Glossenkeil (Amarna letters)

The Glossenkeil (Amarna letters), is a form of the common glossenkeil—𒃵 used in the history of cuneiform texts. It is also named a winkelhaken; however the distinct "U" character in cuneiform–-(for the winkelhaken), has multiple uses (see u (cuneiform)), and winkelhakens are composed of the single "u", or a doubled version, one "u" above a second "u".

EA 365, a good example of the glossenkeil (Amarna letters), (line 8).
(very high-resolution expandable photo)

The glossenkeil (Amarna letters)– is a fore shortened version of the vertical diš (cuneiform)–, and is inscribed at a 45 degree angle.

Because the scribe's stylus is being used at an angle, (almost any corner of a stylus end could be used); if a scribe had two styli, of differing sizes, and both ends shaped for inscribing, that automatically implies at least ( 4 ) types of stylus tip impressions that could be made (from the two, double-ended styli). As an example of the stroke of a stylus, the Jerusalem scribe, in EA 287, has created a 4–stroke ri (cuneiform) sign from the 5–stroke, "ri" sign, by sweeping the left horizontal stroke, as the beginning of 2 strokes, and finishing the sweep of the stylus at the small angled intermediate stroke; (the Jerusalem scribe's stroke could easily be started in reverse order).

See also

• Amarna letter EA 245
• Amarna letter EA 252
• Amarna letter EA 282
• Amarna letter EA 287
• Amarna letter EA 364
• Amarna letter EA 365
• Amarna letter EA 147—(which uses the Winkelhaken glossenkeil)

References

• Moran, William L. The Amarna Letters. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1987, 1992. (softcover, ISBN 0-8018-6715-0)