The Indus Script
Introduction
Iravatham Mahadevan is a National Fellow of the Indian Council of Historical Research, and has been working on the Indus script for over 40 years. His publications include The Indus
An essay by Iravatham Mahadevan in response to the studies of Asko Parpola concerning the script and writing system of the Ancient Indus Valley Civilization.
The Indus Script
Asko Parpola
Asko Parpola needs no introduction to those interested in the problems of the Indus script.
The Indus Script
The Coming of the Aryans
Parpola proposes a new theory about when, from where and how the Aryans came into the Indian sub-continent and the identity of the Dasas (Dasyus) who were their traditional
The Indus Script
Myth of the Aryan Invasion
It has often been pointed out that the complete absence of the horse among the animals so prominently featured on the Indus seals is good evidence for the Non-Aryan
The Indus Script
Pictorial Interpretation of the Indus Signs
The Indus script has about 400 signs and is mainly pictographic in character.
The Indus Script
[Recently discovered token or tablet, Harappa] Structural studies of the Indus inscriptions have been carried out by a number of scholars ever since the discovery of the Indus Civilization and its
The Indus Script
Structural Analysis by Parpola
No attempt at linguistic decipherment of an unknown script can hope to succeed unless it is preceded by a thorough structural analysis of the available inscriptions to
The Indus Script
Parpola's Methodology of Decipherment
Parpola's methodology for deciphering the Indus script consists essentially of two parts, namely the rebus principle generally applicable to all ancient
The Indus Script
The 'Fish' Signs
Fig. 1: Number and Fish Signs
The 'fish' sign: Starting Point
As the starting point for his linguistic decipherment Parpola accepts the famous rebus (Fig.
The Indus Script
The Planets
Fig. 2: Modified Fish Signs
'Modified fish' signs: Planets and a Star
The Indus texts very often feature the 'fish' sign modified by some diacritic-like markings (Fig.II). These signs