Run · Proto-cuneiform: the archaic texts of Uruk
Archaic names against Englund's Sumerian name elements (pre-registered enrichment test)
The element list was fixed from Englund 2009 before any enrichment figure was computed; raw sign counts in the names had been looked at while checking the parser. The decision rule is in the docstring of names_test.py.
Result
| Run | Measured | Result | Against | Decision | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Run | Share of names containing at least one listed element, against a resampling null; token odds ratio with a tablet-cluster bootstrap | {'S_vs_B1': {'or_95': [1.09, 1.6], 'null_95': [0.074, 0.124], 'decision': 'NO PREFERENCE', 'observed': 0.124, 'odds_ratio': 1.35, 'null_median': 0.098}, 'S_vs_B2': {'or_95': [0.7, 1.38], 'null_95': [0.104, 0.159], 'decision': 'NO PREFERENCE', 'observed': 0.124, 'odds_ratio': 0.97, 'null_median': 0.13}, 'S+EN_vs_B1': {'or_95': [1.31, 2.2], 'null_95': [0.137, 0.2], 'decision': 'ENRICHED', 'observed': 0.265, 'odds_ratio': 1.8, 'null_median': 0.169}, 'S+EN_vs_B2': {'or_95': [0.79, 1.51], 'null_95': [0.215, 0.285], 'decision': 'NO PREFERENCE', 'observed': 0.265, 'odds_ratio': 1.11, 'null_median': 0.25}} | B1: 17,976 Uruk III administrative non-name entries · B2: 300 non-name entries on the 41 name tablets | Primary test (Englund's list S against the corpus baseline B1): NO PREFERENCE, at the upper edge of the null. The deficit Englund's argument implies is absent against both baselines. With EN added the set is enriched against B1 only; see the follow-up run for where that comes from. |
What it used and found
Figures 1
Figure 1
The archaic names carry Englund's Sumerian elements at about the corpus rate, not below it
Share of 540 editor-marked names containing at least one element, against 10,000 random pseudo-names of the same lengths; CDLI Uruk III–IV transliterations
namesnull mediannull 97.5th percentile
Drawn by the site
Parameters
nsim = 10000, names = 540, nboot = 2000, excluded = X, ..., numerals inside names, entries with no legible sign, variants = allograph suffixes (~a, ~b1) removed, elements_S = ['LU2', 'LUGAL', 'NIN', 'UR', 'AMAR', 'A', 'AMA', '|SAL.KUR|', 'AN', 'MUSZ3', 'NANNA'], name_tablets = 41, elements_S_plus = S + EN
Cite it
Mysteries Department. (2026). Archaic names against Englund's Sumerian name elements (pre-registered enrichment test) [Run RUN0DFQT81BSPP3]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/RUN0DFQT81BSPP3
@misc{mysteriesdept_run0dfqt81bspp3,
title = {Archaic names against Englund's Sumerian name elements (pre-registered enrichment test)},
author = {{Mysteries Department}},
year = {2026},
note = {Run, catalog key RUN0DFQT81BSPP3},
url = {https://mysteriesdept.com/r/RUN0DFQT81BSPP3}
}