Cuneiform Numeric Sign Elamite Forty

It marks a quantity conventionally read as forty.

The sign belongs to Elamite cuneiform, which adapted the broader Mesopotamian writing tradition. The earliest related Elamite numerical evidence comes from Proto-Elamite administrative tablets around 3100–2900 BCE. Their entries pair item signs with numerals and sometimes give totals; much of Proto-Elamite remains undeciphered, so surrounding tablet entries matter more than a one-sign gloss.

Why isn't forty always the full value?

The sign's label does not settle the number's full value.

Proto-Elamite tablets use sexagesimal notation (grouped in sixties), bisexagesimal notation (grouped in 120s), and decimal notation (grouped in tens). The counted unit—such as people, objects, or grain capacity—also matters. Related cuneiform numerals were reused across systems, so read this as an Elamite numeral sign first; the surrounding notation decides whether plain 40 is the right translation.

How do I type 𒑧?

Use Unicode input for the exact sign.

Enter the code point shown in the page facts through your editor's Unicode input; typing 40 inserts ordinary digits. A numeric transliteration can lose the sign type and omit the counting system. If the result is a box or an unfamiliar style, switch to a font that supports cuneiform before assuming the text changed.