Thanks to the tireless efforts of archaeologists and scholars, much ancient writing has been deciphered and become readable by modern people. One of the final mysteries – Linear Elamite, an obscure language system used in ancient Iran – is close to being understood and may provide a key to understanding a little-known kingdom that bordered Sumer.
Ancient Sumer, of course, is known for cuneiform, the wedge-like writing we learned about in grade school. Sumer’s eastern neighbors, the Elamites, are lesser known. We do know that they developed their own system of writing which they later abandoned in favor of cuneiform. Only a handful of artifacts with Elamite writing have been discovered and until now, no one had deciphered the script to translate it.
In 2015, archaeologists obtained access to privately-owned artifacts that contained both Elamite and cuneiform writings. Scholars believe comparing the languages have helped them unlock the secrets of Elamite, in the same way the Rosetta Stone helped translate ancient cuneiform.
We can see many angles for fiction here. Is your protagonist an archaeologist trying to understand an ancient culture? An antiquities hoarder trying to keep his precious artifacts to himself and perhaps obfuscate their origin? A government operative seeking to return cultural treasures to their home countries? A warlock who believes ancient Elamite is the key to unlocking vast powers? What happens next?
