Reference API Composites

Composites

Composite texts are scholarly groupings of multiple tablets that together constitute a single literary work. They are identified by Q-numbers (e.g., Q000039), the CDLI convention for composite identifiers. Individual tablets that contribute to a composite are called exemplars.

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List composites

GET /composites

Paginated list of composite texts with optional filtering.

Query parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
language	string	Filter by language
period	string	Filter by period
genre	string	Filter by genre
search	string	Search in designation
limit	integer	Maximum results, max 500 (default: 100)
offset	integer	Results to skip (default: 0)

Response

{
  "items": [
    {
      "q_number": "Q000039",
      "designation": "Gilgamesh, tablets i-xii",
      "language": "Akkadian",
      "period": "Neo-Assyrian (ca. 911-612 BC)",
      "genre": "Literary",
      "exemplar_count": 73
    }
  ],
  "total": 4821,
  "limit": 100,
  "offset": 0
}

---

Composite detail

GET /composites/{q_number}

Full metadata for a single composite plus its list of exemplar tablets.

Response

{
  "composite": {
    "q_number": "Q000039",
    "designation": "Gilgamesh, tablets i-xii",
    "language": "Akkadian",
    "period": "Neo-Assyrian (ca. 911-612 BC)",
    "genre": "Literary"
  },
  "exemplars": [
    { "p_number": "P338432", "designation": "Nineveh tablet", "museum_number": "K.3375" }
  ]
}

Returns 404 if the Q-number does not exist.

---

Composite exemplars

GET /composites/{q_number}/exemplars

All exemplar tablets for a composite, without the composite metadata.

Response

{
  "q_number": "Q000039",
  "count": 73,
  "exemplars": [
    { "p_number": "P338432", "designation": "Nineveh tablet", "museum_number": "K.3375" }
  ]
}