This article explores the use of sign sequences (plene writing) in Hieroglyphic Luwian. It isargued that the vowel signs in these sequences are frequently used as space-fillers in almost all texts... Show moreThis article explores the use of sign sequences (plene writing) in Hieroglyphic Luwian. It isargued that the vowel signs in these sequences are frequently used as space-fillers in almost all texts dateableto the Iron Age. Space-filling explains the presence of many vowel signs commonly taken as linguisticallyvoid, and a new transliteration method is proposed to mark these space-fillers in a uniform way. It is alsoshown that many vowel signs cannot have been used as space-fillers. Rather, these signs are linguisticallysignificant and bound to express a phonetic feature. On a methodological level, this article considers how wecan meaningfully distinguish space-fillers from linguistically real plene writing, as both were not markeddifferently by the scribes. The last section examines space-fillers in greater detail: their chronological distributionand vowel quality are treated, as are some conspicuous and rare types of space-filling. Show less
