The Cuneiform Lexical Text “Word List Z”

Among the earliest examples of cuneiform writing, dating as far back as c. 3200 BCE, are 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 text to a lexical collection. The goal of this project, therefore, was to thoroughly examine this unique text and understand its place within the Mesopotamian lexical tradition.