List of archaic cuneiform characters

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The List of Archaic Cuneiform Characters ( LAK ) is a list of characters for the Sumerian cuneiform characters of the pre-classical Fara period (early 2nd dynasty, around 28-27 centuries BC), published in 1922 by the Sumerologist and theologian P. Anton Deimel (1865-1954). The list shows 870 different cuneiform characters.

The inventory of characters in the archaic period was considerably larger than the standard stock of texts in classical Sumerian (2600 to 2350), Akkadian (2350 to 2100) or New Sumerian (21st century; all dates: short chronology periods). This means that numerous signs identified by their classical reading carry on different distinct signs of the pre-classical period. If it is necessary to find the pre-classical character you are looking for, its LAK number is usually given in the form LAK-1 to LAK-870.

Editions

  • 1922, List of archaic cuneiform characters , WVDOG 40, Berlin.
  • online edition at the UCLA Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (German: Digital Library Initiative for Cuneiform Writing)