Vincent Laudet

writing system that we know to be a derived one. This early branching point is thus the equivalent of speciation in biological evolution. The separate writing systems of these neighbouring regions must have been mutually incomprehensible. Over a short time span — three centuries at most, but probably much less — the proto-Elamite script spread across Iran, offering a prime example of cultural diffusion. There is no archaeological evidence suggesting a mechanism for this spreading, such as central government or long-distance trading, so the rapid expansion remains one of the mysteries of protoElamite. As the proto-Elamite script spread and developed further, it became richer in its sign repertoire, but Dahl notes that it also ran into problems. “There was an inflation of signs in proto-Elamite,” says Dahl, “and even in high-level accounts, such as those for the household of the ruler of Susa, you see systematic errors and bad practice.” For instance, scribes would cram in information at the end of a line, rather than planning for the space available, like their colleagues in Mesopotamia would have done. And they made elementary mistakes in the bundling of numbers, as it would be a mistake in Roman numerals to write IIIII instead of V. The key cultural difference is that cuneiform was backed up by a lexical tradition from early on, says Dahl. In Uruk, lists of standardised signs were used for reference. No such lists have ever been found for proto-Elamite. Dahl can’t resist the temptation to speculate that it may have been the failure to invest in the quality of proto-Elamite writing culture that led to its deterioration and ultimately to its downfall. The ensuing period of five centuries without writing makes Europe’s descent into the Dark Ages pale in comparison. Prophets of linguistic doom who worry about youth slang and text speak will delight in this example of cultural downfall that was possibly triggered or accelerated by bad writing practice. Seeing writing as a trait that has evolved in human populations, it is only natural that it can not only arise, diversify and spread, but also die out. That’s just life.