Writing as Visual Form: Anatolian Hieroglyphic Seals from Emar

The paper examines a group of Anatolian Hieroglyphic seals from Emar, applying the notion of mise en texte to explore writing as a visual and spatial practice as well as a medium of linguistic expression. In the light of the concepts of Schriftbildlichkeit and operative iconicity, the study shows how Anatolian Hieroglyphic inscriptions on seals function as compositions in which form and material arrangement jointly contribute to the production of meaning and authority. Attention is focused on liminal cases, in which writing is graphically simulated or evoked but not fully legible – situations that highlight the gestural and performative dimension of the acts of writing and sealing. From this perspective, the seal emerges as a textual surface, a space of interaction between image, inscription, and spatial layout, in which writing operates not only through what it says, but also through the way it manifests itself visually.