Considerations on the History of Writing on the Iranian Plateau (ca. ۳۵۰۰-۱۸۵۰ B.C.)

Abstract: The Iranian Plateau is, in the late ۴th millennium B.C., with Mesopotamia and Egypt the birthplace of writing in the World. We propose here to consider the Proto-Elamite (Early Proto-Iranian) and Linear Elamite (Late Proto-Iranian) scripts, not as two different writing systems, but as the same system at two different chronological stages of evolution. Between ۳۵۰۰ and ۱۸۵۰ B.C., the continuous history of writing in Iran may be consequently understood according to ۶ distinct phases (I: ۳۵۰۰-۳۳۰۰ B.C.; II: ۳۳۰۰-۳۰۰۰/۲۹۰۰ B.C.; III: ۳۰۰۰/۲۹۰۰-۲۳۰۰ B.C.; IV: ۲۳۰۰-۲۰۰۰ B.C.; V: ۲۰۰۰-۱۸۵۰ B.C.; VI: after ۱۸۵۰ B.C.).

Keywords:

Iran , Bronze Age , Proto-Elamite writing , Linear Elamite writing , writing system , Hatamti