Evidence · Proto-cuneiform: the archaic texts of Uruk

Archaic lexical lists use NI as the oil/fat commodity sign

In the Uruk III lexical lists NI occurs mainly in the Vessels and Garments lists (NI alone 42, NI SU 18, HI NI 8, E2 NI SU 7), plus KU3 NI in Metal and AN NI in Cities. This fits NI as a commodity logogram for oil or fat (later ì) rather than a grammatical morpheme.

Suggestive0

What it means

Key questionWhen and how did phonetic spelling begin in Mesopotamian writing?

No answer ahead yet

Openunchanged

Part of itIs the archaic designation GIR3 NI the Sumerian name giri3-ni, with NI writing the possessive -ni ('his')?

2 answers, none ahead yet

Openunchanged

Answer this evidence bears onNI is a logogram; GIR3 NI is a designation

Supports1 for, 1 against

Still possibleunchanged

What it implies

The default reading of NI in archaic names should be ì (oil/fat) or a logogram, not the possessive -ni. The possessive reading has to account for the body-part pattern without the lexical lists backing it.For: Is the archaic designation GIR3 NI the Sumerian name giri3-ni, with NI writing the possessive -ni ('his')?
This slightly weakens the case for grammar being written in archaic names; the central question stays open.For: What language, if any, do the proto-cuneiform texts record?

Next steps 8

Context of counted GIR3 NI entries

Could decideGood odds~3 h

On: Is the archaic designation GIR3 NI the Sumerian name giri3-ni, with NI writing the possessive -ni ('his')?

49score

Details

Read the five non-name GIR3 NI entries (W 22135,0; IM 074298; MS 2427; MS 2443; MSVO 1, 217) in full context and classify each as person, office or commodity.

Specialist collation of the NI names

Could decideGood odds~6 h

On: Is the archaic designation GIR3 NI the Sumerian name giri3-ni, with NI writing the possessive -ni ('his')?

39score

Details

Collate on photographs the NI names (P006268, P005573, P006053, P006118, P006182 and the SAG/SZU NI names) and the five counted GIR3 NI entries (W 22135,0; IM 074298; MS 2427; MS 2443; MSVO 1, 217): is the sign NI, does it stand inside the name, and are the counted entries persons?

Specialist collation of the NI names

Could decideGood odds~6 h

On: Is the archaic designation GIR3 NI the Sumerian name giri3-ni, with NI writing the possessive -ni ('his')?

39score

Details

Have a specialist check on photographs that NI in P006268, P005573, P006053, P006118, P006182 and the SAG/SZU NI names is the NI sign (not a variant of a similar sign) and stands within the name, and whether the counted GIR3 NI entries at Uruk and Jemdet Nasr are persons.

Specialist collation of the NI names

Could decideGood odds~6 h

On: Is the archaic designation GIR3 NI the Sumerian name giri3-ni, with NI writing the possessive -ni ('his')?

39score

Details

Collate the NI names on photographs with a specialist.

Ranked by how likely each is to move the key question, for the time it takesAll 8 on the question

Sources 2

An archaic "prisoner plaque" from Kiš

Steinkeller 2013

SRC

Texts from the Late Uruk Period

Englund 1998

SRC

Cite it

Mysteries Department. (2026). Archaic lexical lists use NI as the oil/fat commodity sign [Evidence EVD0DG2Z43S52J8]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/EVD0DG2Z43S52J8

@misc{mysteriesdept_evd0dg2z43s52j8,
  title     = {Archaic lexical lists use NI as the oil/fat commodity sign},
  author    = {{Mysteries Department}},
  year      = {2026},
  note      = {Evidence, catalog key EVD0DG2Z43S52J8},
  url       = {https://mysteriesdept.com/r/EVD0DG2Z43S52J8}
}