sonderband), Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes 98: 391-393.