The Cuneiform Lexical Text “Word List Z”

Among the earliest examples of cuneiform writing, dating as far back as c. 3200 BCE, are examples of written texts called lexical lists. These texts are essentially inventories arranged around a common theme, such as place names, animals and plants, professions, or similar topics. One such text that appears in the cuneiform record in the middle of the third millennium, c. 2600 BCE, is known as Word List Z. To date, the text has been poorly studied, and suggestions for the interpretation of this text have ranged from literary to a lexical collection, but the text has only been given cursory treatments which have yet to fully elucidate the contents of the text. The goal of this project, therefore, is to do a detailed investigation of this unique text and understand its place within the Mesopotamian lexical tradition.  The project will involve reconstructing the text from its extant manuscripts, an edition, translation, and commentary on the text and its structure. In addition, the research will include a discussion of the transmission of the text, by studying the changes to orthography, syntax, and additions or omissions within the text. A thorough treatment of this fascinating text will contribute to our understanding of early intellectual texts in ancient Mesopotamia as a new detailed study of a scholarly text, its composition and transmission in the cuneiform record, and what that can tell us about the intellectual history of Mesopotamia. 

This project is funded by the Fritz Thyssen Stiftung für Wissenschaftsförderung.