Cuneiform One-Third Sign, Variant A

It marks one-third in an ancient weight system. Cuneiform metrology is the writing of measured amounts. 𒑝 marks one-third of a mina, an ancient weight unit.

In Early Dynastic IIIb weights, 𒑝 meant one-third of a mina and 𒑞 two-thirds. Separate signs marked one-third and two-thirds of a shekel. A one-third sign alone does not identify the unit.

𒑝 belongs to a curved cuneiform numeral tradition. In the Early Dynastic period, scribes made some numerals with cylindrical tools and used them alongside wedge-shaped signs pressed with a stylus.

Why does the name say “variant form A”?

It names a historical form. “Variant form A” distinguishes this curved numeral; it is not a modern font style.

For an ordinary fraction, write ⅓ or 1/3. Those modern forms do not identify this cuneiform sign or its historical weight unit.

How do I type 𒑝?

Use a Unicode character picker or hexadecimal input. This specialist sign has no dedicated ordinary keyboard key. To type 𒑝, select it in a Unicode character picker or enter its hexadecimal value with an input method that supports Unicode hex; shortcuts vary by system and app.

If it appears as a box, the selected font may lack its glyph. The text still contains 𒑝; switch to a font with Cuneiform Numbers and Punctuation coverage.