Reading Cuneiform

The Akkadian counting system

The cuneiform counting system is relatively simple, probably easier for most of us than Roman numerals

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Akkadian Plurals

The cuneiform symbol above is ‘mes’. Mes is used at the end of a word to pluralise something. It is the equivalent of ‘s’ at the end of many words in English.

Akkadian words

We have created some interactive exercises through the medium of Quizlet, an on-line educational platform used by millions of students. These exercises give you the cuneiform and English versions of around a dozen basic words and phrases. There are several different types of vocabulary activities and games you can play. You choose what type of activity you want to choose by clicking on an icon in the top bar.

You will be using both the numbers and the words you have learnt in later exercises.

We’ll be using words written in Old Babylonian Akkadian. This language was spoken and written in the cuneiform script in southern Mesopotamia during the first half of the second millennium BCE.