(Lat. *cuneus*, a wedge), wedge-shaped. CUNEIFORM INSCRIPTIONS, a term applied to certain characters found inscribed on the bricks of Nineveh and Babylon, as well as on the buildings of Persepolis, Hamadan, and other remains of the ancient Persian monarchy. The researches of modern authors, especially of Colonel Rawlinson, have shown that there are three alphabets of the arrow-head character: the earliest and simplest, the Assyrian; the Persian consisting of 36 letters; the Median comprising about 100. Considerable progress has been made in deciphering the first, which promises to throw much light on the obscurity that has hitherto veiled Assyrian history, and seems to be the key to at least two distinct languages.