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Other literature type . 2026
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The Bashplemi Tablet as a Structured Proto-Administrative Text

Authors: Lampton, Brian Doyle;

The Bashplemi Tablet as a Structured Proto-Administrative Text

Abstract

This paper analyzes the Bashplemi stone tablet inscription from the Dmanisi region of southern Georgia (approximately 60 glyph tokens, about 39 sign classes, arranged in seven registers) using a structural epigraphy methodology. Treating all glyphs as unknown tokens, the study examines only internal distribution, positional constraints, and co-occurrence patterns. The inscription is shown to exhibit document-level organization: a closed operator set, explicit segmentation, category determinatives, divider-bounded measure phrases, and a structured closure consisting of a compact dedication clause followed by an emblematic seal. A functional architecture is extracted (domain inventory, two quantified act clauses, and a binding declaration framed by authority context and ratified by symbolic closure), supporting interpretation as a proto-administrative or cult-administrative record rather than decorative iconography. The paper also provides a predictive model specifying grammar invariants, variation zones, and falsifiable expectations for future related discoveries.

Keywords

Bashplemi,Bashplemi tablet,Dmanisi,Georgia,Caucasus,undeciphered inscription,undeciphered script,proto-writing,proto-administrative,structural epigraphy,operator system,measure grammar,category determinatives,register structure,seal,authority ecology,Late Bronze Age,Early Iron Age,epigraphy,document architecture

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