The Bashplemi Tablet as a Structured Proto-Administrative Text

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.