090 THE ANCIENT HlTTITES. 



many of thoiii into simpler, more conventional forms In' merely out- 

 lining them. With this is combined another mark of progress. The 

 signs of the older inscriptions are cut in relief; whether there are 

 exceptions to this custom can not be determined with certainty. 

 Those of the more recent are intaglio. This grouping of some inscrip- 

 tions as older, others as more recent, can not yet be supported by their 

 contents, but is based upon the following peculiarity: A close stud}' 

 of the inscriptions shows that the direction faced by the signs (notice 

 especially the faces) varies. In figure 1, line 1, the face is turned 

 toward the right; in line 2, on the other hand, toward the left. Since, 

 according to the process of the Egyptian hieroglyphic inscriptions and 

 the unmistakable indications of the Hittite inscriptions themselves, the 

 writing is alwa^'s' to be read in the direction of the faces, it follows 

 that line 1 runs from right to left, line 2 from left to right, and line 3 

 again from right to left. The inscription terminates with two-thirds 

 of line 3, and the fact that the left third, not the right, remains blank 

 shows that our arrangement is correct. Within the lines there stand 

 several signs below one another which are to be arranged from top to 

 bottom. Those inscriptions which by reason of the form of the char- 

 acters had been above designated as the older ones, with a few excep- 

 tions resulting probal)ly from special circumstances, always begin on 

 the right-hand top and strictly maintain this direction throughout. 

 On the other hand, in man}^ of the inscriptions which, on account of 

 the cursive form of their signs are estimated to be of a later period, 

 it can be observtM;l not only that they begin on the left-hand top, but 

 also that some signs no longer follow the right direction demanded by 

 the course of the lines. This may probaldy be accounted for l)y the 

 lack of practice in the use of picture writing, caused by the fact that 

 in daily life, as in Assyria and Babylonia, another simpler S3'stem — 

 perhaps the Aramaic phonetic writing — was already employed, in 

 addition, it should be noted that the later an inscription appears to be 

 I)V other indications the more apparent becomes the division of the 

 words by definite punctuation marks. There had probably already 

 arisen the need of punctuation marks to facilitate the reading and 

 arrangement, just as in the case of an Egyptian, who wished to learn 

 the cuneiform writing, divided up the words with red lines on the clay 

 tablet which he was studying. (See Der alte Orient, vol. i, pt. 2, 2d 

 ed., p. 5.) 



There have so far been found about 35 larger inscriptions, and to 

 these may be added a great number of inscriptional fragments and of 

 short inscriptions on seals, etc. Besides, hardl}^ a year passes without 

 new inscriptions coming to light. It can, therefore, be easily imagined 

 that the desire to know what these inscriptions contain becomes 

 more and more lively. But all efforts to decipher them made since 

 18T0, when the inscriptions of this sort for the first time aroused 



