Colloque

Lost in a Forest of Signs

Describing and Understanding Graphic Variation in Ancient Writing Systems

Source www.mondesanciens.uliege.be

©️ Université de Liège

Infos

Dates

15 au 17 juin 2026

Lieu

4000 Liège

L'un des principaux défis de tout déchiffrement consiste à déterminer quand des glyphes apparemment similaires doivent être considérés comme des variantes graphiques (allographes) d’un même signe (par exemple, a/𝑎), partageant des valeurs phonographiques et/ou sémiographiques identiques, et quand ils doivent plutôt être considérés comme des signes distincts ayant des valeurs différentes malgré leur ressemblance formelle (par exemple, minuscule <L> vs majuscule <i> : l/I).

Cette conférence vise à explorer si la résolution de cette question dépend nécessairement de l'analyse linguistique – et donc du déchiffrement lui-même – ou si, dans certains cas, une compréhension plus approfondie de la variation graphique peut dans les faits éclairer ou faciliter le processus de déchiffrement.

Dans le cadre de cette conférence, nous opérons donc une distinction entre les systèmes d'écriture déchiffrés, où cette question a été (pour l'essentiel) réglée, et les systèmes non déchiffrés, où elle reste ouverte. L'un des principaux objectifs de cette réunion est de rassembler les chercheurs qui travaillent sur les systèmes d'écriture non déchiffrés et ceux qui étudient les systèmes déchiffrés, afin de favoriser le dialogue et le partage d'idées, notamment grâce à une description plus précise et nuancée des divers phénomènes que recouvre ce que nous appelons la variation graphique.

***

One of the central challenges in any decipherment lies in determining when apparently similar glyphs should be understood as graphic variants (allographs) of the same sign (e.g., a/𝑎), sharing identical phonographic and/or semographic values, and when they should instead be regarded as distinct signs with different values (e.g., minuscule <L> vs. majuscule <i>: l/I).

This conference seeks to explore whether resolving this issue necessarily depends on linguistic analysis—and therefore on decipherment itself—or whether, in some cases, a deeper understanding of graphic variation can in fact inform or facilitate the process of decipherment.

A distinction can be drawn between deciphered writing systems, where this question has (mostly) been settled, and undeciphered systems, where it remains open. One of the main aims of this meeting is to bring together scholars working on undeciphered writing systems with those studying deciphered ones, fostering dialogue and shared insights—particularly through a more precise and nuanced description of the diverse phenomena encompassed by what we term graphic variation.

Planned communications: A Campo, Merten (Cretan Hieroglyphs); Adiego, Ignasi-Xavier (Carian); Bonmann, Svenja (Kushan Script); Colonna d’Istria, Laurent & Tavernier, Jan (Cuneiform); Davletshin, Albert (Rongorongo); Desenclos, Camille & Pierrot Cécile (Cryptography); Desset, François (Linear Elamite); Fuls, Andreas & Wells, Bryan (Proto Byblos Inscriptions & Indus Script); Greco, Alessandro (Linear B); Haring, Ben (Proto-Sinaitic); Kelley, Katryn (Proto-Elamite); Klinkenberg, Jean-Marie (Conclusions); Martínez Porro, Jaime (Avestan Script); Oreshko, Rostyslav (Luwian); Polis, Stéphane & Joubert, Émil (Ancient Egyptian); Poupard, Duncan J. (Naxi); Prager, Christian (Maya); Rilly, Claude (Meroitic); Salgarella, Ester (Linear A); Stein, Peter (Ancient South-Arabian); Thele, Andreas (Japanese); Whittaker, Gordon (Aztec); Xu, Yanru (Old Chinese); Zadworny, Piotr (Proto-Cuneiform)

Preliminary program

15 June

9h30-10h: Welcome coffee

Deciphered scripts

Alphabets & Abdjads

10h-10h35: 1^st presentation – Peter Stein (Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena / Universität Erfurt)
Graphic Variation in Ancient South Arabian
10h35-11h10: 2^nd presentation – Jaime Martinez Porro (Freie Universität Berlin)
The Avestan script

11h10-11h30: coffee break

11h30-12h05: 3^rd presentation – Svenja Bonmann (University of Cologne)
The Kushan script
12h05-12h40: 4^th presentation – Ignasi Adiego (Universitat de Barcelona)
Graphemes and Allographs in the Decipherment of Carian

12h40-14h: lunch

14h-14h35: 5^th presentation – Ben Haring (University of Leiden)
Proto-Sinaitic: an adapted hieroglyphic font?
14h35-15h10: 6^th presentation – Claude Rilly (CNRS)
Hieroglyphic or cursive script? Graphic register variations in Meroitic

15h10-15h30: coffee break

Syllabic Scripts

15h30-16h05: 7^th presentation – François Desset (Université de Liège)
Graphic variation in Linear Elamite script

Logophonographic Script

16h05-16h40: 8^th presentation – Andreas Thele (Université de Liège)
Graphic Variations of Characters in the Japanese Writing Systems
16h40-17h15: 9^th presentation – Laurent Colonna d’Istria / Mason Wilkes (Université de Liège)
Graphic Variation in Cuneiform: Past and Present Approaches

16 June

9h30-10h05 : 10^th presentation – Ester Salgarella (Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, University of Aarhus, Denmark; online presentation)
(De)Signs – Evaluating Graphic Variation in the ‘Minoan’ Linear A Scripth
10h05-10h40: 11^th presentation – Alessandro Greco (Università La Sapienza – Roma)
Paleography and graphotechnics applied to Linear B: some research perspectives

10h40-11h: coffee break

11h-11h35: 12^th presentation – Yànru Xú (VIEWS project, Faculty of Classics, University of Cambridge)
Graphic Variations and Classifier Variations in the Guodian Bamboo Manuscripts
11h35-12h10: 13^th presentation – Rostislav Oreshko (CNRS Orient & Méditerranée)
Regional Scribal Traditions and Graphic variation in Hieroglyphic Luwian Writing
12h10-12h45: 14^th presentation – Emil Joubert / Stéphane Polis (Université de Liège)
Graphic Variation in a Figurative Script – Analyzing Iconicity and its Encoding in Ancient Egyptian Writing

12h45-14h: lunch

14h-14h35: 15^th presentation – Christian Prager (Universität Bonn)
Horror Repetitionis and the Joy of Writing: Allography, Graphic Variation, and the Logic of Decipherment in the Classic Maya Script
14h35-15h10: 16^th presentation – Duncan J. Poupard (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)
Naxi Script as a Generative Writing System: Challenges and New Pathways

15h10-15h30: coffee break

15h30-16h05: 17^th presentation – Gordon Whitthaker (Georg August Universität Göttingen)
Glyphic Variation in Aztec and post-Aztec sources

Undeciphered Scripts

16h05-16h40: 18^th presentation – Kathryn Kelley (Uppsala University)
Existential questions in the construction of a proto-Elamite signlist
16h40-17h15: 19^th presentation – Andreas Fuls (Technische Universität Berlin)
Signs in Proto-Byblos Inscriptions

17 June

9h30-10h05: 20^th presentation – Bryan Wells (Independent Researcher) / Andreas Fuls (Technische Universität Berlin)
Signs and Graphic Variation of Indus Inscriptions
10h05-10h40: 21^th presentation – Piotr Zadworny (Universiteit Leiden)
Disentangling Glyphic Variation in Archaic Mesopotamian Economic Accounts

10h40-10h55: coffee break

10h55-11h30: 22^th presentation – Albert Davletshin (Instituto de Antropología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico)
Graphic Variation in the Kohau Rongorongo Script of Easter Island and Decipherment Methods
11h30-12h05: 23^th presentation – Merten a Campo (University of Cambridge)
The evaluation of graphic variability in the hieroglyphic writing of Crete

Ouverture

12h05-12h40: 24^th presentation – Cécile Pierrot (Université de Lorraine, CNRS, INRIA) / Camille Desenclos (Université de Picardie Jules Verne)
Lost in decryption: variety and variability of ciphertext characters in early modern texts

Conclusion

12h40-13h: Jean-Marie Klinkenberg (Université de Liège)

lunch

Organisateurs/Contacts : Laurent Colonna d'Istria – lcolonnadistria@uliege.be ; François Desset – fdesset@uliege.be ; Emil Joubert – ejoubert@uliege.be ; Stéphane Polis – S.Polis@uliege.be

Programme (pdf)

AFFICHE (PDF)