Elamite Scripts: Philology, Typography, and Encoding

Sina Fakour, Kaveh Ashourinia, François Desset

The Elamite civilization, located in present-day Iran, was one of the pioneers in the invention of writing. It was home to one of the first known writing systems, Proto-Elamite, as well as the first known syllabic writing system, Linear Elamite. Within the framework of the Missing Scripts program at ANRT, researchers from different disciplines and countries have collaborated to give these underrepresented scripts a contemporary typographic representation and to support their digital encoding. This panel brings together philology, archaeology, typography, and digital inclusion, illustrating the interdisciplinary nature of research and preservation of ancient scripts. It also highlights the challenges involved in representing ancient writing systems and minority scripts in contemporary digital environments. As Unicode continues to expand its support for historic and endangered scripts, the encoding of Elamite scripts presents a particularly significant case study, requiring close collaboration among scholars, designers, and technical experts from diverse fields. Both Proto-Elamite and Linear Elamite present unique challenges for integration into Unicode. This panel provides an opportunity for participants to discuss their research processes and approaches to both type design and encoding. The panellists’ presentations will also offer broader insights into methods for the study, preservation, and digital dissemination of other ancient writing systems. - François Desset: Archaeologist and specialist in Elamite scripts, who deciphered Linear Elamite. - Kaveh Ashourinia: Designer and researcher who has conducted typographic research on Proto-Elamite and designed a typeface for it. - Sina Fakour: Designer and researcher who has conducted typographic research on Linear Elamite and designed a typeface for it.

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