Proto-Elamite

Proto-Elamite is the oldest known writing system from the region that is now Iran. It was used in the early Bronze Age, from approximately 3200 to 2700 BCE. The script is thought to have been developed from an earlier pictographic system, and it is sometimes referred to as proto-cuneiform. Proto-Elamite is a logographic script, which means that each character represents a word or concept, rather than a sound. The script is thought to have had between 600 and 1,000 different characters, which were inscribed on clay tablets using a reed stylus. The vast majority of Proto-Elamite inscriptions are very short, consisting of just a few characters. However, some tablets are up to several hundred words long, and these are thought to be administrative documents, lists, or inventories. The meaning of many of the Proto-Elamite characters is still not fully understood, but scholars have made significant progress in deciphering the script. It is thought that the script was used primarily for administrative purposes, and that it was not widely used outside of the elite class. The Proto-Elamite script was eventually replaced by the Linear Elamite script, which was in use from approximately 2600 to 1800 BCE. It is not known why the Linear Elamite script was developed, but it may have been due to the increasing complexity of the Elamite language, or the need for a more efficient way of writing.