List of Writing Systems - Undeciphered Systems Which May Be Writing

Undeciphered Systems Which May Be Writing

These systems have not been deciphered. In some cases, such as Meroitic, the sound values of the glyphs are known, but the texts still cannot be read because the language is not understood. Several of these systems, such as Epi-Olmec and Indus, are claimed to have been deciphered, but these claims have not been confirmed by independent researchers. In many cases it is doubtful that they are actually writing. The Vinča symbols appear to be proto-writing, and quipu may have recorded only numerical information. There are doubts that Indus is writing, and the Phaistos Disc has so little content or context that its nature in undetermined.

• Byblos syllabary – the city of Byblos
• Isthmian (apparently logosyllabic)
• Indus – Indus Valley Civilization
• Quipu – Inca Empire (probably numerical only)
• Khitan small script – Khitan
• Cretan hieroglyphs
• Linear A (a syllabary) – Minoan
• Mixtec – Mixtec (perhaps pictographic)
• Olmec – Olmec civilization (possibly the oldest Mesoamerican script)
• Phaistos Disc (a unique text, very possibly not writing)
• Proto-Elamite – Elam (nearly as old as Sumerian)
• Rongorongo – Rapa Nui (perhaps a syllabary)
• Proto-Sinaitic (likely an abjad)
• Zapotec – Zapotec (another old Mesoamerican script)
• Banpo symbols – Yangshao culture (perhaps proto-writing)
• Jiahu symbols – Peiligang culture (perhaps proto-writing)