Cuneiform exercises 1

When you are learning these signs, you may find it helpful to try some of the methods suggested on the Tips for Learning page. Before you try the exercises, you may like to look at the Akkadian language page on nouns and adjectives. The solutions to the exercises are all on a separate Answers page.

Signs to learn

Sign values that you will need for the Texts to read exercises are shown in bold.

Cuneiform sign Syllabic values Logographic values
π’€€ a A = mû, "water"
π’€­ an AN = Anum, the sky god
AN = šamû, "the heavens" (plural)
DINGIR = ilum, "god" (plural ilū or irregular ilānū)
d = the determinative before divine names
𒃲 gal, qal GAL = rabûm, "large, great"
π’„Ώ i
𒇴 lam
π’…† lim, ši IGI =Δ«num, "eye"
IGI = pānum, "face"
π’ˆ lum, num2
π’ˆΎ na
π’‰Ώ pe, pi;
wa, we, wi, wu
π’Š© sal, šal MUNUS = sinništum, "woman"
f = determinative before female names
π’…‡ u3
π’Œ‰ DUMU = mārum, "son"
in DUMU.MUNUS = mārtum, "daughter"
TUR = αΉ£ehrum, "small"
𒂍 E2 = bΔ«tum, "house"
in E2.GAL = Δ“kallum, "palace"
(which takes a feminine plural, Δ“kallātum)
𒇽 LU2 = awΔ«lum, "man, person"
π’ˆ¨π’Œ MEŠ (plural marker)

Phrases to read

Transliterate, normalise, and translate these words and phrases.

  1. π’€­ 𒃲
  2. π’€­ π’ˆ¨π’Œ 𒃲 π’ˆ¨π’Œ
  3. π’„Ώ π’ˆΎ π’€­ π’ˆ¨π’Œ
  4. π’€€ π’ˆΎ π’€­ π’ˆ¨π’Œ 𒃲 π’ˆ¨π’Œ
  5. π’€€ π’‰Ώ π’ˆ
  6. π’€€ π’‰Ώ 𒇴
  7. π’€€ π’‰Ώ π’…†
  8. π’€€ π’‰Ώ π’ˆ π’Œ‰
  9. π’€€ π’‰Ώ π’ˆ 𒃲
  10. π’„Ώ π’ˆΎ 𒇽
  11. 𒇽 π’ˆ¨π’Œ
  12. 𒇽 𒃲 π’ˆ¨π’Œ
  13. π’Š© π’Œ‰
  14. π’Œ‰π’Š©
  15. π’Œ‰ π’…‡ π’Œ‰π’Š©
  16. π’Œ‰π’Š© π’Œ‰π’ˆ¨π’Œ
  17. π’€€ π’ˆΎ π’Š© π’ˆ¨π’Œ 𒃲 π’ˆ¨π’Œ
  18. π’€€ π’ˆΎ 𒂍 𒃲
  19. π’€€ π’‰Ώ 𒇴 π’„Ώ π’ˆΎ 𒂍 𒃲
  20. π’€€ π’ˆΎ π’€€ π’‰Ώ π’…† π’…‡ π’Š©

Extra vocabulary

Content last modified on 22 Dec 2012.

Eleanor Robson

Eleanor Robson, 'Cuneiform exercises 1', Knowledge and Power, Higher Education Academy, 2012 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/saao/knpp/CuneiformRevealed/Learningsigns/Cuneiformexercises/Exercise1/]

 
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