The early development of the cuneiform writing system, and its regional adaptation
In this paper, I examine the early development of cuneiform writing in Mesopotamia and its regional adaptation in Iran during the late 4th and early 3rd millennia BCE. I trace the invention of writing through three key stages: the use of tokens and bullae, the development of numerical tablets, and t...
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| Format: | Conference item |
| Language: | English |
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National Museum of World Writing
2025
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| _version_ | 1824458984502853632 |
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| author | Dahl, JL |
| author_facet | Dahl, JL |
| author_sort | Dahl, JL |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | In this paper, I examine the early development of cuneiform writing in Mesopotamia and its regional adaptation in Iran during the late 4th and early 3rd millennia BCE. I trace the invention of writing through three key stages: the use of tokens and bullae, the development of numerical tablets, and the invention of numero-ideographic tablets. I argue that the invention of writing may have been a response to economic pressures and resource scarcity rather than a product of ever-increasing bureaucracy in successful, expanding states. I compare proto-cuneiform and proto-Elamite writing systems, highlighting both similarities and innovations in the Iranian adaptation. I discuss the standardization process in Mesopotamia, contrasting it with the lack of a lexical tradition in Iran. I also explore theories on why proto-Elamite writing became obsolete while proto-cuneiform survived and evolved. By examining the structural and content differences between proto-cuneiform and early dynastic texts, I demonstrate that the development of writing was not a straightforward evolution from simple to complex forms. I conclude by reflecting on the nature of early writing systems and their relationship to spoken language, challenging traditional views on the linear development of writing in Western Asia. |
| first_indexed | 2025-02-19T04:34:34Z |
| format | Conference item |
| id | oxford-uuid:4e617379-45da-444b-a9aa-1ca2d01f10bf |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-02-19T04:34:34Z |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publisher | National Museum of World Writing |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:4e617379-45da-444b-a9aa-1ca2d01f10bf2025-01-23T11:36:33ZThe early development of the cuneiform writing system, and its regional adaptationConference itemhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_5794uuid:4e617379-45da-444b-a9aa-1ca2d01f10bfEnglishSymplectic ElementsNational Museum of World Writing2025Dahl, JLIn this paper, I examine the early development of cuneiform writing in Mesopotamia and its regional adaptation in Iran during the late 4th and early 3rd millennia BCE. I trace the invention of writing through three key stages: the use of tokens and bullae, the development of numerical tablets, and the invention of numero-ideographic tablets. I argue that the invention of writing may have been a response to economic pressures and resource scarcity rather than a product of ever-increasing bureaucracy in successful, expanding states. I compare proto-cuneiform and proto-Elamite writing systems, highlighting both similarities and innovations in the Iranian adaptation. I discuss the standardization process in Mesopotamia, contrasting it with the lack of a lexical tradition in Iran. I also explore theories on why proto-Elamite writing became obsolete while proto-cuneiform survived and evolved. By examining the structural and content differences between proto-cuneiform and early dynastic texts, I demonstrate that the development of writing was not a straightforward evolution from simple to complex forms. I conclude by reflecting on the nature of early writing systems and their relationship to spoken language, challenging traditional views on the linear development of writing in Western Asia. |
| spellingShingle | Dahl, JL The early development of the cuneiform writing system, and its regional adaptation |
| title | The early development of the cuneiform writing system, and its regional adaptation |
| title_full | The early development of the cuneiform writing system, and its regional adaptation |
| title_fullStr | The early development of the cuneiform writing system, and its regional adaptation |
| title_full_unstemmed | The early development of the cuneiform writing system, and its regional adaptation |
| title_short | The early development of the cuneiform writing system, and its regional adaptation |
| title_sort | early development of the cuneiform writing system and its regional adaptation |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT dahljl theearlydevelopmentofthecuneiformwritingsystemanditsregionaladaptation AT dahljl earlydevelopmentofthecuneiformwritingsystemanditsregionaladaptation |