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Elamite cuneiform was a syllabic script used to write the Elamite Language.
[edit] History and DeciphermentThe Elamite Language (ca. 3000 BCE to 400 BCE) is the now extinct language spoken by Elams who inhabited the regions of Khuzistān and Fārs in Southern Iran. [1] It has long been an enigma for scholars due to the scarcity of resources for its research and the irregularities found in the language. [1] It seems to have no relation to its neighboring Semitic and Indo-European languages. [2] There are only theories for its classification and even those are fiercely argued amongst scholars. There are three known writing systems for the Elamite language and they were written in a variety of mediums including stone, metal, and clay. [1] The first system is Proto-Elamite, a pictographic script that is thought to be derived from Sumerian cuneiform. The second is Linear Elamite, a hieroglyphic syllabary with some logograms. The third and most recent one is Elamite cuneiform, a syllabary adapted from Akkadian cuneiform. Although Proto-Elamite and Linear Elamite still remain a mystery, Elamite cuneiform have been successfully deciphered. Elamite cuneiform comes in two variants, the first, derived from Akkadian, was used during the 3rd to 2nd millennia BCE, and a simplified form used during the 1st millennium BCE. [1] The main difference between the two variants is the reduction of glyphs used in the simplified version. [3] At any one time, there would only be around 130 cuneiform signs in use. Throughout the script’s history, only 206 different signs were used in total. The earliest known Elamite cuneiform text is a treaty between Akkaddians and the Elamites that dates back to 2200 BCE.[1] However, some believe it might have been in use since 2500 BCE [3] The tablets are poorly preserved so only limited parts can be read but it is understood that the text is a treaty between the Akkad King Nāramsîn and Elamite Ruler Hita. Frequent references like “Nāramsîn’s friend is my friend, Nāramsîn’s enemy is my enemy” indicate so. [1] The most famous and the ones that ultimately lead to its decipherment are the Elamite scriptures found in the trilingual inscriptions of monuments commissioned by the Achaemenid Persian Kings. [4] The inscriptions, similar to that of the Rosetta Stone’s, were written in three different writing systems. The first was Old Persian, which was deciphered in 1802 by Georg Friedrich Grotefend. The second, Babylonian cuneiform, was deciphered shortly after the Old Persian text. Due to the fact that Elamite is unlike its neighboring Semitic Languages, the script’s decipherment was delayed until the 1840s. Even today, lack of sources and comparative materials hinder further research of Elamite.[1] [edit] Inventory
As it is a syllabary, much of the Elamite cuneiform’s inventory is comprised of V, CV, VC, and sometimes CVC glyphs. However, the use of logograms borrowed from Sumerian and Babylonian cuneiform became increasingly frequent as the system evolved. [3] Also, determinatives were used. The script distinguished four vowels and 15 consonants. The vowels were: /a/, /i/, /u/, and /e/. [4] The consonants were: /p/, /b/,/k/,/g/,/t/,/d/,/š/,/s/,/z/,/y/,/l/,/m/,/n/,/r/, and /h/. [3] The syllabic glyphs represented the syllables formed by V, CV, VC, and CVC combinations of the vowels and consonants. [edit] SyntaxElamite cuneiform is similar to that of Akkadian cuneiform except for a few unusual features. For example, the primary function of CVC glyphs was to indicate the two consonants rather than the syllable. [3] Thus certain words used the glyphs for “tir” and “tar” interchangeably and the vowel was ignored. Occasionally, the vowel is acknowledged such that “tir” will be used in the context “ti-rV”. Thus “ti-ra” might be written with the glyphs for “tir” and “a” or “ti” and “ra”. Elamite cuneiform allows for a lot of freedom when constructing syllables. For example, CVC syllables are sometimes represented by using a CV and VC glyph. The vowel in the second glyph is irrelevant so “sa-ad” and “sa-ud” are equivalent. Additionally, “VCV” syllables are represented by combining “V” and “CV” glyphs or “VC” and “CV” glyphs that have a common consonant. Thus “ap-pa” and “a-pa” are equivalent. [edit] Notes[edit] References
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