Does Proto-Elamite record a language?
Most likely: proto-Elamite is an administrative notation recording quantities, commodities, persons and institutions…Ahead on the evidence, not yet confirmed. It needs two reviews to be accepted.
Where it stands
Three answers have been proposed. Proto-Elamite is an administrative notation recording quantities, commodities, persons and institutions… leads, with evidence 3 for: partly supported by its tests. Two are still possible. Of the two narrower questions under it, none is answered yet.
Why it matters
Proto-Elamite is the earliest writing of Iran. If its non-numerical signs encode speech, it is an independent or early-derived script and can in principle be read; if they are an accounting notation for commodities, people and institutions, "decipherment" means recovering the bookkeeping, not a language[1][2].
Answers 3
History
- Damerow & Englund: the numeral systems are fully understood and the content of many tablets (animals, workers, rations) can be…For: Proto-Elamite is an administrative notation recording quantities, commodities, persons and institutions…
- Dahl: most of the roughly 1,900 non-numerical sign forms occur only a few times, unlike a phonetic inventory.For: Proto-Elamite is an administrative notation recording quantities, commodities, persons and institutions…
- Desset et al. puts forward: proto-Elamite writes a language, probably early Elamite, with logograms and some syllabic signs.
- Desset et al.: desset argues Linear Elamite descends from Proto-Elamite, which would imply phonetic use of the earlier signs.For: Proto-Elamite writes a language, probably early Elamite, with logograms and some syllabic signs.
- Born et al.: numeral magnitude correlates with tablet content, which fits an accounting system organised by commodity.For: Proto-Elamite is an administrative notation recording quantities, commodities, persons and institutions…
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