Francois Desset
University of Tehran, Faculty of Humanities, Department of Archaeology, Department Member
- Near Eastern Archaeology, Iranian Studies, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Iranian Archaeology, Iranian Languages, Pre-Islamic Iran, and 38 moreProto-Elamite Period, Elamite studies, Linear Elamite, Elam, Jiroft Persian ancient civilisation, Jiroft, Konar Sandal, Writing, Writing Systems & Decipherment, Iran Archaeology, History, Anthropology, Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Landscape Archaeology, Mesopotamian Archaeology, Early Bronze Age (Archaeology), Elamite, Akkadian and Sumerian literature, Iran, Iranian art and archaeology, Undeciphered Writing Systems, Indus Valley Civilization, South Asian Archaeology, Elamite civilization, Elamite Language, Proto Literate Archaeology (Uruk and Proto Elamite Periods), Elamite Art and Archaeology, Elamite Calture, Indo-Iranian Linguistics, Ancient Iranian Religion, Ancient Near East, Ancient Near Eastern Languages, Ancient Near Eastern History, Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Ancient Near Eastern archaeology, Assyriology Sumerology Akkadian Sumerian Sumerian & Akkadian literature Sumerian Religion Mesopotamia History Ancient Mesopotamian Religions Cuneiform Ancient Near East Ancient Near Estern Languages Religious Studies, and Geneticsedit
La langue élamite est un isolat linguistique encore très mal connu dont le dernier locuteur est probablement mort il y a 1000 ans. Parlée en Iran depuis au moins le 3ème millénaire av. J.-C. jusqu'à 1000 ap. J.-C., elle a été... more
La langue élamite est un isolat linguistique encore très mal connu dont le dernier locuteur est probablement mort il y a 1000 ans.
Parlée en Iran depuis au moins le 3ème millénaire av. J.-C. jusqu'à 1000 ap. J.-C., elle a été redécouverte avec le déchiffrement de l'écriture cunéiforme au XIXème siècle. Le récent déchiffrement de l'écriture élamite linéaire vient de confirmer que cette écriture transcrivait également cette langue, qui se trouve donc de fait en situation de digraphie : deux écritures (cunéiforme mésopotamien et élamite linéaire iranien) pour une même langue.
Je fais le point ici sur ce que nous pouvons dire à l'heure actuelle de cette langue.
essentiels.bnf.fr/fr/livres-et-ecritures/les-systemes-ecriture/dafefafb-7917-494d-b030-e1fa7d6c4712-ecritures-liran-antique/article/0cc0c0be-a5b9-4006-a597-4a7ddf0c31e4-langue-elamite
Parlée en Iran depuis au moins le 3ème millénaire av. J.-C. jusqu'à 1000 ap. J.-C., elle a été redécouverte avec le déchiffrement de l'écriture cunéiforme au XIXème siècle. Le récent déchiffrement de l'écriture élamite linéaire vient de confirmer que cette écriture transcrivait également cette langue, qui se trouve donc de fait en situation de digraphie : deux écritures (cunéiforme mésopotamien et élamite linéaire iranien) pour une même langue.
Je fais le point ici sur ce que nous pouvons dire à l'heure actuelle de cette langue.
essentiels.bnf.fr/fr/livres-et-ecritures/les-systemes-ecriture/dafefafb-7917-494d-b030-e1fa7d6c4712-ecritures-liran-antique/article/0cc0c0be-a5b9-4006-a597-4a7ddf0c31e4-langue-elamite
Research Interests: Ancient History, Near Eastern Archaeology, Languages and Linguistics, Near Eastern Studies, Iranian Archaeology, and 13 moreIranian Studies, Linguistics, Iranian History, Ancient Near East, Ancient Near Eastern Languages, Elamite, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Iranian Languages, Ancient Near Eastern History, Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Elamite Language, Elamite civilization, and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations
L'écriture élamite linéaire (ou proto-iranienne récente), utilisée en Iran entre 2300 et 1880 av. J.-C., est le plus ancien système graphique purement phonétique au monde. Elle servait à transcrire la langue élamite, un isolat... more
L'écriture élamite linéaire (ou proto-iranienne récente), utilisée en Iran entre 2300 et 1880 av. J.-C., est le plus ancien système graphique purement phonétique au monde. Elle servait à transcrire la langue élamite, un isolat linguistique encore très mal compris et dont nous parlerons la semaine prochaine.
Vous pourrez comprendre ici comment fonctionnait cette écriture, selon une grille phonétique de 5 voyelles, 12 consonnes et théoriquement 60 syllabes, présentant de grandes similitudes avec la structure du linéaire B mycénien (Grèce/Crète ca. 1500-1200 av. J.-C.).
https://essentiels.bnf.fr/fr/livres-et-ecritures/les-systemes-ecriture/dafefafb-7917-494d-b030-e1fa7d6c4712-ecritures-liran-antique/article/e84116e6-30c7-45cb-9303-c8ab17e31bd9-ecriture-elamite-lineaire
Vous pourrez comprendre ici comment fonctionnait cette écriture, selon une grille phonétique de 5 voyelles, 12 consonnes et théoriquement 60 syllabes, présentant de grandes similitudes avec la structure du linéaire B mycénien (Grèce/Crète ca. 1500-1200 av. J.-C.).
https://essentiels.bnf.fr/fr/livres-et-ecritures/les-systemes-ecriture/dafefafb-7917-494d-b030-e1fa7d6c4712-ecritures-liran-antique/article/e84116e6-30c7-45cb-9303-c8ab17e31bd9-ecriture-elamite-lineaire
Research Interests: Ancient History, Near Eastern Archaeology, Writing Systems & Decipherment, Iranian Archaeology, Iranian Studies, and 11 moreHistory of Iran, Writing, Iranian History, Ancient Near East, Elamite, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Iranian Languages, Ancient Near Eastern History, Ancient Near Eastern archaeology, Ancient Near Eastern Studies, and Linear Elamite
L'écriture proto-élamite iranienne, utilisée entre 3300 et 3000 av. J.-C., a probablement donné naissance à l'écriture élamite linéaire, attestée principalement entre 2300 et 1880 av. J.-C. Découverte en 1903 à Suse, cette écriture... more
L'écriture proto-élamite iranienne, utilisée entre 3300 et 3000 av. J.-C., a probablement donné naissance à l'écriture élamite linéaire, attestée principalement entre 2300 et 1880 av. J.-C.
Découverte en 1903 à Suse, cette écriture était restée indéchiffrée jusqu'en 2017-2020. Je raconte ici quelles ont été les principales étapes qui m'ont conduit à son déchiffrement.
https://essentiels.bnf.fr/fr/livres-et-ecritures/les-systemes-ecriture/dafefafb-7917-494d-b030-e1fa7d6c4712-ecritures-liran-antique/article/279fea67-ff97-45cc-baf6-e0ba5ac3b9a4-dechiffrement-lelamite-lineaire
Découverte en 1903 à Suse, cette écriture était restée indéchiffrée jusqu'en 2017-2020. Je raconte ici quelles ont été les principales étapes qui m'ont conduit à son déchiffrement.
https://essentiels.bnf.fr/fr/livres-et-ecritures/les-systemes-ecriture/dafefafb-7917-494d-b030-e1fa7d6c4712-ecritures-liran-antique/article/279fea67-ff97-45cc-baf6-e0ba5ac3b9a4-dechiffrement-lelamite-lineaire
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Writing Systems & Decipherment, Iranian Archaeology, Iranian Studies, History of Iran, and 9 moreWriting, Ancient Near East, Elamite, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Iranian Languages, Ancient Near Eastern History, Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Linear Elamite, and Elamite civilization
Fin 2020 est annoncé le déchiffrement d’un système d’écriture utilisé dans le sud de l’Iran entre la fin du IIIe et le début du IIe millénaire avant J.-C. : l’élamite linéaire. Cette découverte fait écho à celle de Jean-François... more
Fin 2020 est annoncé le déchiffrement d’un système d’écriture utilisé dans le sud de l’Iran entre la fin du IIIe et le début du IIe millénaire avant J.-C. : l’élamite linéaire. Cette découverte fait écho à celle de Jean-François Champollion avec les hiéroglyphes égyptiens il y a tout juste 200 ans. Fruit d’un travail minutieux, elle bouleverse ce que l’on pensait sur l’histoire du développement de l’écriture dans le monde.
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Near Eastern Studies, Writing Systems & Decipherment, Iranian Archaeology, Iranian Studies, and 14 moreHistory of Iran, Iranian History, Ancient Near East, Indo-Iranian Linguistics, Ancient Near Eastern Languages, Writing systems, Elamite, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Bronze Age Near East (Archaeology), Ancient Near Eastern History, History and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, History of Writing Systems, Elamite Language, and Elamite civilization
Linear Elamite writing was used in southern Iran in the late 3 rd /early 2 nd millennium BCE (ca. 2300–1880 BCE). First discovered during the French excavations at Susa from 1903 onwards, it has so far resisted decipherment. The... more
Linear Elamite writing was used in southern Iran in the late 3 rd /early 2 nd millennium BCE (ca. 2300–1880 BCE). First discovered during the French excavations at Susa from 1903 onwards, it has so far resisted decipherment. The publication of eight inscribed silver beakers in 2018 provided the materials and the starting point for a new attempt; its results are presented in this paper. A full description and analysis of Linear Elamite writing, employed for recording the Elamite language, is given here for the first time, together with a discussion of Elamite phonology and the biscriptualism that characterizes this language in its earliest documented phase
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معمولاً در رشته¬های علوم انسانی، ازجمله تاریخ، بجز در موارد معدود، به سختی می¬توان به نتیجه¬ گیری قطعی رسید. رمزگشایی یک سیستم نگارش باستانی احتمالاً یکی از همین نمونه¬ها است. درمیان جدید¬ترین رمزگشایی¬های انجام شده در نیمهی دوم سدهی... more
معمولاً در رشته¬های علوم انسانی، ازجمله تاریخ، بجز در موارد معدود، به سختی می¬توان به نتیجه¬ گیری قطعی رسید. رمزگشایی یک سیستم نگارش باستانی احتمالاً یکی از همین نمونه¬ها است. درمیان جدید¬ترین رمزگشایی¬های انجام شده در نیمهی دوم سدهی بیستم می¬توان به سیستم نگارش میسِنی خطیB ( تمدن باستانی در نیمه¬ی دوم هزاره¬ی دوم در یونان و جزیره کرت ) در دههی ۱۹۵۰ میلادی توسط A. Kober، M.Ventris و J. Chadwick، خط گلیف¬های مایا ( سیستم نوشتاری قوم مایا در مکزیک ) توسط Y. Knorozov وT. Proskouriakoff و همچنین هیروگلیف¬های لووی/آناتولی توسط I. Gelb،P. Meriggi ،E. Laroche ، D. Hawkins وA. Morpugo-Davies اشاره کرد. هم¬اکنون ما می¬توانیم سیستم نگارش ایرانیِ مهمی که برمبنای دانش کنونی میان سال¬های ۲۳۰۰ تا ۱۸۸۰ پیش از میلاد در جنوب ایران استفاده می¬شده است، را به این فهرست اضافه کنیم: نگارش عیلامی خطی (نگاه کنید به تصویر¬های ۱ و ۲(.
Research Interests: Ancient History, Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Near Eastern Studies, Writing Systems & Decipherment, and 15 moreIranian Archaeology, Iranian Studies, Archaeological Decipherment, History of Iran, Iranian Art History, Iranian History, Ancient Near East, Elamite, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Ancient Near Eastern History, Ancient Near Eastern archaeology, Ancient Iran, Linear Elamite, Elamite civilization, and Writing System Decipherment
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Nine Linear Elamite inscriptions are presented and analysed here, all written on gunagi type metallic beakers. In particular, seven of these vessels are part of H. Mahboubian's collection in London. It is proposed that the gunagi beaker... more
Nine Linear Elamite inscriptions are presented and analysed here, all written on gunagi type metallic beakers. In particular, seven of these vessels are part of H. Mahboubian's collection in London. It is proposed that the gunagi beaker type should be attributed to the late 3rd/early 2nd millennium BC while the names of the Early Sukkalmah rulers Ebarat II and Šilhaha (twentieth century BC) can be read among the sign sequences inscribed on some of them. The paper addresses the present understanding of Linear Elamite writing, along with typological, chronological and iconographic considerations on the gunagi vessels. It then presents an analysis of the sign sequences of the nine Linear Elamite inscriptions. This analysis leads ultimately to phonetic value identifications of some of the signs. This study is followed by a technical note on the chemico-physical examination of 13 samples collected from the Linear Elamite inscribed silver gunagi vessels of the Mahboubian collection.
Research Interests: History, Near Eastern Archaeology, Near Eastern Studies, Writing Systems & Decipherment, Iranian Archaeology, and 15 moreIranian Studies, History of Iran, Iranian History, Ancient Near East, Writing systems, Elamite, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Ancient Near Eastern History, History and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Iran Archaeology, Linear Elamite, Elamite studies, Art & Archaeology of Iran and Central Asia, Elamite Language, and Elamite civilization
This paper presents the state of the art concerning the decipherment of the Linear Elamite writing.
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Near Eastern Studies, Writing Systems & Decipherment, Iranian Archaeology, Iranian Studies, and 19 moreHistory of Iran, Iranian History, Ancient Near East, Ancient Near Eastern Languages, Writing systems, Elamite, Undeciphered Writing Systems, Elam, Old Elamite periods, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Ancient Near Eastern Art, Iranian Languages, History and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Ancient Iran, Iran Archaeology, Linear Elamite, Elamite studies, Writing System Decipherment, and Linear Elamite language
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The Bronze Age of South-Eastern Iran (the current Kerman and Sistan-Baluchistan provinces) can only be understood within the broader context of the Iranian Plateau. The Proto-Iranian writing system is attested in this area in its two... more
The Bronze Age of South-Eastern Iran (the current Kerman and Sistan-Baluchistan provinces) can only be understood within the broader context of the Iranian Plateau. The Proto-Iranian writing system is attested in this area in its two stages, the more ancient Proto-Elamite (PE), dated ca. 3300–3000 BCE, and the more recent Linear Elamite (LE), dated ca. 2300–1880 BCE. The area under scrutiny here is huge – 1255 km as the crow flies separates Susa from Shahr-i Sokhta . Such distances make it understandable that South-Eastern Iran has specific regional practices and graphic variants distinct from a supposed “Susian norm”. The Proto-Iranian writing system may therefore be considered to consist of a Western variant (Susiana and Fars) and an Eastern one (Kerman and Sistan). Furthermore, Eastern Iran was never subject to any Mesopotamian scribal influence, as the most ancient cuneiform texts in this area only date back to the first millennium BCE.
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Writing Systems & Decipherment, Iranian Archaeology, Iranian Studies, History of Iran, and 14 moreIranian History, Ancient Near East, Writing systems, Bronze Age (Archaeology), Elamite, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Ancient Near Eastern archaeology, History and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Ancient Iran, History of Writing Systems, Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Proto-Elamite Period, Linear Elamite, and Proto Literate Archaeology (Uruk and Proto Elamite Periods)
The Iranian Plateau is, in the late 4 th 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)... more
The Iranian Plateau is, in the late 4 th 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 3500 and 1850 B.C., the continuous history of writing in Iran may be consequently understood according to 6 distinct phases (I: 3500-3300 B.C.; II: 3300-3000/2900 B.C.; III: 3000/2900-2300 B.C.; IV: 2300-2000 B.C.; V: 2000-1850 B.C.; VI: after 1850 B.C.).
Research Interests: Writing Systems & Decipherment, Iranian Archaeology, Iranian Studies, Writing, Iranian Art History, and 13 moreWriting Systems (Languages And Linguistics), Iranian History, Ancient Near East, Writing systems, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Bronze Age Near East (Archaeology), Ancient Near Eastern History, Ancient Near Eastern archaeology, Ancient Iran, History of Writing Systems, Proto-Elamite Period, Linear Elamite, and Ancient Iranian Culture and Languages
In the Near East, the most ancient writing systems currently known in the world appeared at the end of the 4th millennium BC: the proto-cuneiform writing in Southern Mesopotamia and the proto-elamite writing on the Iranian Plateau. Both... more
In the Near East, the most ancient writing systems currently known in the world appeared at the end of the 4th millennium BC: the proto-cuneiform writing in Southern Mesopotamia and the proto-elamite writing on the Iranian Plateau. Both used for administrative and accounting purposes, these writing systems displayed important parallels, such as the numerical systems and the numerical value signs, and dissimilarities since most of their signs differed from each other. Because of the apparent break in the scribal tradition on the Iranian Plateau around 2800 BC, the proto-elamite writing did not give birth to any offspring which could have helped us in its decipherment, contrary to the proto-cuneiform writing and its heir, the cuneiform writing. For this reason, although it is known for more than one century thanks to the French excavations in Susa, the protoelamite writing remains still largely undeciphered and only the shared elements with the proto-cuneiform writing (such as the numerical systems) are finally well understood.
In the mind of the non-specialists, the Near East is usually reduced to (Southern) Mesopotamia. In order to render all the complexity of the historical context which witnessed the invention of writing in the Near East, this paper presents state of the art research on the Iranian Plateau and the important scientific corpus of the proto-elamite tablets.
In the mind of the non-specialists, the Near East is usually reduced to (Southern) Mesopotamia. In order to render all the complexity of the historical context which witnessed the invention of writing in the Near East, this paper presents state of the art research on the Iranian Plateau and the important scientific corpus of the proto-elamite tablets.
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Near Eastern Studies, Writing Systems & Decipherment, Iranian Archaeology, Iranian Studies, and 8 moreIranian History, Ancient Near East, Writing systems, Undeciphered Writing Systems, Ancient Near Eastern History, Iran Archaeology, Ancient Near Eastern Studies, and Proto-Elamite Period
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Near Eastern Studies, Writing Systems & Decipherment, Iranian Archaeology, Iranian Studies, and 13 moreHistory of Iran, Writing, Iranian History, Ancient Near East, Writing systems, Elamite, Undeciphered Writing Systems, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Iran Archaeology, Proto-Elamite Period, Linear Elamite, Proto-literate, Proto-Elamite, Central Iranian Plateau in Late Chalcolithic, and Proto Literate Archaeology (Uruk and Proto Elamite Periods)
Four tablets probably written in the second half of the 3rd millennium BCE were recently found in Konar Sandal, an archaeological site in the Halil Rud valley in southeastern Iran. Three of them are bigraphical, with a Linear Elamite... more
Four tablets probably written in the second half of the 3rd millennium BCE were recently found in Konar Sandal, an archaeological site in the Halil Rud valley in southeastern Iran. Three of them are bigraphical, with a Linear Elamite inscription and a second inscription in previously unknown signs that are qualified here as ‘Geometric’. The fourth tablet remains enigmatic. Descriptions of the tablets, a study of their signs and semantic structure, and hypotheses concerning their content are given here.
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Here is the persian version of my paper about the Konar Sandal tablets.
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Writing Systems & Decipherment, Iranian Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Writing systems, and 8 moreUndeciphered Writing Systems, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Iran Archaeology, Konar Sandal, Jiroft, Linear Elamite, Jiroft Persian ancient civilisation, and Thetablet from Konar Sandal
This paper discusses a truncated-cone chlorite vessel currently held in the Miho Museum, Japan. It was probably produced around 2300-2200 BCE in the Halil Rud Valley or Jiroft region and comes perhaps from a grave. This vessel displays a... more
This paper discusses a truncated-cone chlorite vessel currently held in the Miho Museum, Japan. It was probably produced around 2300-2200 BCE in the Halil Rud Valley or Jiroft region and comes perhaps from a grave. This vessel displays a fascinating iconography, including the depiction of a hybrid character combining bovine, human, lion and bird features. After discussing the hybrid characters which are observed on chlorite artefacts and glyptics in third millennium BCE southeastern Iran, available textual data are considered for a narrative interpretation of the possible religious landscape of the polity called in Mesopotamian sources Marḫaši or Paraḫšum. It is also suggested that the so-called 'Treaty of Naram-Sin' might provide additional insights on the pantheon worshipped in Marḫaši around 2250 BCE.
Research Interests: Religion, Near Eastern Archaeology, Iranian Archaeology, Iranian Studies, Iranian Art History, and 15 moreIranian History, Ancient Near East, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Ancient Near Eastern Art, Ancient Near Eastern History, Religious Studies, History and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Ancient Iran, Iran Archaeology, Ancient Near Eastern Religions, Konar Sandal, Jiroft, Jiroft Persian ancient civilisation, Marhashi, and Chlorite Archaeological Artefacts
The modern looting of a Bronze Age grave located at the site of Mahtoutabad (near Konar Sandal South, Jiroft) has, for the first time, revealed a range of ceramic materials that accompanied the carved chlorite artifacts of the Halil Rud... more
The modern looting of a Bronze Age grave located at the site of Mahtoutabad (near Konar Sandal South, Jiroft) has, for the first time, revealed a range of ceramic materials that accompanied the carved chlorite artifacts of the Halil Rud or Jiroft style. In this paper, we present and examine an assemblage of recovered finds including a carved chlorite shard and their archaeological context followed by a discussion specifically related to the original funerary deposit. Finally, by conducting a cross-comparative survey between the recovered objects and those from other Early Bronze age sites of the region, we provide a possible, preliminary chronology for the looted grave of Mahtoutabad.
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Rescue excavations carried out from 2006 to 2009 at the site of the plundered graveyard of Mahtoutabad (near Konar Sandal South), revealed the remains of three successive settlements dating to the fourth millennium BC. The earliest phase... more
Rescue excavations carried out from 2006 to 2009 at the site of the plundered graveyard of Mahtoutabad (near Konar Sandal South), revealed the remains of three
successive settlements dating to the fourth millennium BC. The earliest phase of occupation, Mahtoutabad I, lies above the virgin soil, at a depth of about 3.5–4 m
below the present surface and was radiocarbon dated to the late fifth–early fourth millennium BC. The second phase, Mahtoutabad II, above the remains of the first settlement, is represented by a thick series of sediments that are attributed, on archaeological considerations, to the last centuries of the first half of the fourth millennium BC. The occupation labelled Mahtoutabad III, limited to secondary deposits in a restricted area of the site, is distinguished by ceramics that are linked, on stylistic-morphological grounds, to the Middle and Late Uruk-related pottery assemblages of the central-eastern Iranian Plateau. Mahtoutabad IV, finally, is the large cemetery of the third millennium BC. This paper briefly describes the stratigraphy of the site, identifying some crucial information on the third-millennium graveyard. It then focuses on the archaeological record of the earliest phase, Mahtoutabad I, and discusses its cultural links with contemporary ceramic assemblages in the same general geographic area.
successive settlements dating to the fourth millennium BC. The earliest phase of occupation, Mahtoutabad I, lies above the virgin soil, at a depth of about 3.5–4 m
below the present surface and was radiocarbon dated to the late fifth–early fourth millennium BC. The second phase, Mahtoutabad II, above the remains of the first settlement, is represented by a thick series of sediments that are attributed, on archaeological considerations, to the last centuries of the first half of the fourth millennium BC. The occupation labelled Mahtoutabad III, limited to secondary deposits in a restricted area of the site, is distinguished by ceramics that are linked, on stylistic-morphological grounds, to the Middle and Late Uruk-related pottery assemblages of the central-eastern Iranian Plateau. Mahtoutabad IV, finally, is the large cemetery of the third millennium BC. This paper briefly describes the stratigraphy of the site, identifying some crucial information on the third-millennium graveyard. It then focuses on the archaeological record of the earliest phase, Mahtoutabad I, and discusses its cultural links with contemporary ceramic assemblages in the same general geographic area.
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The purpose of this article is to introduce the large prehistoric site of Hajjiabad-Varamin, its changes in time and the first discoveries made there, in the specific literature on the early Bronze Age of the southeastern Iranian Plateau.... more
The purpose of this article is to introduce the large prehistoric site of Hajjiabad-Varamin, its changes in time and the first discoveries made there, in the specific literature on the early Bronze Age of the southeastern Iranian Plateau. The first part of the article describes the site, its present damaged conditions, the periodisation we adopted and the complex topographic shifts and changes of functions through time. The second part focuses on the settlement of the 3rd millennium BC and discusses a major craft activity area found east of the main elevation of the site, in which were manufactured vessels in various stones (white alabaster, grey limestones with white fossil inclusions, and probably chlorite). Collections include large drill-heads in volcanic rocks used on the interior of the stone pots, and standardised beads of a green and red-banded calcite broken while being drilled. While the stone vessels find abundant comparisons and were certainly in demand for long-distance trade, the beads type is not known in other contexts and were presumably made for a local demand. We also present the unusual find of a hoard of copper objects which helps framing the 3rd millennium BC centre in terms of cultural links and chronology.
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Iranian Archaeology, Iranian Studies, History of Iran, Ceramic Analysis (Archaeology), and 13 moreIranian History, Ancient Near East, Bronze Age (Archaeology), Early Bronze Age (Archaeology), Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Ancient Near Eastern archaeology, History and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Chronology, Iran Archaeology, Konar Sandal, Jiroft, Jiroft Persian ancient civilisation, and Chlorite Archaeological Artefacts
A large catacomb grave was recently excavated in Hajjiabad-Varamin, in the Halil Rud valley (Kerman province, Iran). Dated from the late 4 th to the early 3 rd millennium BC, the burial is abundantly furnished with 90 artefacts, which... more
A large catacomb grave was recently excavated in Hajjiabad-Varamin, in the Halil Rud valley (Kerman province, Iran). Dated from the late 4 th to the early 3 rd millennium BC, the burial is abundantly furnished with 90 artefacts, which provide for the first time an insight into the local material (ceramic) assemblage used in the Halil Rud valley around 3000 BC.
The ceramics (here fully published) help to define a new ceramic horizon (which we propose to call "Varamin Period"), between the 4 th millennium BC Aliabad wares horizon and the c. mid-3 rd millennium BC occupation periods of Konar Sandal South. The analysis of the spatial distribution of the grave furnishings also reveals aspects of the final stages of the funeral, as well as some immaterial implications hidden behind the material evidence.
The ceramics (here fully published) help to define a new ceramic horizon (which we propose to call "Varamin Period"), between the 4 th millennium BC Aliabad wares horizon and the c. mid-3 rd millennium BC occupation periods of Konar Sandal South. The analysis of the spatial distribution of the grave furnishings also reveals aspects of the final stages of the funeral, as well as some immaterial implications hidden behind the material evidence.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Iranian Archaeology, History of Iran, Funerary Archaeology, and 13 moreAncient Near East, Ceramics (Archaeology), Bronze Age (Archaeology), Ancient Near East (Archaeology), History and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Funerary Practices, Bronze Age, Chronology, Iran Archaeology, Iranology, Chamber Graves, Jiroft, and Jiroft Persian ancient civilisation
During recent excavations in the third-millennium BC plundered graveyard of Mahtoutabad, next to Konar Sandal (Kerman, Iran), the authors excavated layers with Uruk-related ceramics. The types include bevel-rim bowls, flowerpots,... more
During recent excavations in the third-millennium BC plundered graveyard of Mahtoutabad, next to Konar Sandal (Kerman, Iran), the authors excavated layers with Uruk-related ceramics. The types include bevel-rim bowls, flowerpots, low-sided trays, nose-lugged jars and other types previously encountered at several other contemporary sites in highland Iran. This new material is presented here with some preliminary comments on the general picture of the Uruk-related sites and pottery assemblages across the Iranian plateau of the mid and late fourth millennium BC. We suggest that the related elements of the material culture of these contexts should be considered as open single questions, rather than as part of a monolithic cultural pattern awash with
demanding historical or even ethnic implications.
demanding historical or even ethnic implications.
Research Interests:
We present the excavation of a grave at Mahtoutabad, near Konar Sandal South, Kerman, Iran, one of the protohistoric cemeteries plundered in the Jiroft area since 2001. This grave, at present, is the only scientifically excavated and... more
We present the excavation of a grave at Mahtoutabad, near Konar Sandal South, Kerman, Iran, one of the protohistoric cemeteries plundered in the Jiroft area since 2001. This grave, at present, is the only scientifically excavated and published burial of the Bronze Age urban civilization of the Halil Rud valley, famous for the outstanding quality of its looted chlorite artefacts. Among the furnishings of the grave were animal bones and food offerings, ceramics, and stone and copper items. The objects set the grave in a coherent cultural and chronological framework, around 2400-2200 BC. Micro-stratigraphic recording provided information on the funerary practices. These latter included notably the consumption of the meat of an ovicaprine. As different parts of the animal were found in different locations of the stratified mortuary structure, the feast can be synchronized with different steps of the funeral and burial processes. A reopening of the grave, for shifting part of the skeleton to a different, secondary burial, remains unexplained. Considering the effects of a wide range of post-depositional processes, we explore possible symbolic implications of the grave's spatial patterns.
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Iranian Archaeology, Iranian Studies, History of Iran, Funerary Archaeology, and 13 moreBronze Age Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Early Bronze Age (Archaeology), Ancient Near East (Archaeology), History and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Funerary Practices, Bronze Age, Iran Archaeology, Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Konar Sandal, Jiroft, Jiroft Persian ancient civilisation, and Mahtoutabad
This paper deals with a unique artefact currently on exhibit at the archaeological Museum of Jiroft (Kerman, Iran), a large-sized copper or bronze staff inlaid with shell mosaics of contrasting colours. Unfortunately, as it was... more
This paper deals with a unique artefact currently on exhibit at the archaeological Museum of Jiroft (Kerman, Iran), a large-sized copper or bronze staff inlaid with shell mosaics of contrasting colours. Unfortunately, as it was confiscated with many other objects by the Iranian security forces from illegal excavators, nothing is known of the whereabouts or context of its discovery. It might be one of the largest copper artefacts ever found in Bronze Age sites of the eastern Iranian Plateau. Because of its form, such a unusually elaborated, costly and visually imposing staff must have performed a highly formal symbolic function, hence the hypothetical label of “royal sceptre” proposed in the title. The authors attempt a reconstruction of the original form and manufacturing sequence of this large artefact, discussing its role in the poorly known landscape of the protohistoric metallurgy of south-eastern Iran.
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Near Eastern Studies, Iranian Archaeology, Iranian Studies, History of Iran, and 15 moreMetallurgy, Iranian History, Ancient Near East, Bronze Age (Archaeology), Ancient Near East (Archaeology), History and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Ancient Metallurgy, Bronze Age, Metal Casting, Iran Archaeology, Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Ancient Mining and Metallurgy, Konar Sandal, Jiroft, and Jiroft Persian ancient civilisation
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Near Eastern Studies, Iranian Archaeology, Iranian Studies, and 10 moreHistory of Iran, Bronze Age Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Ancient Near Eastern Art, History and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Konar Sandal, Jiroft Persian ancient civilisation, Distaff, and Marhashi
We re-discuss the so-called Jalalabad seal, a well-known cylinder seal dating of the late 3 rd millennium BC, reportedly found in Fars. It displays a scene related to a southeastern Iranian religious or mythological iconography, showing a... more
We re-discuss the so-called Jalalabad seal, a well-known cylinder seal dating of the late 3 rd millennium BC, reportedly found in Fars. It displays a scene related to a southeastern Iranian religious or mythological iconography, showing a male supernatural character with snakes spreading out of his body, probably a divinity, and three women bowed for worship or submission in front of him. This scene is combined with an Indus Script signs sequence which connects this seal to a 'family' of short, equally well-known inscriptions in Indus signs recorded on 'Persian Gulf' round stamp seals, notably coming from Bahrain, ancient Dilmun, and southern Mesopotamia. The present discussion is based on a new, more detailed recording of the seal's intriguing iconography, and it brings another brick in the already imposing wall of the of acculturation and cosmopolitism phenomena attested in the Persian Gulf during the second half of the 3 rd millennium BC. At that time, Mesopotamian, Dilmunite, Maganite (Oman), Meluhhan (Indus) and Marhashean (Halil Rud) traders were interacting along the then main Near Eastern commercial highway, and a pervasive process of cultural hybridization was in full development. A review of the various Indus iconographic elements currently known in Iranian glyptic is finally proposed, trying to restitute for each of them their respective historical implications.
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Iconography, Near Eastern Studies, Iranian Archaeology, Iranian Studies, and 11 moreHistory of Iran, Ancient Near East, Ancient Iranian Religion, Pre-Islamic Iran, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Ancient Near Eastern Art, History and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Ancient Seals and Sealings, Iran Archaeology, Ancient Near Eastern Religions, and Seals
Analysis of a stone flagon found on the surface of the early urban site of Shahdad (Kerman, Iran) has shown that the vessel contained a lead-based cosmetic. Other finds recovered from the same surface context suggest a dating within the... more
Analysis of a stone flagon found on the surface of the early urban site of Shahdad (Kerman, Iran) has shown that the vessel contained a lead-based cosmetic. Other finds recovered from the same surface context suggest a dating within the second half of the fourth millennium BC or slightly later. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy equipped with an Energy Dispersive Spectrometer, Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Gas Chromatography with Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) have been used to reconstruct the manufacturing techniques of the cosmetic. The substance was likely made of artificial lead carbonates. As our find and recent studies confirm that wet chemical processing
of lead was common in the third millennium BC, the social implications of cosmetology in the early cities of the Near East and Middle Asia of the fourth–third millennia BC are briefly addressed.
of lead was common in the third millennium BC, the social implications of cosmetology in the early cities of the Near East and Middle Asia of the fourth–third millennia BC are briefly addressed.
Research Interests:
Here we present 29 silver and copper stamp seals and seal fragments and 19 ceramic stamp sealings from three sites of Central-Eastern Jazmurian (Chegerdak, Spidej and Keshik) in Iranian Baluchistan. These seals and sealings were recovered... more
Here we present 29 silver and copper stamp seals and seal fragments and 19 ceramic stamp sealings from three sites of Central-Eastern Jazmurian (Chegerdak, Spidej and Keshik) in Iranian Baluchistan. These seals and sealings were recovered by the Iranian Cultural Heritage Organisation (ICCHTO), Zahedan, from disturbed contexts and illegal excavations, but have been typologically dated between the first half of the 3rd and the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. This paper presents descriptions and comparisons of the stamp seals and sealings, and also includes a preliminary qualitative elemental analysis of micro-fragments of the metallic seal fragments. These seals and sealings improve our knowledge of the Bronze Age glyptics of South-Eastern Iran and have wider implications for our understanding of local identity and connectivity in this period.
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Iconography, Iranian Archaeology, Iranian Studies, Baluchi Studies, and 13 moreHistory of Iran, Iranian History, Ancient Near East, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Ancient Near Eastern Art, Ancient Near Eastern History, Ancient Near Eastern archaeology, History and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Ancient Seals and Sealings, Iran Archaeology, Stamp Seals, Seals, and Makran Archaeology
We present here the results of the excavation in 2003 of the most furnished grave found in Spidej (grave 125), in Eastern Jazmurian area (Iranian Baluchistan). Probably dated around 3000 BC (3200-2800 BC), it displays a funer-ary... more
We present here the results of the excavation in 2003 of the most furnished grave found in Spidej (grave 125), in Eastern Jazmurian area (Iranian Baluchistan). Probably dated around 3000 BC (3200-2800 BC), it displays a funer-ary assemblage of 59 pottery, copper-alloy and stone artefacts mostly unknown up to now, except for the very partially published excavation in Bampur 14 / Saidabad led by Mehdi Rahbar in 2003.
Research Interests:
Avant l'arrivée des Perses au 1er millénaire av. J.-C., l'Iran antique est connu dans la Bible et les sources mésopotamiennes par la désignation d'Elam, occupé par un peuple, les Elamites, parlant une langue encore très mal connue,... more
Avant l'arrivée des Perses au 1er millénaire av. J.-C., l'Iran antique est connu dans la Bible et les sources mésopotamiennes par la désignation d'Elam, occupé par un peuple, les Elamites, parlant une langue encore très mal connue, l'élamite.
Pourtant, ces derniers n'utilisent jamais dans leurs propres inscriptions cette notion externe d'Elam et ne se désignent jamais comme Elamites. Ils utilisent pour ce faire plutôt le terme de HATAMTI.
Je reviens ici sur ce sujet, quelque peu complexe, affaire de points de vue différents et d'histoire des représentations.
https://essentiels.bnf.fr/fr/histoire/antiquite-1/ac68897b-ac05-4444-bf33-7dca7c9b3f10-iran-avant-perse/article/dadbfbe0-6223-43cc-946c-e1d133a70c99-elam-versus-hatamti-deux-noms-pour-un-meme-lieu
Pourtant, ces derniers n'utilisent jamais dans leurs propres inscriptions cette notion externe d'Elam et ne se désignent jamais comme Elamites. Ils utilisent pour ce faire plutôt le terme de HATAMTI.
Je reviens ici sur ce sujet, quelque peu complexe, affaire de points de vue différents et d'histoire des représentations.
https://essentiels.bnf.fr/fr/histoire/antiquite-1/ac68897b-ac05-4444-bf33-7dca7c9b3f10-iran-avant-perse/article/dadbfbe0-6223-43cc-946c-e1d133a70c99-elam-versus-hatamti-deux-noms-pour-un-meme-lieu
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Near Eastern Studies, Iranian Archaeology, Iranian Studies, History of Iran, and 10 moreIranian History, Ancient Near East, Elamite, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Iranian Languages, Ancient Near Eastern History, Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Elamite studies, Elamite civilization, and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations
Le premier grand cycle d’urbanisation a débuté dans cette région du monde avec le processus de néolithisation lors du 8ème millénaire av. J.-C. avant de prendre fin au début du 2ème millénaire av. J.-C. par la déprise de l’occupation... more
Le premier grand cycle d’urbanisation a débuté dans cette région du monde avec le processus de néolithisation lors du 8ème millénaire av. J.-C. avant de prendre fin au début du 2ème millénaire av. J.-C. par la déprise de l’occupation sédentaire dans toute la partie orientale du plateau iranien ainsi que dans d’autres zones du Proche-Orient. Le dernier quart de cette période (ca. 3500-1800 av. J.-C.) apparaît en termes de démographie et de complexité sociale comme un apogée, correspondant à l’émergence de grandes agglomérations (Tal-i Malyan, Shahr-i Sokhta, Shahdad, Konar Sandal et Suse notamment) ainsi qu’à l’apparition d’une nouvelle technique promise à un grand avenir : l’écriture. La présence sur le plateau d’importantes formations étatiques, telles Marhaši ou Simaški, est enfin attestée à partir de la 2ème moitié du 3ème millénaire av. J.-C. dans les textes mésopotamiens contemporains.
Le travail présenté ici, envisagé tout d’abord comme une synthèse des informations disponibles à l’heure actuelle sur l’archéologie et l’histoire du plateau iranien, cherche plus particulièrement à croiser nos connaissances des divers assemblages matériels produits par les populations étudiées (artisanats céramique, métallurgique et lithique) avec les données issues de l’étude de leur architecture, de leurs systèmes d’écriture et de leurs représentations.
Le travail présenté ici, envisagé tout d’abord comme une synthèse des informations disponibles à l’heure actuelle sur l’archéologie et l’histoire du plateau iranien, cherche plus particulièrement à croiser nos connaissances des divers assemblages matériels produits par les populations étudiées (artisanats céramique, métallurgique et lithique) avec les données issues de l’étude de leur architecture, de leurs systèmes d’écriture et de leurs représentations.
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Architecture, Iranian Archaeology, Iranian Studies, History of Iran, and 9 moreUrbanism, Iranian History, Ancient Near East, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), History and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Iran Archaeology, Proto-Elamite Period, Jiroft, and Linear Elamite
I) The sign NIM, used with a topographic value, is first attested without any doubt through Eanatum inscriptions (KUR NIMki), who ruled Lagaš around the third quarter of the 3rd millennium BC. It is proposed to consider as unsuitable... more
I) The sign NIM, used with a topographic value, is first attested without any
doubt through Eanatum inscriptions (KUR NIMki), who ruled Lagaš around the
third quarter of the 3rd millennium BC. It is proposed to consider as unsuitable
the systematic translation of this sign by ‘Elam’, at least in 3rd millennium BC
Mesopotamian texts.
The different meanings and values of this sign are reviewed here, in a strictly
chronological way, and more particularly the changing topographic reality this
sign encompassed.
II) Then the distribution area of the ‘Elamite’ language speakers will be examined,
through an evaluation of the onomastic features (above all anthroponomy)
available in the cuneiform texts.
Finally, hypotheses about Susa will be proposed, distinguishing three different
and independent spheres of data: the material assemblage (archaeology),
records of political control and indications of linguistic / cultural identity.
doubt through Eanatum inscriptions (KUR NIMki), who ruled Lagaš around the
third quarter of the 3rd millennium BC. It is proposed to consider as unsuitable
the systematic translation of this sign by ‘Elam’, at least in 3rd millennium BC
Mesopotamian texts.
The different meanings and values of this sign are reviewed here, in a strictly
chronological way, and more particularly the changing topographic reality this
sign encompassed.
II) Then the distribution area of the ‘Elamite’ language speakers will be examined,
through an evaluation of the onomastic features (above all anthroponomy)
available in the cuneiform texts.
Finally, hypotheses about Susa will be proposed, distinguishing three different
and independent spheres of data: the material assemblage (archaeology),
records of political control and indications of linguistic / cultural identity.
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Languages and Linguistics, Near Eastern Studies, Iranian Archaeology, Toponomastics, and 23 moreIranian Studies, History of Iran, Ancient Near East, Indo-Iranian Linguistics, Ancient Near Eastern Languages, Elamite, Elam, Old Elamite periods, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Ancient Languages, Iranian Languages, Toponymy, Ancient Near Eastern archaeology, Iran Archaeology, Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Elamite studies, Toponomastica, Iranian Studies, Elamite Studies, Assyriology, Suse, Elamite Language, Toponimy, Elamite civilization, and Elamite Art and Archaeology
Dans la banlieue sud de Téhéran, en Iran, non loin de l’aéroport international Imam Khomeiny, les archéologues iraniens ont découvert un site, Tépé Meymanabad, qui pourrait apporter de nombreuses informations sur une période encore peu... more
Dans la banlieue sud de Téhéran, en Iran, non loin de l’aéroport international Imam Khomeiny, les archéologues iraniens ont découvert un site, Tépé Meymanabad, qui pourrait apporter de nombreuses informations sur une période encore peu connue de l’histoire iranienne. : le 4ème millénaire av. J.-C.
https://archeorient.hypotheses.org/12527
https://archeorient.hypotheses.org/12527
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Iranian Archaeology, Iranian Studies, History of Iran, Neolithic & Chalcolithic Archaeology, and 10 moreChalcolithic Archaeology, Iranian History, Ancient Near East, Early Bronze Age (Archaeology), Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Ancient Iran, Iran Archaeology, Proto-Elamite Period, Tehran, and Proto Literate Archaeology (Uruk and Proto Elamite Periods)
This paper presents a recurrent architectural pattern, unnoticed up to now, observed in the late fourth millennium BC strata at the Iranian sites of Susa, Tal-i Malyan and Godin Tepe. On the base of this evidence, the article proposes... more
This paper presents a recurrent architectural pattern, unnoticed up to now, observed in the late fourth millennium BC strata at the Iranian sites of Susa, Tal-i Malyan and Godin Tepe. On the base of this evidence, the article proposes some considerations for understanding aspects of the period characterized by the so-called ‘Proto-Elamite phenomenon’.
Research Interests:
This is the Persian translation of :
Desset, F. 2014
An architectural pattern in late fourth millennium BC western Iran : a new link between Susa, Tal-i Malyan and Godin Tepe. Iran, 52 : 1-18.
Desset, F. 2014
An architectural pattern in late fourth millennium BC western Iran : a new link between Susa, Tal-i Malyan and Godin Tepe. Iran, 52 : 1-18.
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Near Eastern Studies, Iranian Archaeology, Iranian Studies, History of Iran, and 11 moreAncient Near East, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Ancient Near Eastern archaeology, History and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Iran Archaeology, Uruk Period, Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Proto-Elamite Period, Iranian traditional architecture, Proto Literate Archaeology (Uruk and Proto Elamite Periods), and Iranian Architecture
In recent decades, settlement surveys, stratigraphic excavations, cross dating, seriation, and radiocarbon dating on late prehistoric sites of the northern plains of the Iranian Central Plateau (Qazvin, Tehran and Kashan) have resulted in... more
In recent decades, settlement surveys, stratigraphic excavations, cross dating, seriation, and radiocarbon dating on late prehistoric sites of the northern plains of the Iranian Central Plateau (Qazvin, Tehran and Kashan) have resulted in a new absolute chronology (Pollard et al. 2o13). This sequence, from the Neolithic to the early Bronze Age, is the most reliable for late prehistoric Iran. In this paper, important constraints and discontinuities in the local settlement processes are juxtaposed with information on subsistence strategies, material culture and archaeologically-visible key technologies (metallurgy, ceramics, bead making, lithics, and administrative practices).We also discuss regional and long-distance trade patterns. Trade in valuable exotica and relatively advanced craft technologies, intended to emphasise a growing set of social distinctions, was not linked to a parallel process of political and demographic centralisation. The social evolution of the Central Plateau, based on non-centralised networks of small sized agricultural villages which were extinguished shortly after 3ooo BC, is eventually contrasted with the »urban revolution « of the Kopet Dagh piedmont of southern Turkmenistan. Here, in a largely similar environmental setting, variously centralised polities, which had flourished since at least 3ooo BC, survived as smaller localised centres of power until c. 17oo BC. Can we understand the reasons behind such diverging trajectories?
Research Interests:
A fragment of a sculpted stone dish from Tello (ancient Ĝirsu), which had been found in the early excavations directed by Ernest de Sarzec, was studied by us in the frame of a wider research project on artifacts made of a peculiar dark... more
A fragment of a sculpted stone dish from Tello (ancient Ĝirsu), which had been found in the early excavations directed by Ernest de Sarzec, was studied by us in the frame of a wider research project on artifacts made of a peculiar dark grey limestone spotted with white-to-pink fossil corals of the genus Waagenophyllum. Recorded in an old inventory of the Louvre, the piece in question has quite surprisingly remained unpublished until now.
Special points of interest are:
1. The uncommon type of stone, which was presumably obtained from some place in Iran.
2. The finely carved lion image that decorates the vessel.
3. The mysterious symbol that is placed on the lion’s shoulder.
4. What remains of a Sumerian cuneiform inscription, which most probably contained a dedication to the god Ninĝirsu by Gudea.
Close formal and stylistic comparisons with other artifacts of the same period from Tello make it clear that Waagenophyllum limestone, stemming probably from some Iranian source, was imported to Ĝirsu to be locally carved in Sumerian style in the palatine workshops. Mesopotamian objects made of this rare stone provide another element for reconstructing the patterns of material exchange between southern Mesopotamia and the Iranian Plateau in the late 3rd millennium B.C.
Special points of interest are:
1. The uncommon type of stone, which was presumably obtained from some place in Iran.
2. The finely carved lion image that decorates the vessel.
3. The mysterious symbol that is placed on the lion’s shoulder.
4. What remains of a Sumerian cuneiform inscription, which most probably contained a dedication to the god Ninĝirsu by Gudea.
Close formal and stylistic comparisons with other artifacts of the same period from Tello make it clear that Waagenophyllum limestone, stemming probably from some Iranian source, was imported to Ĝirsu to be locally carved in Sumerian style in the palatine workshops. Mesopotamian objects made of this rare stone provide another element for reconstructing the patterns of material exchange between southern Mesopotamia and the Iranian Plateau in the late 3rd millennium B.C.
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Near Eastern Studies, Mesopotamian Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), and 7 moreAncient Near Eastern Art, Neo-Sumerian Studies, Ancient Near Eastern History, Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Telloh (ancient Girsu), Gudea, and Mesopotamian Iconography
L’élamite est la première langue attestée sur le Plateau iranien entre le 3e millénaire av. J.-C. au moins et 1000 de notre ère, bien avant l’arrivée des locuteurs de langues iraniennes dans cette région. Malgré sa redécouverte au XIXe... more
L’élamite est la première langue attestée sur le Plateau iranien entre le 3e millénaire av. J.-C. au moins et 1000 de notre ère, bien avant l’arrivée des locuteurs de langues iraniennes dans cette région. Malgré sa redécouverte au XIXe siècle grâce au déchiffrement de l’écriture cunéiforme mésopotamienne, son caractère isolé la rend encore très mal comprise. Ce séminaire sera l’occasion de faire le point sur cette langue à l’aune notamment du récent déchiffrement du système développé spécialement pour la noter : l’écriture élamite linéaire.
Elamite is the first attested language on the Iranian plateau from at least the 3rd millennium BCE to 1000 CE, long before the arrival of Iranian language speakers in this region. Despite its rediscovery in the 19th century thanks to the decipherment of Mesopotamian cuneiform writing, its isolated nature makes it still poorly understood. This seminar will be an opportunity to review this language, particularly in light of the recent decipherment of the system developed specifically for writing it: Linear Elamite.
Elamite is the first attested language on the Iranian plateau from at least the 3rd millennium BCE to 1000 CE, long before the arrival of Iranian language speakers in this region. Despite its rediscovery in the 19th century thanks to the decipherment of Mesopotamian cuneiform writing, its isolated nature makes it still poorly understood. This seminar will be an opportunity to review this language, particularly in light of the recent decipherment of the system developed specifically for writing it: Linear Elamite.
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Writing Systems & Decipherment, Iranian Archaeology, Iranian Studies, History of Iran, and 13 moreAncient Near East, Ancient Near Eastern Languages, Writing systems, Elamite, Middle Elamite period, Old Elamite periods, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), History and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Linear Elamite, Elamite studies, Elamite Language, and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations
Découvert en 1903 dans le sud-ouest de l’Iran, à Suse, l’écriture Elamite linéaire était jusqu’à peu indéchiffrée. Avec les hiéroglyphes égyptiens, le cunéiforme mésopotamien et l’écriture de l’Indus, il s’agit du plus ancien système... more
Découvert en 1903 dans le sud-ouest de l’Iran, à Suse, l’écriture Elamite linéaire était jusqu’à peu indéchiffrée. Avec les hiéroglyphes égyptiens, le cunéiforme mésopotamien et l’écriture de l’Indus, il s’agit du plus ancien système d’écriture au monde au 3ème millénaire av. J.-C.
Cette conférence présente le déchiffrement récemment publié de cette écriture originale et en décrit le système. Alors que les hiéroglyphes et le cunéiforme contemporains présentaient des notations mixtes, phonogrammatiques et logogrammatiques, l’élamite linéaire est ainsi le plus ancien système au monde purement phonétique. Il s’agit en effet d’un alpha-syllabaire ayant servi à noter un isolat linguistique, la langue élamite.
https://www.archeorient.mom.fr/recherche-et-activites/rencontres-scientifiques/conference-le-dechiffrement-de-l-elamite-lin%C3%A9aire-2023
Cette conférence présente le déchiffrement récemment publié de cette écriture originale et en décrit le système. Alors que les hiéroglyphes et le cunéiforme contemporains présentaient des notations mixtes, phonogrammatiques et logogrammatiques, l’élamite linéaire est ainsi le plus ancien système au monde purement phonétique. Il s’agit en effet d’un alpha-syllabaire ayant servi à noter un isolat linguistique, la langue élamite.
https://www.archeorient.mom.fr/recherche-et-activites/rencontres-scientifiques/conference-le-dechiffrement-de-l-elamite-lin%C3%A9aire-2023
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Near Eastern Studies, Writing Systems & Decipherment, Iranian Archaeology, Iranian Studies, and 13 moreHistory of Iran, Ancient Near East, Writing systems, Elamite, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Iranian Languages, Ancient Near Eastern History, History and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Iran Archaeology, Proto-Elamite Period, Elamite Language, Elamite civilization, and Ancient Iranian Culture and Languages
I present here a new version of the history of writing on the Iranian Plateau, dealing notably with Proto-Elamite and Linear Elamite documents.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o1ZOUhN3t8&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o1ZOUhN3t8&feature=youtu.be
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Near Eastern Studies, Writing Systems & Decipherment, Iranian Archaeology, Iranian Studies, and 9 moreHistory of Iran, Iranian Art History, Ancient Near East, Writing systems, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Ancient Near Eastern History, Ancient Iran, Proto-Elamite Period, and Linear Elamite
This is a zoom conference I gave on the 23rd of November. The conference can be seen here... more
This is a zoom conference I gave on the 23rd of November.
The conference can be seen here
https://www.canal-u.tv/video/archeorient/breaking_the_code_the_decipherment_of_linear_elamite_a_forgotten_writing_system_of_ancient_iran_3rd_millenium_bc.58549
I will report for the first time the successful decipherment of Linear Elamite, one of the three writing systems of the early Bronze age (the others being Linear A at Crete, and the Indus Valley writing system) which so far have escaped every attempt at decryption.
I will illustrate how the key for unlocking Linear Elamite inscriptions was discovered, some examples of decipherment and the extraordinary historical perspectives that are emerging from this discovery.
The conference can be seen here
https://www.canal-u.tv/video/archeorient/breaking_the_code_the_decipherment_of_linear_elamite_a_forgotten_writing_system_of_ancient_iran_3rd_millenium_bc.58549
I will report for the first time the successful decipherment of Linear Elamite, one of the three writing systems of the early Bronze age (the others being Linear A at Crete, and the Indus Valley writing system) which so far have escaped every attempt at decryption.
I will illustrate how the key for unlocking Linear Elamite inscriptions was discovered, some examples of decipherment and the extraordinary historical perspectives that are emerging from this discovery.
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Near Eastern Studies, Writing Systems & Decipherment, Iranian Archaeology, Iranian Studies, and 11 moreHistory of Iran, Bronze Age Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Writing systems, Elamite, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Iranian Languages, Ancient Near Eastern archaeology, Early Bronze Age, Ancient Near Eastern Studies, and Linear Elamite
This workshop will be held in Naples (L'Orientale University), 10th-11th March 2015.
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Near Eastern Studies, Writing Systems & Decipherment, Iranian Archaeology, Iranian Studies, and 20 moreWriting, Ancient Near East, Writing systems, Elamite, Undeciphered Writing Systems, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Iran, History and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Ancient Iran, Iran Archaeology, Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Proto-Elamite Period, Konar Sandal, Jiroft, Linear Elamite, Jiroft Persian ancient civilisation, Proto Literate Archaeology (Uruk and Proto Elamite Periods), Iranian art and archaeology, Elamite civilization, and Thetablet from Konar Sandal
I will present there new results about these undeciphered writing systems.
Seminar will be held on the 5th of November between 5.30 pm and 6.30 pm in Mc Donald Institute, Cambridge, UK
Seminar will be held on the 5th of November between 5.30 pm and 6.30 pm in Mc Donald Institute, Cambridge, UK
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Near Eastern Studies, Writing Systems & Decipherment, Iranian Archaeology, Iranian Studies, and 13 moreHistory of Iran, Iranian History, Ancient Near East, Ancient Near Eastern Languages, Writing systems, Undeciphered Writing Systems, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Iranian Languages, Iran Archaeology, Jiroft, Linear Elamite, Jiroft Persian ancient civilisation, and Writing System Decipherment
سلام دوستان عزیز دوشنبه این هفته کنفرانسی در دانشگاه تهران درباره "تمدن جیرفت" خواهم داشت و از همه علاقمندان دعوت میکنم تا در این کنفرانس شرکت کنند. مکان برگزاری : دانشکده ادبیات و علوم انسانی دانشگاه تهران، طبقه چهارم. زمان : دوشنبه... more
سلام دوستان عزیز
دوشنبه این هفته کنفرانسی در دانشگاه تهران درباره "تمدن جیرفت" خواهم داشت و از همه علاقمندان دعوت میکنم تا در این کنفرانس شرکت کنند.
مکان برگزاری : دانشکده ادبیات و علوم انسانی دانشگاه تهران، طبقه چهارم.
زمان : دوشنبه 11 خرداد ماه، ساعت 13
Dear friends,
for those who might be interested,
I will give on monday 1st of June, at 1 pm in the Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences of the University of Tehran (4th floor)
a conference about the Jiroft Culture.
Best regards
Francois Desset
دوشنبه این هفته کنفرانسی در دانشگاه تهران درباره "تمدن جیرفت" خواهم داشت و از همه علاقمندان دعوت میکنم تا در این کنفرانس شرکت کنند.
مکان برگزاری : دانشکده ادبیات و علوم انسانی دانشگاه تهران، طبقه چهارم.
زمان : دوشنبه 11 خرداد ماه، ساعت 13
Dear friends,
for those who might be interested,
I will give on monday 1st of June, at 1 pm in the Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences of the University of Tehran (4th floor)
a conference about the Jiroft Culture.
Best regards
Francois Desset
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
I will give a lecture on that topic on tuesday, the 23rd of June, from 10 to 12 am in Padua University, in the Museo di Scienze archeologiche e d’Arte del Palazzo Liviano.
You are the very welcome !!
You are the very welcome !!