"'Firing Holes': New Perspectives on an Old Question"

The aim of this contribution is firstly to review the emergence and use of the term "firing holes" in Assyriological literature, assessing all the hypotheses which have been put forward over time in order to explain the meaning of these marks on cuneiform tablets. Then, building on the results of a preliminary investigation of a small sample of tablets with holes belonging to the collections of the British Museum, the authors suggest how a different approach to the topic may help to elucidate the reasons for the use of these marks on the tablets.