This session will consist of two papers – by Gian Pietro Basello and Jay Crisostomo– followed by a shared discussion and questions round on the seminar specific theme of ‘cuneiform texts and scribal adaption’. The topics of the talks are:
“How to Learn Cuneiform in Elam: Scribal Adaptation of Mesopotamian Models” (Assoc. Prof. Gian Pietro Basello)
Exemplars of Mesopotamian lexical and school texts have been recovered at Susa and Haft Tappeh in Khuzestan, attesting to the transmission of cuneiform writing and scribal training in an Elamite context. Although these texts follow well-known Mesopotamian curricular models—such as Syllabary A and the so-called Silbenalphabet A—their material realization reveals a process of selection, adaptation, and reinterpretation that can be described as culturally Elamite.
This picture is further complicated by an exemplar of Syllabary A found at Nineveh, which displays late Elamite sign forms and non-standard sign choices, suggesting the circulation of Elamite scribal practices beyond Elam proper. Taken together, this evidence allows us to reconsider how cuneiform writing was learned in Elam, not as a passive reception of Mesopotamian norms, but as an active scribal process shaped by local conventions, linguistic needs, and orthographic traditions.
The paper situates these materials within recent scholarship on Elamite cuneiform culture—characterized by an intensive use of Akkadian—while also engaging with studies on Elamite orthography and phonology across both linear and cuneiform writing systems. By focusing on lexical lists as tools of scribal training, the contribution aims to clarify the role of writing practices in the formation of an Elamite scribal tradition.
“Say ‘Aa’: The History and Evolution of the Scholarly Signlist ‘Aa = nâqu’” (Assoc. Prof. Jay Crisostomo)
Abstract tba.
All are welcome, so please share the invite and join us in person or online!
Time: Thursday 7 May at 16:15-18:00 EEST (UTC+3h).
Live venue: The Faculty of Theology, Faculty Hall (Fabianinkatu 33, room 4038).
Virtual venue: Zoom (Meeting ID: 678 8979 2118 /
For a recap of the 2026 spring program go