A new Sidetic vowel. Splitting a misread sign into two

Abstract This paper presents the decipherment of the new vocalic letter Y, previously misidentified as sign no. 2 e e due to their great formal proximity. After an epigraphic revision of the available corpus, the letter Y shows a clear tendency to rather represent a u-value in examples that allow for a reliable interpretation. This new reading helps to better explain a new Sidetic graffito from Egypt, resolves old problems in some cases, and provides new identifications. Unfortunately, other examples remain obscure for now. The u-vocalism of this letter also challenges our current understanding of the Sidetic inventory of vowels and semivowels, particularly regarding the closest signs nos. 5 u and 6 w. Their distribution is reviewed in general terms at the end, and a transcription is proposed for u and Y. In addition, this paper includes some important epigraphic revisions and an appendix with the Sidetic corpus revised according to the new reading proposals.