Run · Proto-cuneiform: the archaic texts of Uruk
Sign position in names: Uruk III vs read Archaic Ur, plus order rigidity with proto-Elamite
Proto-Elamite ATF: CDLI search export, period Proto-Elamite, 1,597 texts, 3,302 multi-sign entries (M-signs, variants stripped). Its 0.85 rigidity, against 0.77 for Uruk III, fits Dahl's view that proto-Elamite writes owners partly syllabically [@dahl2009iran], but entries were not split by type.
Result
| Run | Measured | Result | Against | Decision | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Run | 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 | Linguistic order in names appears with Archaic Ur; Uruk III name order is habitual but not Sumerian syntax. |
What it used and found
DAT
Phonetic spelling begins at Archaic Ur, c. 2900 BC
ANSAnswer it tests
Sign order in names becomes linguistic in Archaic Ur, not before
EVDEvidence it produced
Figures 1
Figure 1
Name sign order is near-fixed by Archaic Ur, looser in Uruk III
Share of co-occurring sign pairs written in their dominant order (pairs seen 3+ times)
pair-order rigidity
Drawn by the site
Cite it
Mysteries Department. (2026). Sign position in names: Uruk III vs read Archaic Ur, plus order rigidity with proto-Elamite [Run RUN0DG378H71FBR]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/RUN0DG378H71FBR
@misc{mysteriesdept_run0dg378h71fbr,
title = {Sign position in names: Uruk III vs read Archaic Ur, plus order rigidity with proto-Elamite},
author = {{Mysteries Department}},
year = {2026},
note = {Run, catalog key RUN0DG378H71FBR},
url = {https://mysteriesdept.com/r/RUN0DG378H71FBR}
}