Problems and Pitfalls in the Decipherment of Early Iranian Scripts

‘Throughout the millennia Iranian scribes, perhaps more than anyone anywhere else, have changed, modified, and created new scripts. This creativity, which is best understood as an example of ‘schismogenesis’, has led students astray on several occasions in the past.

In this brief talk I will highlight the difficulties studying the two partially deciphered writing systems from late 4th and 3rd millennium BC Iran, proto-Elamite and Elamite, while making some observations on the relationship between Iran and Iraq during the same period of time.’

We have reserved a lunch table in Hall for Cluster members to meet with our speaker Jacob Dahl, followed by his talk in the Levett Room at 1:15, catered with cake and tea/coffee (all welcome).