Complexity of proto-elamite administration system: Insights from compositional data from sealings and tablets

Abstract

This study investigates administrative practices during the Proto-Elamite period (3100–2900 BCE) by analysing the compositional data acquired from sealings and clay tablets found in Susa, Malyan, and Tape Yahya using handheld X-ray fluorescence (hXRF). The relative error (RE%) and the expanded uncertainty (U_Δ) accounted for the hXRF quantitative data acquired from six certified reference materials (CRMs) showed the hXRF data was accurate and the standard deviation (σ) of the measurements performed on the CRMs and relative standard deviation (RSD) accounted for the measurements performed on the clay materials showed that the hXRF data are precise enough to have a clear picture about the compositional diversity within the objects under study in terms of major and minor elements. The Proto-Elamite writing system and seal imagery, found across various sites in Iran, played a significant role in administrative control. This research provides new insights into the administrative mechanisms of the Proto-Elamite civilisation and the extent of regional interactions. Results suggest that sealings, used to secure storage and portable objects, were typically made and used locally, with no evidence of inter-regional transport. The chemical analysis of sealings from different trenches within Malyan highlights localised administrative practices. In contrast, the Proto-Elamite tablets seem to be transported between sites, indicating flow of information or goods.