ladykrampus reblogged
I'm sorry if this has been asked before, but how do I learn how to read these characters?
I assume you mean cuneiform characters? The best resource I know of is the ePSD, where you can look up a word and it will show its cuneiform character or character combination. Other than that, I’d just say practice, practice, practice! Try writing them out, using flash cards, or translating sentences into or out of cuneiform.
Does anyone out there have good advice on learning the cuneiform writing system?
@mkpelletier has a good addition to this post, for those learning cuneiform languages other than Sumerian:
The best resource to use will depend on the language and era. Cuneiform is used in Sumerian, as you know, but it was also adapted for use in Akkadian and Ugaritic. There is considerable variation in Akkadian, where the language is broken down into Old Babylonian (OB), Neo-Babylonian (NB), Neo-Assyrian (NA), etc. If you are interested in Akkadian, a Semitic language see John Hughnegard’s excellent grammar. Cyrus Gordon for Ugaritic.
