Cuneiform Luwian

language

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July 16, 2026

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Cuneiform Luwian was an ancient language spoken in southern Anatolia and northern Syria, primarily documented in Hittite cuneiform archives from Hattusa between the 16th and 13th centuries BCE. It is one of two closely related forms of the Luwian language, the other being Hieroglyphic Luwian. Cuneiform Luwian appears in ritual passages and as loanwords within Hittite texts. While Hieroglyphic Luwian is more extensively attested, research indicates that both forms represent similar dialects whose exact relationship requires further study. The vocabulary of Luwian remains partially unknown, but its connection to Hittite, Palaic, Lycian, and Lydian languages is supported by linguistic similarities.12

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Luwian language
…Boğazköy, Turkey) include examples where Cuneiform Luwian incantations were inserted into Hittite rituals. There are also many Luwianisms scattered throughout the Hittite cuneiform texts, both as foreign words and as genuine loanwords adopted into the Hittite language.
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…Boğazköy, Turkey) include examples where Cuneiform Luwian incantations were inserted into Hittite rituals. There are also many Luwianisms scattered throughout the Hittite cuneiform texts, both as foreign words and as genuine loanwords adopted into the Hittite language.
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