Die archaischen Listen aus Uruk und die proto-keilschriftliche frontier. Überlegungen zu Funktion und Genese des ältesten lexikalischen Corpus

Although the archaic lists are of the utmost importance, as they mark the beginning of the 3,000-year lexical tradition in ancient Mesopotamia, their function is largely unresolved. This contribution suggests that a key to their understanding can be found in the context of a transforming and expanding writing system that is still rooted in administrative practices. The success of the new bureaucratic notation system leads to an expansion of its administrative use, which in turn leads to a demand for more signs and sign combinations. The lexical corpus is the result of a systematic push of the proto-cuneiform —i. e. the range of what can be expressed through proto-cuneiform signs. The lists thus offer a range of that can be implemented for administrative purposes and also have the potential to go beyond bureaucracy. In addition, they exemplify the rules underlying the systematic exploration of the potential of (proto-)cuneiform, thus contributing to the further transformation of the writing system.