# Robert K. Englund · Person > Assyriologist; editor of most of the proto-cuneiform corpus and founder of CDLI; held the language unknown. In Proto-cuneiform: the archaic texts of Uruk. Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform/people/FIG0DEDPAB5K3MB/robert-k-englund Publisher: Mysteries Department Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page) --- [Proto-cuneiform: the archaic texts of Uruk](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform)[People](https://mysteriesdept.com/people)Robert K. Englund Person · in 1 mystery # Robert K. Englund Assyriologist; editor of most of the proto-cuneiform corpus and founder of CDLI; held the language unknown **1952–2020.** [Proto-cuneiform: the archaic texts of Uruk](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform)[4 events][2 sources] Robert K. Englund is american Assyriologist (UCLA), co-author of ZATU, ATU 3 and Archaic Bookkeeping, editor of MSVO 1 and 4, founder of the Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative, and the leading sceptic of the Sumerian attribution of proto-cuneiform. (1952–2020), and appears in the record of Proto-cuneiform: the archaic texts of Uruk as assyriologist; editor of most of the proto-cuneiform corpus and founder of CDLI; held the language unknown. Four events on the site involve Englund, from Green and Nissen publish the ZATU sign list (1987) to Englund argues from 440 personal names that the archaic scribes were not demonstrably Sumerian speakers (21 Aug 2009). Five questions rest in part on what Englund did or said, among them “Do the Sumerian readings of the later copies of the lexical lists carry back to the archaic Uruk III exemplars?”, which stands open: no answer ahead yet. Written from the site's records. [Improve it](https://mysteriesdept.com/developers) ## In the mysteries **Proto-cuneiform: the archaic texts of Uruk** Assyriologist; editor of most of the proto-cuneiform corpus and founder of CDLI; held the language unknown · 4 events [The mystery ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform) [Do the Sumerian readings of the later copies of the lexical lists carry back to the archaic Uruk III exemplars?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform/questions/QST0DEDT7V0PZBW/do-the-sumerian-readings-of-the-later-copies-of-the-lexical)Open: no answer ahead yet [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)Open: no answer ahead yet [Were the clay tokens and bullae the direct ancestors of the proto-cuneiform signs?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform/questions/QST0DEDT894EG53/were-the-clay-tokens-and-bullae-the-direct-ancestors-of-the)Open: no answer ahead yet [What language, if any, do the proto-cuneiform texts record?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform/questions/QST0DEDT73JJJ1B/what-language-if-any-do-the-proto-cuneiform-texts-record)Open: 5 answers, none ahead ## What Robert K. Englund did 4 1987[Green and Nissen publish the ZATU sign list](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform/events/EVT0DEDQQGDFMGN/green-and-nissen-publish-the-zatu-sign-list) with [Hans J. Nissen](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform/people/FIG0DEDPAS5FZ6R/hans-j-nissen) · [Peter Damerow](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform/people/FIG0DEDPB31WC8Y/peter-damerow) 1993[Nissen, Damerow and Englund publish Archaic Bookkeeping; Englund and Nissen publish the Uruk lexical lists](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform/events/EVT0DEDQQV68GRW/nissen-damerow-and-englund-publish-archaic-bookkeeping) with [Hans J. Nissen](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform/people/FIG0DEDPAS5FZ6R/hans-j-nissen) · [Peter Damerow](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform/people/FIG0DEDPB31WC8Y/peter-damerow) 1998[Englund publishes Texts from the Late Uruk Period and declares the language unknown](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform/events/EVT0DEDQR63X8QF/englund-publishes-texts-from-the-late-uruk-period-and) 21 Aug 2009[Englund argues from 440 personal names that the archaic scribes were not demonstrably Sumerian speakers](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform/events/EVT0DEDQRFZAK4F/englund-argues-from-440-personal-names-that-the-archaic) ## Worked with 2 [HJ **Hans J. Nissen** Proto-cuneiform: the archaic texts of Uruk ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform/people/FIG0DEDPAS5FZ6R/hans-j-nissen)[PD **Peter Damerow** Proto-cuneiform: the archaic texts of Uruk ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform/people/FIG0DEDPB31WC8Y/peter-damerow) ## Sources 2 [Texts from the Late Uruk Period](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDGX6K5549/texts-from-the-late-uruk-period) SRC [The Smell of the Cage](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDHS1CGJMA/the-smell-of-the-cage) SRC ## Cite it ``` Mysteries Department. (2026). Robert K. Englund [Person FIG0DEDPAB5K3MB]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/FIG0DEDPAB5K3MB ``` **RK** No free portrait found yet Wikimedia Commons is checked weekly Key **FIG** 0DEDPAB5K3MB Record Person Born 1952-03-29 Died 2020-05-24 Occupation corpus editor, numerical systems, language sceptic Identity American Assyriologist (UCLA), co-author of ZATU, ATU 3 and Archaic Bookkeeping, editor of MSVO 1 and 4, founder of the Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative, and the leading sceptic of the Sumerian attribution of proto-cuneiform. In [Proto-cuneiform: the archaic texts of Uruk](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform) Version 1 Added by [apollo](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo) **How this page is made.** The dates, occupation and identity line come from Wikidata (CC0); the portrait is a free file from Wikimedia Commons. Everything else is the site's own record of what this person did in the mysteries. The record Every record is open data. 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