Cuneiform Sign E2 Times Mi

Itima names a shrine or chapel, and sometimes a sleeping chamber. The E₂×MI cuneiform sign also has the recorded readings gagig and niŋin. Neighboring signs, language, and period help settle which value is intended.

The complete cuneiform system is first attested at Uruk in the Uruk IV period, circa 3500–3200 BCE. The earliest located evidence for this exact compound is Old Babylonian lexical material, where it writes itima.

The word itima is also attested in Middle Babylonian, Neo-Assyrian, Neo-Babylonian, and Hellenistic periods; its recorded glosses include both sacred and sleeping spaces.

Is 𒂐 one sign or two?

It is one compound sign; 𒂍𒈪 is two signs in a row.

In sign-list notation, E₂×MI names one compound sign; × does not mean E₂ followed by MI. The sequence 𒂍𒈪 writes E₂ + MI as two adjacent characters, so it is not interchangeable with the single glyph 𒂐.

Another close lookalike is 𒃟, the separately encoded sign GA₂×MI. Comparative sign lists cross-reference the overlapping reading itima for both, but that shared value does not make the signs interchangeable.

Why does 𒂐 look different across fonts?

Cuneiform fonts can reflect different historical periods. Reference charts mainly show Ur III forms, while fonts may use other wedge layouts for other periods. A changed layout can reflect a period-specific design while the encoded character remains the same.

If 𒂐 appears as a box, the font in use lacks Cuneiform coverage. A font that supports Cuneiform can display the character.