[en] Project VariGraph, based at Liège University since late 2023 under the direction of Stéphane Pollis and Laurent Colonna d’Istria, aims to study graphic variations in the three most ancient writing systems in the world: Egyptian hieroglyphs, Mesopotamian cuneiform, and Proto-Iranian writing, including its early (Proto-Elamite) and later (Linear Elamite) stages. The Iranian component of the project began in late 2023 under the supervision of François Desset.
The primary objective of the project is to analyze (and decipher) sequences in Proto-Elamite tablets that likely record anthroponyms. A key challenge lies in understanding graphic variations and determining whether two signs are allographs of the same grapheme or represent distinct graphemes. To tackle this issue, the project proposed beginning with a more focused and well-documented corpus: the Linear Elamite texts.
Linear Elamite is a writing system attested in southeastern Iran, dating from at least 2300 to 1880 BCE. Recent discoveries suggest that it represents the later stage of the much older Proto-Elamite tablets (3300–3000 BCE). Its decipherment has revealed that it is a purely phonetic writing system—an alpha-syllabary organized around a phonetic grid comprising 5 vowels, 12 consonants, and 60 syllabic values. The 45 known texts written in this script are in the Elamite language, greatly enhancing our understanding of the earliest attested phase of this isolated language.
Derived from the Thot Sign List (https://thotsignlist.org/), established in 2015, the Linear Elamite database was created in 2024 and updated through mid-2025. This database, which contains more than 2,000 tokens documented in 45 inscriptions to date, facilitates the study of graphic variations across parameters such as geography, time period, and material. It also includes linguistic data, such as transliteration, transcription, glosses, and translations in English, French, and Persian.
Disciplines :
History
Author, co-author :
Desset, François ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences de l'antiquité ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences de l'antiquité > Assyriologie ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Mondes anciens ; Archéorient (UMR 5133, Lyon) ; Université de Téhéran
Colonna d'Istria, Laurent ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences de l'antiquité > Assyriologie
Language :
English
Title :
Studying Graphic Variations: A New Online Database for Linear Elamite
Publication date :
08 July 2025
Event name :
70ème Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale
Event organizer :
Institute of Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Faculty of Arts, Charles University
Event place :
Prague, Czechia
Event date :
7/07/2025 à 11/07/2025
Audience :
International
References of the abstract :
Project VariGraph, based at Liège University since late 2023 under the direction of Stéphane Pollis and Laurent Colonna d’Istria, aims to study graphic variations in the three most ancient writing systems in the world: Egyptian hieroglyphs, Mesopotamian cuneiform, and Proto-Iranian writing, including its early (Proto-Elamite) and later (Linear Elamite) stages. The Iranian component of the project began in late 2023 under the supervision of François Desset.
The primary objective of the project is to analyze (and decipher) sequences in Proto-Elamite tablets that likely record anthroponyms. A key challenge lies in understanding graphic variations and determining whether two signs are allographs of the same grapheme or represent distinct graphemes. To tackle this issue, the project proposed beginning with a more focused and well-documented corpus: the Linear Elamite texts.
Linear Elamite is a writing system attested in southeastern Iran, dating from at least 2300 to 1880 BCE. Recent discoveries suggest that it represents the later stage of the much older Proto-Elamite tablets (3300–3000 BCE). Its decipherment has revealed that it is a purely phonetic writing system—an alpha-syllabary organized around a phonetic grid comprising 5 vowels, 12 consonants, and 60 syllabic values. The 45 known texts written in this script are in the Elamite language, greatly enhancing our understanding of the earliest attested phase of this isolated language.
Derived from the Thot Sign List (https://thotsignlist.org/), established in 2015, the Linear Elamite database was created in 2024 and updated through mid-2025. This database, which contains more than 2,000 tokens documented in 45 inscriptions to date, facilitates the study of graphic variations across parameters such as geography, time period, and material. It also includes linguistic data, such as transliteration, transcription, glosses, and translations in English, French, and Persian.
