Kleine Einfuhrung ins Hieroglyphen-Luwische.

• Author: Hoffner, Harry

Within the field of Hittitology Rudolf Werner's name is associated with his edition of legal depositions (German Gerichtsprotokollen), published in 1967 (Hethitische Gerichtsprotokolle, Studien zu den Bogazkoy-Texten, vol. 4 [Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz]). Like the earlier book, this one is modest in size, a scant 101 pages with ample margins and much white space. But for all its apparent sparseness and simplicity, it is a very useful manual. In its conciseness and clarity of presentation it reminds me of the introductory Akkadian Grammar by Arthur Ungnad (fifth revised edition translated by Harry A. Hoffner, Jr. [Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1992]), which served so many generations of beginning students in Assyriology, and of the Hethitisches Elementarbuch (Heidelberg: Carl Winter, 1960) of Johannes Friedrich. Both Ungnad and Friedrich knew how to resist the temptation to be verbose and to show off how much they knew about matters not essential to an introductory grammar.

In his foreword the author makes it clear that his book is not intended to replace the standard grammar of Hieroglyphic Luwian, P. Meriggi's Manuale di Eteo Geroglifico (Rome: Edizione dell'Ateneo, 1966-75) but is intended for persons interested in learning the basics of the Luwian language through independent study. Also acknowledged are suggestions made by specialists H. Eichner, J. D. Hawkins, M. Kalac, and E. Neu, who read the manuscript prior to printing. Since the work was completed in 1989, a few of the more important items which have appeared since then may be noted here and added to the introductory bibliography (pp. ix-x, 6-8):

Dincol, Ali M. 1990. Neue hethitische Hieroglyphensiegel in den staatlichen Museen zu Istanbul, Eregli, Karaman und im privaten Sadberk-Hanim-Museum. Orientalia, n.s., 59:150-56.

Dincol, A. M. 1993. Interessante Beispiele von Schreibersiegeln aus Bogazkoy. In Nimet Ozguc e armagan, Aspects of Art and Iconography: Anatolia and Its Neighbors, ed. M. J. Mellink et al. Pp. 127-30. Ankara: Turk Tarih Kurumu Basimevi.

Gonnet, Hatice. 1990. Les...