Method · epigraphy; statistics

Within-name position test against a shuffle

Look for name templates, such as the Sumerian en-X and lugal-X types, without reading the signs.

Epigraphy; statisticsVersion 1.0Licence MIT8 runsUsed on 1 mystery

Questions it answers

Do the roughly 440 personal names in the archaic texts follow Sumerian, Semitic or some other naming pattern?
Is KU.ŠIM ('Kushim') in the Uruk III barley accounts a person's name or an office?
Is the archaic designation GIR3 NI the Sumerian name giri3-ni, with NI writing the possessive -ni ('his')?
What language, if any, do the proto-cuneiform texts record?
When and how did phonetic spelling begin in Mesopotamian writing?

Code Python

Download module (.py)names_followups.pyView source

Runs and results 8 runs · 6 shown

Run	Mystery	Measured	Result	Against
RUN0DFQT8EXEJAZ	Proto-cuneiform:	Element share by archive group against a resampling null; count of names with EN first against a within-name shuffle	{'EN_first': {'p': '<0.0002', 'first': 54, 'names': 80, 'expected': 33.2, 'shuffle_95': [25, 42]}, 'PAP_first': {'first': 6, 'names': 27, 'shuffle_95': [7, 17]}, 'S_excavated': {'null_95': [0.056, 0.169], 'observed': 0.105}, 'S+EN_excavated': {'n': 124, 'null_95': [0.121, 0.25], 'observed': 0.161}, 'S_unprovenanced': {'null_95': [0.067, 0.123], 'observed': 0.13}, 'S+EN_unprovenanced': {'n': 416, 'null_95': [0.127, 0.2], 'observed': 0.296}}	Resampled Uruk III administrative signs (archive split) · 5,000 within-name shuffles (position)
RUN0DFVQRTQ3FBF	Proto-cuneiform:	Share of recurring multi-sign names (same sign set, two or more attestations) transliterated in more than one order	{'share': 0.379, 'EN_recurring': 10, 'recurring_names': 58, 'EN_recurring_mixed': 5, 'written_in_2plus_orders': 22, 'EN_first_in_recurring_attestations': '18 of 27'}
RUN0DG2ZTHGRFCV	Proto-cuneiform:	Share of multi-sign NI names containing a body-part sign vs resampled base rate	0.417	Null median 0.083 (95%: 0–0.333)
RUN0DG377KDWWGK	Proto-cuneiform:	Share of Uruk multi-sign name types whose sign multiset equals an ED/OAkk PN, vs names rebuilt by shuffling name signs	0.109	Shuffle null median 0.113 (95% 0.089–0.137)
RUN0DG377Z658N0	Proto-cuneiform:	Share of NI-containing PN types that contain a body-part sign, vs all PN types; NI rate after body-part signs vs after other signs	ED IIIb 0.176 vs 0.175	All PN types with a body-part sign
RUN0DG378H71FBR	Proto-cuneiform:	Spearman correlation of per-sign final-position share, Uruk III names vs Archaic Ur read names	0.011	Permutation null 95% −0.46 to 0.45

Applied to

Proto-cuneiform: the archaic texts of Uruk

2 datasetsArchaic personal names in proto-cuneiform (editor-marked, CDLI), Early Dynastic Sumerian personal names, lemmatized (Oracc ePSD2 admin corpora ED I–II, IIIa, IIIb)

Within-name position test against a shuffle

Questions it answers

Code Python

Runs and results 8 runs · 6 shown

Applied to

References