# Harald Haarmann 2008: The Danube Script and Other Ancient Writing Systems: A Typology of Distinctive Features

> Harald Haarmann, 2008. 4 records on Mysteries Department cite it. Sets out the "Danube script" case and its criteria: negative identification (not…

Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDMKHPVANW/the-danube-script-and-other-ancient-writing-systems-a  
Publisher: Mysteries Department  
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page)  

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[Sources](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources)[Vinča signs](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/vinca-signs)Harald Haarmann 2008

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# The Danube Script and Other Ancient Writing Systems: A Typology of Distinctive Features

Harald Haarmann, 2008.

**Vinča signs** Article0

## What it's used for here

Sets out the "Danube script" case and its criteria: negative identification (not decoration, not potters' marks), asymmetric placement, conventions shared across sites, an inventory of basic shapes with diacritic variants (700 to 1,000 components), and the claim that a script need not be deciphered to be recognised. Journal of Archaeomythology 4(1): 12-46. Open PDF.

## Cited by on this site 4 records

[Haarmann reports that about half of Linear A's roughly 120 signs have close shape parallels in the Old European…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/vinca-signs/evidence/EVD0DEEAW1FZACE/haarmann-reports-that-about-half-of-linear-as-roughly-120)

Evidence

EVD

[Harald Haarmann](https://mysteriesdept.com/records/FIG0DEDQ6S2QXVJ/harald-haarmann)

FIG

[The Vinča signs](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/vinca-signs)

The mystery article

MYS

[Do the Vinča signs record language, a conventional notation, or neither?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/vinca-signs/questions/QST0DEDW2Y5RPT1/do-the-vinca-signs-record-language-a-conventional-notation)

Question

QST

## Cite it

```
Harald Haarmann (2008). The Danube Script and Other Ancient Writing Systems: A Typology of Distinctive Features. https://www.archaeomythology.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/2008-vol4-a1-haarmann.pdf
```

[Find it at archaeomythology.org](https://www.archaeomythology.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/2008-vol4-a1-haarmann.pdf)

Key

**SRC** 0DEDMKHPVANW

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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