Information revolutions and information transitions: counting, sealing, writing in Iran 10,000–300 BC

Matthews, R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8316-4312, Richardson, A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7376-8948, Fazeli Nashli, H. and de Groene, D. (2025) Information revolutions and information transitions: counting, sealing, writing in Iran 10,000–300 BC. Journal of Ancient Near Eastern History. ISSN 2328-9562 doi: 10.1515/janeh-2024-0027

Abstract/Summary

In this paper, we present a comprehensive analysis of counting, sealing, and writing practices in ancient Iran, spanning approximately 9000 years from the Neolithic to the Iron Age. The survival of clay (and occasionally stone or metal) media for administration in early Iran provides direct evidence for the development of bureaucratic practices. These materials reveal how such practices were situated within a broad range of socio-political, cultural, and environmental circumstances. Through systematic review and statistical analysis of the surviving material residues of Iranian bureaucracy, we identify distinctive deep-time diachronic trends and patterns. Our findings examine the ways in which Iranian societies exhibited a more hesitant and episodic engagement with sealing and writing compared to their Mesopotamian neighbours.We consider how these differences may be contingent on the inherent fragility of the agricultural systems that underpinned Iranian societies from the Neolithic onwards. This research underscores the interconnectedness of environmental factors, social organization, and technological development in ancient Iran. By understanding the interplay of these factors, we gain valuable insights into the formation and evolution of Iranian societies over millennia.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/id/eprint/122518
Identification Number/DOI	10.1515/janeh-2024-0027
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Science > School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science > Department of Archaeology
Uncontrolled Keywords	information; revolution; Iran; counting; writing; sealing
Publisher	de Gruyter
Download/View statistics	View download statistics for this item