In a dimly lit office at the University of Chicago, Danielle Levy, an undergraduate student, delicately handled a clay tablet from ancient Nippur. The 3,500-year-old artifact told stories of students learning cuneiform script in Babylonia. Levy's fascination with these ancient objects grew through her study of Akkadian and led to an internship at the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures (ISAC).
Levy's journey began with UChicago's Core curriculum, which ignited her interest in Akkadian and Babylonian history. Her passion extended beyond academics as she worked on photographing ISAC's collection of cuneiform tablets and developed a plush toy named Tuppi to make Akkadian culture accessible.
“Object-centered work is just a different level of cool, and I’m so grateful that I can do that with my job,” Levy said. She aims to analyze literature alongside studying relics to learn more about ancient peoples.
Her intrigue with Akkadian started during her first year when she explored unfamiliar languages for her course requirement. Discovering Akkadian piqued her interest due to its resemblance to Mandarin Chinese, which she studied in high school. “I looked up pictures of the cuneiform,” Levy said. “And I couldn’t believe how cool these tablets looked.”
Under the guidance of Susanne Paulus, an associate professor and curator at ISAC, Levy delved into Mesopotamian thought and literature. Paulus praised Levy’s contributions: “She brings her enthusiasm and aesthetic perspective to the group.”
Levy’s role as a student research assistant involved photographing tablets for ISAC’s exhibition "Back to School in Babylonia." Her work contributed significantly to making these artifacts legible for researchers.
During this time, Levy learned to read directly from tablets under Paulus' mentorship. “She looked and said: ‘You can read this,’” Levy recalled. This skill enabled her to contribute valuable insights into Babylonian scribal education.
Levy also demonstrated the age at which Babylonian students began their studies by analyzing bite marks on tablets with experts’ help. Her findings suggested children started their scribal education around age 11.
Inspired by Squishmallows, Levy proposed creating Tuppi—a plushie resembling a cuneiform tablet—as merchandise for ISAC’s exhibition. Supported by Paulus, she designed Tuppi featuring a Sumerian riddle: “...One enters it blind and leaves it seeing.” The answer is "the scribal school."
Tuppi became popular among museum patrons and Assyriology enthusiasts alike. Paulus noted its success: “Everyone wanted one.”
Looking ahead, Levy plans to pursue a Ph.D., focusing on religious origin stories while continuing her studies in ancient languages. Reflecting on her academic path, she remarked: “I didn’t see how important understanding the ancient world would be... But now I do.”
Levy’s research assistantship was funded through UChicago’s College Center for Research and Fellowships.