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They wrote on wood. The case for a hieroglyphic scribal tradition on wooden writing boards in Hittite Anatolia

They wrote on wood. The case for a hieroglyphic scribal tradition on wooden writing boards in... AbstractThe wooden writing boards frequently mentioned in Hittite texts have given rise to much debate, mostly regarding the scale on which they were used and the type of script that was written on them (cuneiform or hieroglyphs). In this paper, the evidence for the use of wooden writing boards in Hittite Anatolia will be (re-)evaluated. It will be argued that they were used for private and economic documents, and that they were written on in Anatolian hieroglyphs. Important indications of this are the distinct terms consistently used in connection with writing on wood, which point to a separate scribal tradition. Further, the form and nature of the hieroglyphic script itself and the fact that it survived after the fall of the Hittite empire confirm that the script must have been widely employed. It is thus proposed that two parallel scribal traditions existed in Hittite Anatolia: a (lost) hieroglyphic tradition on wooden writing boards used for private and daily economic records, and a Hittite cuneiform tradition reserved for palace administration. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Anatolian Studies Cambridge University Press

They wrote on wood. The case for a hieroglyphic scribal tradition on wooden writing boards in Hittite Anatolia

Anatolian Studies , Volume 61: 14 – Sep 3, 2012
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Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Copyright
Copyright © The British Institute at Ankara 2011
ISSN
2048-0849
eISSN
0066-1546
DOI
10.1017/S0066154600008760
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

AbstractThe wooden writing boards frequently mentioned in Hittite texts have given rise to much debate, mostly regarding the scale on which they were used and the type of script that was written on them (cuneiform or hieroglyphs). In this paper, the evidence for the use of wooden writing boards in Hittite Anatolia will be (re-)evaluated. It will be argued that they were used for private and economic documents, and that they were written on in Anatolian hieroglyphs. Important indications of this are the distinct terms consistently used in connection with writing on wood, which point to a separate scribal tradition. Further, the form and nature of the hieroglyphic script itself and the fact that it survived after the fall of the Hittite empire confirm that the script must have been widely employed. It is thus proposed that two parallel scribal traditions existed in Hittite Anatolia: a (lost) hieroglyphic tradition on wooden writing boards used for private and daily economic records, and a Hittite cuneiform tradition reserved for palace administration.

Journal

Anatolian Studies – Cambridge University Press

Published: Sep 3, 2012

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