Mandaic Letter Att

It marks the emphatic t, made with extra narrowing farther back. The Mandaic att letter is usually transliterated ṭ. It differs from the separate plain-t letter ࡕ.

The script developed over time. Unicode dates its development between the second and seventh centuries CE; Charles G. Häberl's comparative study argues for a late-Parthian origin specifically in the second century CE.

Why was the Mandaic script made?

It was made to write the Eastern Aramaic used in Mandaean religious life. The script carried prayers, ritual instructions and sacred books. In Mandaean manuscript culture, writing itself could also be treated as sacred or magical practice.

Dateable magical texts from Mesopotamia survive on bowls and lead tablets from the third or fourth centuries CE. Classical Mandaic religious literature is attested from the seventh or eighth centuries onward. In modern Neo-Mandaic, writing is generally limited to personal letters and colophons, short notes at the ends of manuscripts.

Mandaic script has documented connections to Aramaic writing: possible lines of development include cursive Aramaic, as in Syriac, and Parthian chancery writing, used for official records. Comparative studies find close affinities with Elymaean and Characene scripts. Its letter order follows Hebrew and other Aramaic traditions.

How do I type Mandaic letter att?

Use a Unicode input method for your platform. In Word or Outlook on Windows, type 0848 and press Alt+X. On macOS, enable Unicode Hex Input, switch to it, hold Option, and type 0848. On Linux/GTK, press Ctrl+Shift+U, type 0848, then Space or Enter. A phone may need a Unicode keyboard.

A font without Mandaic coverage may show a square instead. Mandaic text runs right to left, and this letter can join on both sides.

A following Mandaic Affrication Mark forms ࡈ࡙, a sequence used for an extended or foreign sound.