Wedges as Auxiliary Marks in the Nuzi Sources

Ancient Near Eastern scribes used several nonphonetic signs and marks to improve the readability of their texts. One of these resources was the so-called Glossenkeil. This article presents the first study of the use of the sign, here called “wedge-mark” to avoid terminological bias in the analysis of its function, in documents from ancient Nuzi. Based on the analysis of a wide repertoire of sources, the article concludes that the sign only had a paragraphemic function and was used optionally. To understand how Nuzi scribes used the sign, other topics related to it are also discussed, such as indentation. Finally, the evidence from Nuzi is considered in the light of general ancient Near Eastern scribal practice.