# Jacob L. Dahl 2025: The Early Development of the Cuneiform Writing System, and Its Regional Adaptation

> Jacob L. Dahl, 2025. 8 records on Mysteries Department cite it. Recent survey of proto-cuneiform and its adaptation (proto-Elamite), restating Englund's…

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[Sources](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources)[Proto-cuneiform: the archaic texts of Uruk](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform)Jacob L. Dahl 2025

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# The Early Development of the Cuneiform Writing System, and Its Regional Adaptation

Jacob L. Dahl, 2025.

**Proto-cuneiform: the archaic texts of Uruk** Chapter0

## What it's used for here

Recent survey of proto-cuneiform and its adaptation (proto-Elamite), restating Englund's case against Sumerian (no Sumerian-pattern names; numeral-before-noun syntax), dating the first secure syllabic signs to the Archaic Ur texts (c. 2900-2700 BC), and discussing Sproat's simulation and Glassner's divination theory. Oxford Research Archive preprint; year inferred from its latest references.

## Cited by on this site 8 records

[Rebus principle](https://mysteriesdept.com/concepts/CPT0DEDY1N5MN91/rebus-principle)

CPT

[Attempts to read Sumerian or Akkadian in the Uruk texts have not succeeded, and the texts' numeral-before-noun order…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform/evidence/EVD0DEDXMW830Y8/attempts-to-read-sumerian-or-akkadian-in-the-uruk-texts-have)

Evidence

EVD

[No secure phonetic spelling of a Sumerian word exists in Uruk IV, and the proposed Uruk III cases fail or are unclear…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform/evidence/EVD0DEDXMG7BY07/no-secure-phonetic-spelling-of-a-sumerian-word-exists-in)

Evidence

EVD

[Reviews of the proposed early rebus spellings find no secure Uruk IV case, and the first secure syllabic signs appear…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform/evidence/EVD0DEE9FRYCC0C/reviews-of-the-proposed-early-rebus-spellings-find-no-secure)

Evidence

EVD

[The sign shapes and the lexical lists continue without a break from Uruk III into Early Dynastic cuneiform, which…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform/evidence/EVD0DEDXMB7KHAG/the-sign-shapes-and-the-lexical-lists-continue-without-a)

Evidence

EVD

[The Archaic Ur texts show the first secure syllabic spellings, chiefly in personal names](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform/events/EVT0DEDQ9YQKVK5/the-archaic-ur-texts-show-the-first-secure-syllabic)

EVT

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

The mystery article

MYS

[When and how did phonetic spelling begin in Mesopotamian writing?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-cuneiform/questions/QST0DEDT8N8Y2GZ/when-and-how-did-phonetic-spelling-begin-in-mesopotamian)

Question

QST

## Cite it

```
Jacob L. Dahl (2025). The Early Development of the Cuneiform Writing System, and Its Regional Adaptation. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:4e617379-45da-444b-a9aa-1ca2d01f10bf/files/s9s161833v
```

[Find it at ora.ox.ac.uk](https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:4e617379-45da-444b-a9aa-1ca2d01f10bf/files/s9s161833v)

Key

**SRC** 0DEDK8RPEY2P

Kind

Book chapter

Rights

The publisher's

Kept

31 Oct 2026, for editors

Added by

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

The record

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