The palaeography of Anatolian Hieroglyphic stone inscriptions

The present article seeks to provide an overview of aims, problems, and possible lines of inquiry as suggested by the thorough investigation of one of the Anatolian hieroglyphic signs *439 (wa/i), one of the most frequent signs, and one characterized by paleographic variants. The paper defines the chronological and geographic distribution of the variants, thus offering it as a new criterion for the dating and provenience of Anatolian hieroglyphic texts. It also offers an interpretation to the development of this sign in the context of the general development of the writing system from the twelfth to the end of the eighth centuries BCE.