History of the Cuneiform Lexical Tradition

Lexical texts are lists of words and lists of cuneiform signs, developed by the ancient scribes to describe, transmit, and research one of their most treasured fields of knowledge: the knowledge of writing. The history of these lists extends from the very beginning of writing in the late fourth millennium BCE all the way to the Parthian period in the first century AD. This study investigates the development of the lists, their uses in ancient Mesopotamian scholarship and education, and their role in intellectual life.