# Assigning the numerical signs to sexagesimal, bisexagesimal, grain-capacity, area and time systems makes the totals on…

> Assigning the numerical signs to sexagesimal, bisexagesimal, grain-capacity, area and time systems makes the totals on hundreds of tablets add up, and…

Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform/evidence/EVD0DEDXNZJVPKR/assigning-the-numerical-signs-to-sexagesimal-bisexagesimal  
Publisher: Mysteries Department  
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page)  

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[Proto-cuneiform: the archaic texts of Uruk](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform)Evidence

Evidence · Proto-cuneiform: the archaic texts of Uruk

# Assigning the numerical signs to sexagesimal, bisexagesimal, grain-capacity, area and time systems makes the totals on…

Assigning the numerical signs to sexagesimal, bisexagesimal, grain-capacity, area and time systems makes the totals on hundreds of tablets add up, and new tablets conform.

Established0

## What it means

Key question[How many distinct signs does proto-cuneiform have, and which of the ZATU and CDLI entries are variants or compounds of one sign?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform/questions/QST0DEDT7GXF0VT/how-many-distinct-signs-does-proto-cuneiform-have-and-which)

No answer ahead yet

**Open** was No evidence yet

Answer this evidence bears on[The numerical systems are read](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform/answers/ANS0DEDW5TNCCE1/the-numerical-systems-are-read)

Supports1 for, none against

**Still possible** was No evidence yet

## Next steps 1

1

Compare Englund's CDLI sign list against ZATU entry by entry and record which ZATU numbers were split, merged or added, as a table.

~10 h

[On: How many distinct signs does proto-cuneiform have, and which of the ZATU and CDLI entries are variants or compounds of one sign?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform/questions/QST0DEDT7GXF0VT/how-many-distinct-signs-does-proto-cuneiform-have-and-which)

**—** not judged

Ranked by how likely each is to move the key question, for the time it takes

## Sources 3

[A "New" Proto-Cuneiform Tablet](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDKH1R8FPC/a-new-proto-cuneiform-tablet)

Nathan 2003

SRC

[Archaic Bookkeeping: Early Writing and Techniques of Economic Administration in the Ancient Near East](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDH93HGNQS/archaic-bookkeeping-early-writing-and-techniques-of-economic)

Nissen et al. 1993

SRC

[The Proto-Elamite Texts from Tepe Yahya](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D1P8SXC5Q5F/the-proto-elamite-texts-from-tepe-yahya)

D 1989

SRC

## Cite it

```
Mysteries Department. (2026). Assigning the numerical signs to sexagesimal, bisexagesimal, grain-capacity, area and time systems makes the totals on… [Evidence EVD0DEDXNZJVPKR]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/EVD0DEDXNZJVPKR
```

Key

**EVD** 0DEDXNZJVPKR

Kind

Evidence

Tier

Established

Found in

[Session 1](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform/sessions/SES0DEDZMVP66KE/session-1-proto-cuneiform-seeded-corpus-readings-and-open) · 31 Oct 2026

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