Hieroglyphic Luwian

E38329

Anatolian language Indo-European language extinct language language

Hieroglyphic Luwian is an extinct Anatolian Indo-European language known from inscriptions written in a distinctive hieroglyphic script used in Bronze and Iron Age Anatolia and northern Syria.

Try in SPARQL Jump to: Surface forms Disambiguation Statements Elicitation Referenced by

All labels observed (6)

Label	Occurrences
Hieroglyphic Luwian canonical	5
Anatolian hieroglyphs	4
Hieroglyphic Luwian language	1
Luwian hieroglyphic script	1
Luwian hieroglyphs	1
Luwian hieroglyphs (for some contexts and loanwords)	1

How this entity was disambiguated

This entity first appeared as the object of triple T294207 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.

NED1 Entity disambiguation (via context triple) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Hieroglyphic Luwian
Context triple: [Anatolian languages, hasLanguage, Hieroglyphic Luwian]

A. Cuneiform Luwian
Cuneiform Luwian is an extinct Indo-European Anatolian language once spoken in ancient Anatolia and written using a modified form of Mesopotamian cuneiform script.
B. Ugaritic alphabet
The Ugaritic alphabet is an ancient cuneiform script used in the city of Ugarit to write the Ugaritic language, notable as one of the earliest known alphabetic writing systems.
C. Proto-Canaanite script
Proto-Canaanite script is an early Northwest Semitic writing system that represents one of the first true alphabets and the ancestor of the Phoenician and many later alphabetic scripts.
D. Linear B inscriptions
Linear B inscriptions are ancient clay tablet writings using the Linear B script that record administrative and economic activities in Mycenaean Greek palatial centers.
E. Nabataean alphabet
The Nabataean alphabet is an ancient Northwest Semitic script used by the Nabataean kingdom, which evolved from the Phoenician writing system and later gave rise to the early Arabic script.
F. None of above. chosen
G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.

NED2 Entity disambiguation (via description) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Hieroglyphic Luwian
Target entity description: Hieroglyphic Luwian is an extinct Anatolian Indo-European language known from inscriptions written in a distinctive hieroglyphic script used in Bronze and Iron Age Anatolia and northern Syria.

A. Cuneiform Luwian
Cuneiform Luwian is an extinct Indo-European Anatolian language once spoken in ancient Anatolia and written using a modified form of Mesopotamian cuneiform script.
B. Ugaritic alphabet
The Ugaritic alphabet is an ancient cuneiform script used in the city of Ugarit to write the Ugaritic language, notable as one of the earliest known alphabetic writing systems.
C. Proto-Canaanite script
Proto-Canaanite script is an early Northwest Semitic writing system that represents one of the first true alphabets and the ancestor of the Phoenician and many later alphabetic scripts.
D. Linear B inscriptions
Linear B inscriptions are ancient clay tablet writings using the Linear B script that record administrative and economic activities in Mycenaean Greek palatial centers.
E. Nabataean alphabet
The Nabataean alphabet is an ancient Northwest Semitic script used by the Nabataean kingdom, which evolved from the Phoenician writing system and later gave rise to the early Arabic script.
F. None of above. chosen

Statements (51)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	Anatolian language ⓘ Indo-European language ⓘ extinct language ⓘ language ⓘ
attestedIn	bilingual inscriptions ⓘ inscriptions ⓘ monumental inscriptions ⓘ rock reliefs ⓘ seals ⓘ stone stelae ⓘ
closelyRelatedTo	Carian language ⓘ Cuneiform Luwian ⓘ Lycian language ⓘ linked to: Lycian Lydian language ⓘ linked to: Lydian
decipheredWithHelpOf	bilingual Luwian-Phoenician inscriptions ⓘ comparison with Cuneiform Luwian ⓘ
hasMorphologicalFeature	Indo-European verbal inflection ⓘ agglutinative case endings ⓘ
hasPhonologicalFeature	Indo-European-type consonant system ⓘ
hasWritingSystemFeatures	determinatives ⓘ logograms ⓘ syllabic signs ⓘ
ISO639-3Code	hluw ⓘ
languageBranch	Anatolian languages ⓘ
languageFamily	Indo-European languages ⓘ linked to: Indo-European language family
languageGroup	Luwian languages ⓘ linked to: Cuneiform Luwian
region	Anatolia ⓘ northern Syria ⓘ
scriptType	hieroglyphic script ⓘ logo-syllabic script ⓘ
standardLanguageCode	none ⓘ
subclassOf	Anatolian branch of Indo-European ⓘ Luwic language ⓘ
timeOfExtinction	1st millennium BCE ⓘ
usedBy	Luwian-speaking elites ⓘ Neo-Hittite states ⓘ rulers of Carchemish ⓘ rulers of Kummuh ⓘ rulers of Melid ⓘ
usedFor	commemorative inscriptions ⓘ dedicatory texts ⓘ royal inscriptions ⓘ
usedInPeriod	1st millennium BCE ⓘ 2nd millennium BCE ⓘ Early Iron Age ⓘ Late Bronze Age ⓘ
writingDirection	boustrophedon ⓘ left-to-right ⓘ right-to-left ⓘ
writingSystemUsed	Anatolian hieroglyphs ⓘ linked to: Hieroglyphic Luwian Hieroglyphic Luwian script ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (13)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Anatolian languages → hasLanguage → Hieroglyphic Luwian ⓘ

Cuneiform Luwian → closelyRelatedTo → Hieroglyphic Luwian ⓘ

Luwian polities → usedScript → Luwian hieroglyphic script ⓘ