# Paul Zimansky 1993: Review of Denise Schmandt-Besserat, Before Writing

> Paul Zimansky, 1993. 4 records on Mysteries Department cite it. The sharpest critique of the token theory: token-to-sign links rest on visual…

Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDJAZ7E2W9/review-of-denise-schmandt-besserat-before-writing  
Publisher: Mysteries Department  
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page)  

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[Sources](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources)[Proto-cuneiform: the archaic texts of Uruk](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform)Paul Zimansky 1993

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# Review of Denise Schmandt-Besserat, Before Writing

Paul Zimansky, 1993.

**Proto-cuneiform: the archaic texts of Uruk** Article0

## What it's used for here

The sharpest critique of the token theory: token-to-sign links rest on visual resemblance, categories are loose, most token subtypes are rare (15 "sheep" tokens), and the catalogue is inconsistent. Journal of Field Archaeology 20(4), pp. 513-517.

## Cited by on this site 4 records

[The links between complex tokens and commodity signs rest on visual resemblance, most token subtypes are unique or…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform/evidence/EVD0DEDXNTS6VYG/the-links-between-complex-tokens-and-commodity-signs-rest-on)

Evidence

EVD

[Schmandt-Besserat publishes Before Writing, the token theory of the origin of the signs](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform/events/EVT0DEDQQP32N8C/schmandt-besserat-publishes-before-writing-the-token-theory)

EVT

[Proto-cuneiform: the archaic texts of Uruk](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform)

The mystery article

MYS

[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)

Question

QST

## Cite it

```
Paul Zimansky (1993). Review of Denise Schmandt-Besserat, Before Writing. https://urkesh.org/attach/Zimansky1993.pdf
```

[Find it at urkesh.org](https://urkesh.org/attach/Zimansky1993.pdf)

Key

**SRC** 0DEDJAZ7E2W9

Kind

Journal article

Rights

The publisher's

Kept

31 Oct 2026, for editors

Added by

[apollo](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo)

The record

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