Makarand Paranjpe refutes anti-Indian Pankaj Mishra

August 19, 2017, 12:47 am

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Despite international media’s outrage, the India elephant should move forward

Don’t commentators listen when President Ram Nath Kovind pitches for “compassionate society” or Prime Minister Narendra Modi exhorts citizens against religious intolerance or hatred?

Aug 18, 2017 17:53 IST

Makarand R. Paranjape 

If the idea of India was still-born, then why blame Modi for killing it? (Arun Sharma/ Hindustan Times)

I would be the last person to highlight the compulsive Hindu- or India-bashing as we celebrate the 70th anniversary of our nation. But almost as striking as India’s achievements are some of our mean and mealy-mouthed detractors. Don’t get me wrong. I am all for a genuine introspection, even far-reaching criticism, especially if the latter is constructive. What better conjuncture than our Independence Day for such conjecture and reflection?

But the bellyaching niggling and whining, especially of our celebrity pedants and self-proclaimed prophets, is in such bad taste on such an occasion. “India at 70, and the Passing of Another Illusion” by Pankaj Mishra (11 August, New York Times) is an example. The entire piece is one unremitting jeremiad on “religious-racial supremacists,” “xenophobic and racial” Hindus, “lynching of Muslims,” “assaults on couples,” “threats of rape against women,” “Hindu supremacists’ troll army,” “mob frenzy,” “jingoistic television,” “nationwide hunt for enemies,” “reactionary upper-caste Hindus,” “India’s lynch mobs,” and so on. The damning conclusion is as predictable as it is prejudiced: “Mr. Modi’s rule represents the most devastating, and perhaps final, defeat of India’s noble postcolonial ambition to create a moral world order.” As if this were not enough, Mishra asks us to “mourn this Aug.15 as marking the end of India’s tryst with destiny or, more accurately, the collapse of our exalted ideas about ourselves.”

“Ourselves”? Mishra must be delusive. If not in solitary confinement, he stands isolated with a few fellow doomsayers, similarly marooned in their solipsistic, if not sponsored, splendour. Married well or highly privileged, talented writers like Mishra routinely fall into the gadfly trap—or should I say, trip? Do they consider themselves the divinely ordained conscience keepers of a people who would remain eternally benighted but for their gloomy auguries? Of course, it pays to trash India. What other motive can we ascribe to such egregious self-reproach? But these disgruntled Hindus don’t seem to do it purely for the money. They are not your ordinary sepoys or mercenaries. It is their passion, even pathology perhaps. But complain as they may till they go blue in the face, their carping amounts to little more than baying at the moon. For all practical purposes, India has passed them by.

In Mishra’s case, by tracing the rot way back to 1948, via the 1984 Congress pogrom of Sikhs in Delhi, he seriously undermines his condemnation of Modi. If, as he alleges, “up to 40,000 Muslims were killed,” under Jawaharlal Nehru’s watch in the police action on Hyderabad in 1948, how is Modi responsible for the demise of the idea of India? With the ravages of Partition and creation of a theocratic Muslim state, wasn’t Nehru’s tryst with destiny already a disaster? How could 15 August 1947, in the words of W.E.B. Du Bois, be celebrated “as the greatest historical date” in modern times with the lonely Mahatma fire-fighting Hindu-Muslim riots in Calcutta on this very day instead of presiding over the honours in the Viceregal Palace? If the idea of India was still-born, then why blame Modi for killing it?

If Mishra’s sense of history is wrong even more is his ethical inclination mistaken. In the case of Hyderabad he confidently maintains that the 40,000 killed were Muslims without substantiating either claim. The Razakaar atrocities and excesses on Hindus, the Nizam’s plan to create another Pakistan within India, Hyderabad’s appeal to the UN Security Council against India—all this is conveniently elided. If his figure of 40,000 killed is from the Pandit Sunderal Committee, then the actual number in the report is between 26,000-40,000, with the religion of the casualties not clearly identified. Mishra shows himself up not as a true critic, let alone friend of India, but as partisan, motivated, and unreliable.

Don’t commentators listen when President Ram Nath Kovind pitches for “compassionate society” or Prime Minister Narendra Modi exhorts citizens against religious intolerance or hatred? Why don’t they find a single positive thing to say about India’s numberless achievements? Why does international media subject India to such scathing criticism when failed states such as Pakistan or authoritarian regimes such as China are seldom held accountable? Whenever anyone needs an excuse to sledge us, it is such unbalanced India-trashers who are sure to be quoted. No wonder Mishra earned the sobriquet of “general hater-in-chief of anything Indian.” But as he himself once confessed, “My dominant feeling every day is one of great ignorance.” We should take him at his word here and discount his rants.

To end on a positive note, a great civilization, society, or state must not be overly touchy. Such hypersensitivity only reveals our own insecurities. To so seek the approbation and sympathy of friends and foes alike is unnecessary. This, indeed, was Jawaharlal Nehru’s undoing. An elephant does not slow down, let alone, stop at every barking cur. Similarly, India must move forward calmly, purposefully, and confidently to reassert her economic, cultural, political, and military power, not only in the region, but also in the world. But in doing so, we should never deviate from the path of dharma or righteousness. Therein lies our manifest destiny.

Makarand Paranjape is a professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University

http://www.hindustantimes.com/opinion/despite-international-media-s-outrage-the-india-elephant-should-move-forward/story-guGmdigbd05M1r25PcXo0K.html

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Cast your vote: Re-establishing the True Chronological History of India

August 19, 2017, 1:04 am

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https://newindia.in/causes/re-establishing-the-true-chronological-history-of-india/

Re-establishing the True Chronological History of India

Created by: Vedveer Arya

 

Date: August 19, 2017

The chronic and complex problems in the study of ancient Indian chronology arise from a misunderstanding of the epochs of ancient Indian eras. Based on the epigraphic and literary evidence, we can conclusively fix the epochs of ancient Indian eras starting from the date of Buddha nirvana. There is abundance of epigraphic, archaeological and literary evidence for the critical study of the chronology of ancient India. Unfortunately, the exact epochs of certain ancient eras were forgotten by 10th and 11th centuries. Thus, we need to debate and establish the true epochs of ancient Indian eras.

Full text of justification: 

https://newindia.in/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/newindia99354_1503118504.pdf

Re-establishing the True Chronological History of India Indian civilisation is arguably, the oldest continuous civilisation that possibly had its origin in the early beginnings of the Holocene around 15000-14000 BCE. Puranas relate the continuous chronology of the political history of ancient India starting from the Surya Vamshi king Ikshvaku to the kings of the Gupta dynasty. There is abundance of epigraphic, archaeological and literary evidence for the critical study of the chronology of ancient India. Unfortunately, the exact epochs of certain ancient eras were forgotten by 10th and 11th centuries. This led to many inconsistencies and contradictions in Indian chronology. In the last 233 years, Western historians and their followers took advantage of these inconsistencies and distorted the entire chronology of ancient India. They concocted many false theories and managed to take modern Indian historical research in the direction that suited their purpose. The Epochs of Ancient Indian Eras: The True Sheet-anchors of Indian Chronology As a matter of fact, the chronic and complex problems in the study of ancient Indian chronology arise from a misunderstanding of the epochs of ancient Indian eras. As unanimously accepted by all historians, inscriptions are the most valuable source of ancient Indian chronology. Based on the epigraphic and literary evidence, we can conclusively fix the epochs of ancient Indian eras starting from the date of Buddha nirvana. In the last three years, I have extensively worked on the subject and published a book “The Chronology of Ancient India: Victim of Concoctions and Distortions” and various articles which can be downloaded from 

https://independent.academia.edu/VedveerArya. 

Based on my research work, I propose the following true epochs of ancient Indian eras.

 

Following the Sankalp Se Siddhi (New India Movement 2017-2022), a great initiative by Honorable Prime Minister, let us take pledge to re-establish the true chronological history of India by 2022. Initiated by: Vedveer Arya

Big Brother is Chinese. The blockhead, Cambridge Univ. Press.

August 19, 2017, 3:26 pm

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Cambridge University Press blocks its readers in China from articles

Cambridge University Press accused of 'selling its soul' over Chinese censorship

Academics and activists decry publisher’s decision to comply with a Chinese request to block more than 300 articles from leading China studies journal

A list of the blocked articles, published by CUP, shows they focus overwhelmingly on topics China’s one-party state regards as taboo Photograph: Nick Ansell/PA

The world’s oldest publishing house, Cambridge University Press, has been accused of being an accomplice to the Communist party’s bid to whitewash Chinese history after it agreed to purge hundreds of politically-sensitive articles from its Chinese website at the behest of Beijing’s censors.

The publisher confirmed on Friday that it had complied with a Chinese request to block more than 300 articles from the China Quarterly, a leading China studies journal, in order “to ensure that other academic and educational materials we publish remain available to researchers and educators” in China.

A list of the blocked articles, published by CUP, shows they focus overwhelmingly on topics China’s one-party state regards as taboo, including the 1989 Tiananmen massacre, Mao Zedong’s catastrophic Cultural Revolution, Hong Kong’s fight for democracy and ethnic tensions in Xinjiang and Tibet.

They include articles by some of the world’s top China specialists including Columbia University’s Andrew Nathan, George Washington University’s David Shambaugh, and Harvard University scholars Roderick MacFarquhar and Ezra Vogel.

A piece by Dutch historian Frank Dikötter and a book review by the Guardian’s former China correspondent, John Gittings, about the Cultural Revolution were also censored.

In its statement, CUP insisted it was committed to freedom of thought and expression and had been “troubled by the recent increase in requests of this nature” from China. The publisher vowed to raise the issue with the “revelant agencies” in Beijing at an upcoming book fair. 

But on Saturday, as reports of the publisher’s move spread, it faced a growing outcry from academics and activists who called for the decision to be reversed. 

“Pragmatic is one word, pathetic more apt,” tweeted Rory Medcalf, the head of the national security college at the Australian National University. 

John Garnaut, a longtime China correspondent and former adviser to the Australian prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, described it as “an extraordinary capitulation” to China.

Renee Xia, the international director of the Chinese Human Rights Defenders network, accused the publisher of having “sold its soul for millions of Chinese govt dollars”.

Andrew Nathan, whose name appears three times in the list of censored articles, told the Guardian: “If the Press acceded to a Chinese request to block access to selected articles, as I gather is the case, it violated the trust that authors placed in it and has compromised its integrity as an academic publisher.”

Nathan, the editor of a seminal work on the Tiananmen crackdown, added: “I imagine [CUP] might argue that it was serving a higher purpose, by compromising in order to maintain the access by Chinese scholars to most of the material it has published. This is similar to the argument by authors who allow Chinese translations of their work to be censored so that the work can reach the Chinese audience. [But] that’s an argument I have never agreed with.”

“Of course, there may also be a financial motive, similar to Bloomberg, Facebook, and others who have censored their product to maintain access to the Chinese market. This is a dilemma, but if the West doesn’t stand up for its values, then the Chinese authorities will impose their values on us. It’s not worth it.”

In an open letter two US scholars, Greg Distelhorst and Jessica Chen Weiss, complained that CUP’s move meant Chinese academics and scholars would now only have access to a “sanitized” version of their country’s history.

“To me the problem is pretty straightforward: the problem is publishing a politically-curated version of Chinese history and doing so in the name of Cambridge University,” Distelhorst, an assistant professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told the Guardian. 

“This makes the publisher an active participant in rewriting history … When a government asks you to censor a piece of scholarship, that request is fundamentally opposed to a principle of academic freedom that I believe to be important to Cambridge and to many universities.”

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In a statement the editor of China Quarterly, Tim Pringle, voiced “deep concern and disappointment” at the tightening controls in China. “This restriction of academic freedom is not an isolated move but an extension of policies that have narrowed the space for public engagement and discussion across Chinese society.”

Distelhorst said he sympathised with CUP and particularly the editors of China Quarterly: “Receiving censorship requests puts them in a really difficult position and forces a lot of hard trade-offs ... [But] I hope they will reconsider their decision to selectively censor articles and then present the censored version of the journal to the Chinese public.”

Since Xi Jinping took power nearly five years ago Beijing has dramatically stepped up its efforts to control Chinese academia, with the president last year calling for universities to be transformed into Communist party “strongholds”.

A growing number of intellectuals – the majority political scientists or international relations and law experts – have sought refuge in the US. “It is not as dramatic as the refugees from Hitler; not as dramatic as the enormous number who turned up [after Tiananmen] and we had to deal with. But it is growing and I am seeing them,” the veteran China expert Jerry Cohen, who has been helping some of the refugee scholars, said in an interview last year.

Foreign academics have also been targeted, with Chinese authorities denying visas to academics deemed to be focusing on unwelcome topics. Until now, however, foreign academic journals appeared to have largely avoid scrutiny. 

Nathan said China’s list of censorship demands to the CUP appeared to have been generated “by a naive machine search of article and review titles” which had targeted key words and names deemed sensitive. He called the move “a useless overreach” by Beijing.

“What can it accomplish? I’m sorry to say that information control often works. But if you have so much money, staff, and time, that you can burrow down to the level of censoring academic publications in a foreign language that could only be used by your own academic community, then I think your censorship organs are over funded and you would do well to cut their budgets. As the saying goes, this is lifting up a stone only to drop it on one’s own foot.”

One of the censored China Quarterly articles captures the kind of material China’s authoritarian leaders would prefer to see buried.

In his 2016 contribution, The Once and Future Tragedy of the Cultural Revolution, Harvard’s MacFarquhar writes about the burgeoning Mao-esque personality cult around Xi and ponders “the vigorous attempt by the regime to consign the Cultural Revolution to the dustbin of history by discouraging research and teaching on the subject”.

MacFarquhar writes: “The dangers of inducing national amnesia is encapsulated in George Santayana’s famous dictum: ‘Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.’”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/19/cambridge-university-press-accused-of-selling-its-soul-over-chinese-censorship?CMP=share_btn_tw

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August 19, 2017, 6:18 pm

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Cast your vote: Create National Water Grid
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Create National Water Grid

Create National Water Grid

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Created by: Srinivasan Kalyanaraman

 

Date: August 19, 2017

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https://newindia.in/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/newindia159594_1503137151.pdf

Bharat is blessed with the greatest water tower in the world, the Himalayas. This tower is growing. With the waters stored in the tower, we can assure 24×7 water to every farm and every home in 6.2 lakh villages. NWDA perspective plan is the backbone for the National Water Grid which has been approved by Hon’ble Supreme Court in 2012 judgement of 3-judge bench headed by CJI Kapadia. With water available 24×7, farmers can grow upto 3 crops per year, thus increase food production two -or three-fold. Recurring problems of floods and droughts can be solved with the Grid in place.

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Indus Script hypertexts proclaim Soma Yāga on Rampurva Aśoka pillars, copper bolt (metal dowel), bull & lion capitals

August 20, 2017, 6:25 am

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https://tinyurl.com/y8vvc9wk

This monograph demonstrates that unambiguous, exquisite Indus Script hypertexts seen on Rampurva Aśoka pillars, copper bolt (metal dowel), bull & lion capitals are proclamations, ketu -- yajñasya ketu--  of Soma Yāga performance. 

All the pillars of Ashoka are built at Buddhist monasteries. “The pillars have four component parts in two pieces: the three sections of the capitals are made in a single piece, often of a different stone to that of the monolithic shaft to which they are attached by a large metal dowel. The shafts are always plain and smooth, circular in cross-section, slightly tapering upwards and always chiselled out of a single piece of stone. The lower parts of the capitals have the shape and appearance of a gently arched bell formed of lotus petals. The abaci are of two types: square and plain and circular and decorated and these are of different proportions. The crowning animals are masterpieces of Mauryan art, shown either seated or standing, always in the round and chiselled as a single piece with the abaci.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillars_of_Ashoka#cite_ref-7

The appearance of capitals as bells signifies bronze-working competence: kaṁsá1 m. ʻ metal cup ʼ AV., m.n. ʻ bell -- metal ʼ Pat. as in S., but would in Pa. Pk. and most NIA. lggs. collide with kāˊṁsya -- to which L. P. testify and under which the remaining forms for the metal are listed. 2. *kaṁsikā -- . 1. Pa. kaṁsa -- m. ʻ bronze dish ʼ; S. kañjho m. ʻ bellmetal ʼ; A. kã̄h ʻ gong ʼ; Or. kãsā ʻ big pot of bell -- metal ʼ; OMarw. kāso (= kã̄ -- ?) m. ʻ bell -- metal tray for food, food ʼ; G. kã̄sā m. pl. ʻ cymbals ʼ; -- perh. Woṭ. kasṓṭ m. ʻ metal pot ʼ Buddruss Woṭ 109.2. Pk. kaṁsiā -- f. ʻ a kind of musical instrument ʼ; K. k&ebrevdotdot;nzü f. ʻ clay or copper pot ʼ; A. kã̄hi ʻ bell -- metal dish ʼ; G. kã̄śī f. ʻ bell -- metal cymbal ʼ, kã̄śiyɔ m. ʻ open bellmetal pan ʼ.kāˊṁsya -- ; -- *kaṁsāvatī -- ?Addenda: kaṁsá -- 1: A. kã̄h also ʻ gong ʼ or < kāˊṁsya -- .(CDIAL 2576)

Bull capital, lion capital on Rampurva Aśoka pillarss
An Indus Script hypertext message on the copper bolt which joins the bull capital with the pillar is about metalwork competence of artisans of Rampurva who made the pillar with capital. The decorative motifs on the abacus are also Indus Script hypertexts documenting metallurgical competence.

The abacus of the bull capital shows pericarp of lotus, rhizomes, palm fronds. These signify: कर्णिक, कर्णिका f. the pericarp of a lotus rebus: कर्णिका 'steersman, helmsman' (seafaring merchant) PLUS (base of the abacus) tāmarasa 'lotus' rebus: tāmra 'copper' PLUS sippi 'mollusc', śilpin, sippi 'artificer'. Thus, the hypertext message is: helmsman, coppersmith artificer.

The abacus of the lion capital show decorative motifs of aquatic birds, hamsa and varāha 'boars'. These Indus Script motifs signify: বরাহ barāha 'boar'Rebus: bāṛaï 'carpenter' (Bengali) bari 'merchant' barea 'merchant' (Santali) बारकश or बारकस [bārakaśa or bārakasa] n ( P) A trading vessel, a merchantman.

The animals on the capital are Indus Script hypertexts: 

1. Zebu: पोळ pōḷa 'zebu, bos indicus' rebus: पोळ pōḷa 'magnetite (a ferrite ore)'
2.. arā 'lion' rebus: āra 'brass', ārakūṭa 'brass alloy' 

The pillars upholding the capital are Indus Script hypertexts: skambha 'pillar' rebus: kampaṭṭam, kammaṭa 'mint, coiner, coinage'.

Thus, these pillars with animal capitals of Rampurva are proclamations of metal- and mint-work by artisans of Rampurva. The tradition of mounting a pillar as a proclamation of performance of Soma Yāga is a tradition documented in R̥gveda which refers to an octagonal pillar as ketu. aṣṭāśri yūpa, a ketu to proclaim a somasamsthā yāga. The expression used describe the purport of the yūpa is:  yajñasya ketu (RV 3.8.8).

Hieroglyphs on the two-and-a-half feet long Rampurva copper bolt which joinss the bull capital to the pillar:

1. goṭ 'seed' Rebus: koṭe ‘forging (metal)

2. kanda 'fire altar' rebus: khaṇḍa 'metal implements'. 

3. goṭ 'round, stone' Rebus: khoṭ 'alloy ingot' PLUS aya khambhaṛā 'fish fin' Rebus: aya kammaṭa 'iron mint'

4. ḍanga 'mountain range' rebus: ḍangar 'blacksmith' PLUS bhaṭa 'rimless pot' rebus: bhaṭa 'furnace'. 

Thus, the hypertext on the Rampurva copper bolt is 1. a professional calling card of the metalsmithy/forge artisan with competence in forging metal implements, with iron mint and furnace and 2. proclamation of the performance of a Soma Yāga. 

Thus, Indus Script hypertexts seen on Rampurva Aśoka pillars, copper bolt, bull & lion capitals are proclamations, ketu -- yajñasya ketu--  of Soma Yāga performance. 

Fern stems are often referred to as "rhizomes". "In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (/ˈraɪzoʊm/, from Ancient Greek: rhízōma "mass of roots",^[1] from rhizóō"cause to strike root")^[2] is a modified subterranean stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks and rootstocks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow perpendicular to the force of gravity. The rhizome also retains the ability to allow new shoots to grow upwards." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhizome
Lotus rhizome.कर्णिक, कर्णिका f. the pericarp of a lotus MBh. BhP. &c; f. a knot-like tubercle Sus3r.; f. a round protuberance (as at the end of a reed or a tube) Sus3r. Rebus: कर्णिक m. a steersman W.
A fern unrolls a young frond. These young fronds become decorative motifs of Indus Script artifacts.

The use of rebus method to apply sound values to glyphs is well-attested in contemporary civilizations of Egypt and Sumer. When sound values related to the glyphs of the Indus writing system were identified from the glosses of the linguistic area, a surprising semantic cluster emerged related to homophones. While the glosses directly relatable to the emphatically, unambiguously identifiable glyphs were listed, the corresponding homophones produced a semantic cluster related to metallurgy, minerals, metals, alloys, smithy, smelters, furnace types and forge. 

The rebus method automatically justified itself as a valid method and helped decode majority of the unambiguously identified glyphs (both pictorial motifs and signs) of the Indus Script writing system. The decoded rebus readings related to the repertoire of mine-workers, metal worker guild and smithy. That a guild was in vogue is inferred from the glyph of a trough shown in front of not only domesticated animals but also wild animals and the homophone for the trough  (pātra, pattar) indicates a guild, pattar, guild of goldsmiths. 

"Stambha (also spelled as Skambha) - is used to denote pillar or column. In the context of Jain & Hindu mythology, it is believed to be a cosmic column which functions as a bond, which joins the heaven (Svarga) and the earth (Prithvi). A number of Hindu scriptures, including the Atharva Veda, have references to Stambha. In the Atharva Veda, a celestial stambha has been described as an infinite scaffold, which supports the cosmos and material creation." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stambha skambhá1 m. ʻ prop, pillar ʼ RV. 2. ʻ *pit ʼ (semant. cf. kūˊpa -- 1). [√skambh] 1. Pa. khambha -- m. ʻ prop ʼ; Pk. khaṁbha -- m. ʻ post, pillar ʼ; Pr. iškyöp, üšköb ʻ bridge ʼ NTS xv 251; L. (Ju.) khabbā m., mult. khambbā m. ʻ stake forming fulcrum for oar ʼ; P. khambh, khambhā, khammhā m. ʻ wooden prop, post ʼ; WPah.bhal. kham m. ʻ a part of the yoke of a plough ʼ, (Joshi) khāmbā m. ʻ beam, pier ʼ; Ku. khāmo ʻ a support ʼ, gng. khām ʻ pillar (of wood or bricks) ʼ; N. khã̄bo ʻ pillar, post ʼ, B. khām, khāmbā; Or. khamba ʻ post, stake ʼ; Bi. khāmā ʻ post of brick -- crushing machine ʼ, khāmhī ʻ support of betel -- cage roof ʼ, khamhiyā ʻ wooden pillar supporting roof ʼ; Mth. khāmh, khāmhī ʻ pillar, post ʼ, khamhā ʻ rudder -- post ʼ; Bhoj. khambhā ʻ pillar ʼ, khambhiyā ʻ prop ʼ; OAw. khāṁbhe m. pl. ʻ pillars ʼ, lakh. khambhā; H. khām m. ʻ post, pillar, mast ʼ, khambh f. ʻ pillar, pole ʼ; G. khām m. ʻ pillar ʼ, khã̄bhi, °bi f. ʻ post ʼ, M. khã̄b m., Ko. khāmbho, °bo, Si. kap (< *kab); -- X gambhīra -- , sthāṇú -- , sthūˊṇā -- qq.v.2. K. khambürü f. ʻ hollow left in a heap of grain when some is removed ʼ; Or. khamā ʻ long pit, hole in the earth ʼ, khamiā ʻ small hole ʼ; Marw. khã̄baṛo ʻ hole ʼ; G. khã̄bhũ n. ʻ pit for sweepings and manure ʼ.*skambhaghara -- , *skambhākara -- , *skambhāgāra -- , *skambhadaṇḍa -- ; *dvāraskambha -- .Addenda: skambhá -- 1: Garh. khambu ʻ pillar ʼ.(CDIAL 13639)  *skambhadaṇḍa ʻ pillar pole ʼ. [skambhá -- 1, daṇḍá -- ]Bi. kamhãṛ, kamhaṛ, kamhaṇḍā ʻ wooden frame suspended from roof which drives home the thread in a loom ʼ. (CDIAL 13642) Rebus: Ta. kampaṭṭam coinage, coin. Ma. kammaṭṭam, kammiṭṭam coinage, mint. Ka. kammaṭa id.; kammaṭi a coiner. (DEDR 1236)

[quote]Rampurva is an archaeological site in the West Champaran district of the Indian state of Bihar, situated very close to the border with Nepal. It is known for the discovery of a pair of Aśoka Pillars in c. 1876 by A.C.L. Carlleyle. (Allen, Charles (2010). The Buddha and Dr. Führer: An Archaeological Scandal. Penguin Books India. pp. 66–67.)
[unquote]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rampurva

 Indus Script hypertext on Rampurva copper bolt

Location	Rampurwa, Champaran, Bihar, India
Date	Upto 3rd century BC ca 299-200 BCE
Description	Plaster of Paris Stucco, 200 x 135 cm
Status	Architectural fragment Presently located at: Calcutta, Indian Museum
View	Overview
Image Identification	Accession No 36104 Negative No 249.87 American Institute of Indian Studies, Varanasi
Notes	American Institute of Indian Studies, Varanasi

"According to Cunningham, who wrote about the pillars says, that he excavated the surrounding of the site and disconnected its broken Capital from the shaft. The Capital was fastened to the shaft by a solid barrel shaped bolt of pure copper, measuring two and a half feet long and 5-5/16 inches in diameter at the centre and tapered slightly towards the ends where its circumference was 3-5/8 inches. The bolt projected exactly half its length or 1-1/4 inches from the shaft, and the projecting portion received the Capital; both ends were beautifully fitted into the stone, thus dispensing with any cement substance to firmly hold it together. The copper bolt was an exquisite piece of work, created into shape apparently with a hammer. The bolt is now kept in the Indian Museum, Kolkata and weighs 79 ½ lbs." Ref: Cunningham, ASI, XVI, pp.110-117; Carlleyle, CASI, XXII, pp.51-57; An. Rep., ASI, 1902-3, pp.38-40; 1907-8, pp.181-88; An Rep., ASI, E.C. 1906-7, p.16; 1912-13, p.36; BDG, Champaran, pp. 172-74. http://bhpromo.org.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47&Itemid=54

The bolt is apparently forged into form by hammer after being cast. This is confirmed by the inscription on the bolt written in Indus writing. The lexeme is: koṭe ‘forging (metal)(Munda) 

The use of the Indus script glyphs on 

Rampurva copperbolt*** reinforce the decoding of smithy repertoire.

***Rampurva copper bolt “The starting place for the inquiry is the Rampurva copper bolt at present in the Indian Museum, Calcutta. This was discovered in 1880 by Cunningham and H.B. Garrick. It was buried beside the fallen southerly pillar on which was engraved a set of Asoka’s pillar edicts. The pillar and its lion capital were subsequently fully excavated by Daya Ram Sahni. The more northerly Rampurva pillar is that associated with the famous bull capital. The bolt was examined by Cunningham who concluded that there could be n doubt of its being original and that it must have served to hold the lion capital in place upon its pillar. It is probable that other Asokan pillars and capitals bear mortises for similar bolts. This one is described as barrel shaped, of pure copper measuring 2 ft. ½ in. in length, with a diameter of 4 5/16 in. in the centre, and 3 5/8 in. at each end. Cunningham makes no mention of any marks upon the bolt, but Durga Prasad published an impression of four marks. They are made of lines of impressed dots and include the hill-with-crescent, the taurine or Nandipada, and the open cross:

Here these signs occur upon an object which must have been made by craftsmen working for Asoka or one of his predessors.” (F.R. Allchin, 1959, Upon the contextual significance of certain groups of ancient signs, School of Oriental and African Studies, London.)

goṭ 'seed' Rebus: koṭe ‘forging (metal)(Munda); khoṭ 'alloy ingot'. खोट (p. 212) [ khōṭa ] f A mass of metal (unwrought or of old metal melted down); an ingot or wedge. (Marathi) 

kanda 'fire-altar' Rebus: khaṇḍa 'metal implements'. 

goṭ 'round object' Rebus: khoṭ 'alloy ingot' PLUS bhaṭa 'rimless pot' Rebus: bhaṭa 'furnace'; dhanga 'mountain-range' Rebus: dhangar 'metalsmith' PLUS bhaṭa 'rimless pot' Rebus: bhaṭa 'furnace'. Thus, the inscription on the Rampurva copperbolt provides technical specification on the metal object, the copper bolt: that it was made of an alloy ingot (from) furnace, (made by) metal implements metalsmith.

Alternative: goṭ  'round object' Rebus: khoṭ 'alloy ingot' PLUS dula 'pair' rebus: dul 'metal casting' PLUS ayo 'fish' rebus: aya 'iron' ayas 'alloy metal'PLUS khambhaṛā 'fish-fin' rebus: Ta. kampaṭṭam coinage, coin. Ma. kammaṭṭam, kammiṭṭam coinage, mint. Ka. kammaṭa id.; kammaṭi a coiner. (DEDR 1236)

Thus, the Indus Script hypertext on the Rampurva copper alloy bolt is a message of the professional competence of metalsmiths of the Bronze Age at Rampurva: alloy metal castings, metal furnaces, ingots, metalsmithy, mintwork.

Who knows? The metalsmith might have worked for Asoka or Asoka's predecessors (earlier than 3rd cent. BCE), as Allchin surmises.

Indus Script hypertexts on Rampurva bull and lion capitals of Aśoka pillars

Lotus base of an Ashokan capital from Odisha.

Frieze of the lost capital of the Allahabad pillar, with two lotuses with multiple calyx, framing a "flame palmette" surrounded by small rosette flowers, over a band of beads and reels.

John Murray, 1876 - Illustration for History of Indian and Eastern Architecture by James Fergusson (John Murray, 1876).

Frieze of capital of Lat at Allahabad, with flame palmette within multiple calyx lotuses. Similarities with a frieze from Delphi featuring lotus with multiple calyx:

"Flame palmettes" around a lotus, Detail of Rampurva bull capital, detail of the abacus.
An early representation of a zebu, on the Rampurva capital of the Pillars of Ashoka, third century BCE.

पोळ pōḷa 'zebu, bos indicus' rebus: पोळ pōḷa 'magnetite (a ferrite ore)'  पोळा (p. 305) pōḷā m (पोळ) A festive day for cattle,--the day of new moon of श्रावण or of भाद्रपद. Bullocks are exempted from labor; variously daubed and decorated; and paraded about in worship.  पोळ (p. 305) pōḷa m A bull dedicated to the gods, marked with a trident and discus, and set at large. 

Lion Capital found at Rampurva. The abacus is decorated with hamsa geese.

karaṇḍa ‘duck’ (Sanskrit) karaṛa ‘a very large aquatic bird’ (Sindhi) Rebus: करडा [karaḍā] Hard from alloy--iron, silver &c. (Marathi) 

arā 'lion' rebus: āra 'brass', ārakūṭa 'brass alloy'

Lion Capital Chunar Sandstone Circa Century BCE Rampurva AC CN 62 98 62 99 Indian Museum Kolkata 2014 4350Lion Capital found at Rampurva. The abscus is decorated with varāha.

বরাহ barāha 'boar'Rebus: bāṛaï 'carpenter' (Bengali) bari 'merchant' barea 'merchant' (Santali) बारकश or बारकस [ bārakaśa or bārakasa ] n ( P) A trading vessel, a merchantman.

The Pataliputra capital, from the Mauryancapital-city of Pataliputra, India, showing Persian and Mesopotamian influences, early Maurya Empire period, 3rd century BCE.

Geographical spread of known pillar capitals.

Distribution of the Edicts of Aśoka.

A Note on the Allahabad Pillar of Aśoka

C. S. Krishnaswamy Rao Sahib and Amalananda Ghosh

The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland

No. 4 (Oct., 1935), pp. 697-706 http://www.jstor.org/stable/25201233

Rosette design at the bottom of a statue of the Buddha, Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara, circa 1st century CE.

"The palmette is a motif in decorative art which, in its most characteristic expression, resembles the fan-shaped leaves of a palm tree. It has a far-reaching history, originating in ancient Egypt with a subsequent development through the art of most of Eurasia, often in forms that bear relatively little resemblance to the original. In ancient Greek and ancient Roman uses it is also known as the anthemion (from the Greekανθέμιον, a flower)." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmette

An antefix (from Latin antefigere, to fasten before) is a vertical block which terminates the covering tiles of a tiled roof.

Antefixes in position.

An antefix in the form of a palmette. Frond is a large, fanlike leaf of a palm tree..

Ta. kara-tāḷam palmyra palm. Ka. kara-tāḷa fan-palm, Corypha umbraculifera Lin. Tu. karatāḷa cadjan. Te. (B.) kara-tāḷamu the small-leaved palm tree.(DEDR 1270) *tāḍa3 ʻ fan -- palm ʼ, tāḍī -- 2 f. in tāḍī -- puṭa -- ʻ palm -- leaf ʼ Kād., tāla -- 2 m. ʻ Borassus flabelliformis ʼ Mn., tālī -- , °lakī -- f. ʻ palm -- wine ʼ W. [Cf. hintāla -- ]

Pa. tāla -- m. ʻ fan -- palm ʼ, Pk. tāḍa -- , tāla -- , tala -- m., tāḍī -- , tālī -- f., K. tāl m., P. tāṛ m., N. tār (tāṛ ← H.), A. tāl, B. tāṛ, Or. tāṛa, tāṛi, tāḷa, Bi. tār, tāṛ, OAw. tāra, H. G. tāṛm., M. tāḍ m., Si. tala. -- Gy. gr. taró m., tarí f. ʻ rum ʼ, rum. tari ʻ brandy ʼ, pal. tar ʻ date -- spirit ʼ; S. tāṛī f. ʻ juice of the palmyra ʼ; P. tāṛī ʻ the fermented juice ʼ; N. tāṛī ʻ id., yeast ʼ (← H.); A. tāri ʻ the fermented juice ʼ, B. Or. tāṛi, Bi. tārī, tāṛī, Bhoj. tāṛī; H. tāṛī f. ʻ the juice, the fermented juice ʼ; G. tāṛī f. ʻ the juice ʼ, M. tāḍī f. <-> X hintāla -- q.v.tālavr̥nta -- ; *madatāḍikā -- Addenda: tāḍa -- 3: S.kcch. tāṛ m. ʻ palm tree ʼ.(CDIAL 6750) tālavr̥nta n. ʻ palm -- leaf fan ʼ MBh., °aka -- n. lex. [*tāḍa -- 3, vr̥nta -- 1]Pa. tālavaṇṭa -- , ta° m. ʻ fan ʼ, Pk. tālaveṁṭa -- , °voṁṭa -- , tāliaṁṭa -- , talaveṁṭa -- , °viṁṭa -- n.; Si. talväṭa ʻ palmyra fan' (CDIAL 5802)

"From the 5th century, palmettes tended to have sharply splaying leaves. From the 4th century however, the end of the leaves tend to turn in, forming what is called the "flame palmette" design. This is the design that was adopted in Hellenistic architecture and became very popular on a wide geographical scale. This is the design that was adopted by India in the 3rd century BCE for some of its sculptural friezes, such as on the abaci of the Pillars of Ashoka, or the central design of the Pataliputra capital, probably through the Seleucid Empire or Hellenistic cities such as Ai-Khanoum." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmette (loc.cit. "Reflections on The origins of Indian Stone Architecture", John Boardman, p.16). Reflections on the Origins of Indian Stone Architecture JOHN BOARDMAN

Bulletin of the Asia Institute New Series, Vol. 12, Alexander's Legacy in the East Studies in Honor of Paul Bernard (1998), pp. 13-22 Published by: Bulletin of the Asia Institute, a Non-Profit Corporation http://www.jstor.org/stable/24049089

"Flame palmette" design (center) at Didyma, 3rd century BCE.

Several antefixae with "flame palmette" designs, Ai Khanoum, Afghanistan, 2nd century BCE.

• Sankissa elephant.
 
• Rampurva Zebu bull.
 
• Rampurva lion.
 

• The four lions of Sarnath.
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
 
• Four lions in Sanchi.
 
• Vaishali lion
 

Pillars retaining their animals

[quote]

The most celebrated capital (the four-lion one at Sarnath (Uttar Pradesh)) erected by Emperor Ashoka circa 250 BC. also called the "Ashoka Column" . Four lions are seated back to back. At present the Column remains in the same place whereas the Lion Capital is at the Sarnath Museum. This Lion Capital of Ashoka from Sarnath has been adopted as the National Emblem of India and the wheel "Ashoka Chakra" from its base was placed onto the centre of the flag of India...

The pillar at Sanchi also has a similar but damaged four-lion capital. There are two pillars at Rampurva, one with a bull and the other with a lion as crowning animals. Sankissa has only a damaged elephant capital, which is mainly unpolished, though the abacus is at least partly so. No pillar shaft has been found, and perhaps this was never erected at the site.

The Ashoka lions at Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh.

The Vaishali pillar has a single lion capital.^[24] The location of this pillar is contiguous to the site where a Buddhist monastery and a sacred coronation tank stood. Excavations are still underway and several stupas suggesting a far flung campus for the monastery have been discovered. The lion faces north, the direction Buddha took on his last voyage. Identification of the site for excavation in 1969 was aided by the fact that this pillar still jutted out of the soil. More such pillars exist in this greater area but they are all devoid of the capital.

Front view of the single lion capital in Vaishali...Brahmi inscription on a fragment of the 6th Pillar of Ashoka from Meerut, British Museum.^[

The column at Lauriya-Nandangarh, 23 km from Bettiah in West Champaran district, Bihar has single lion capital. The hump and the hind legs of the lion project beyond the abacus.

Brahmi inscription on a fragment of the 6th Pillar of Ashoka from Meerut, British Museum.

Alexander Cunningham, one of the first to study the inscriptions on the pillars, remarks that they are written in eastern, middle and western Prakrits which he calls "the Punjabi or north-western dialect, the Ujjeni or middle dialect, and the Magadhi or eastern dialect.".They are written in the Brahmi script.

Bharhut lion pillar, 2nd century BCE.

A later imitation, the Heliodorus pillar had a Garuda on top. Circa 100 BCE

A gateway decoration built by the Satavahanas at Sanchi (1st century BCE).

Another imitation, an Indo-Corinthian capital with elephants in the four cardinal directions, Jamal Garhi. First centuries of Common era.

The iron pillar of Delhi, erected by Chandragupta II, circa 400 CE.

[unquote]

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillars_of_Ashoka

See Susa ritual basin depicting goat-fish. It is possible to explain the name, 'Mendes' as a combination of the Indus script glyphs for mend 'ram' and ayo (ayas) 'fish' -- rebus: metal merchant. This could be a sustained memory of ancestors who traded in metalwork and who also get venerated as shown in the goat-fish glyph on the ritual basin of Susa.

This limestone basin dates from the 13th or 12th century BC. It was used for ritual libations. The decoration depicts goatfish figures around a sacred tree in reference to the Mesopotamian god Enki/Ea. This reveals the full extent of the mutual influence of the Iranian and Mesopotamian cosmogonies. The sacred palm, the ancestor of the Assyrian sacred tree, reflects the importance of dates as a food source in the region. 

A basin symbolizing the water cycle

This basin was broken into several pieces when it was found and has been reconstituted. Used by priests in their ritual libations, liquid was poured out over the basin and was then collected for re-use. There were two types of ritual libations. The first reflected the water cycle, with water rising up from underground, filling rivers and wells. The other was an offering of beer, wine or honey, poured out for the deity in anticipation of his meal. The decoration of this basin suggests it was used for the first type of ritual libation. It is made in the shape of the realm of Enki/Ea, Apsu, the body of fresh water lying beneath the earth and feeding all the rivers and streams. Apsu is likewise represented in the bronze model called Sit-Shamshi (Louvre, Sb2743). The fact that it was found in Susa indicates that the Elamites adopted certain aspects of Mesopotamian mythology.

Goatfish figures around a sacred palm

The rim of the limestone basin is decorated with a single repeated motif: two goatfish figures, or Nou, on either side of a stylized tree. These creatures were the attributes of Enki/Ea, the Mesopotamian god of underground water, symbolizing his power to replenish vegetation, represented by the sacred palm tree. A similar stylized tree can be seen on the stele of King Untash-Napirisha (Sb12). The tree consists of a central trunk with a number of offshoots curved at the tip and with three palmettes on the upper part. The image is completely stylized, bearing only a very distant resemblance to actual date palm trees. This symbol of plant life reflects the importance of date palms in the region. Dates were a staple foodstuff for the local population.

Stone relief from Mathurå depicting a gateway or torana. From Hackin 1954, fig. 494.

Stone pillar from Mathurå. From Hackin 1954, fig. 515

sangi 'mollusc', sangi 'pilgrim'; 

sippi 'mollusc', śilpin, sippi 'artificer'. 

Women standing under a Toraṇa. Begram Ivory Plaque which is a prototype for Bharhut-Sanchi Stupa Toraṇa

The top architrave on the Begram Ivory plaque is topped by a row of hieroglyphs which are a continuum of the Indus Script Corpora tradition of deploying rebus-metonymy-layered cipher.

On this frame, S'rivatsa is the centre-piece flanked on either side by the following hieroglyphs which are the signature-tunes of Meluhha writing system called Indus Script:

1. Pair of molluscs tied together with a spathe-palm or palmetto: sangin 'mollusc' Rebus: sanghin 'member of guild'; karaNi 'palmetto' Rebus: kAraNIka 'scribe', 'supercargo' (of seafaring merchant)

2. Standad device of lathe PLUS portable furnace which adorns over thousand inscriptions of Indus Script Corpora generally in front of a one-horned young bull: sangaDa 'lathe, portable furnace' Rebus: sangAta 'adamantine glue'; sanghar 'fortification'; jangada 'consignments on approval'

3. S'rivatsa: kolA 'tail' Rebus: kole.l 'temple, smithy' PLUS ayo 'fish' Rebus: aya 'iron' ayas 'metal'

Hieroglyph composition of spathe+ molluscs clanked by elephants.

Hieroglyph: spathe, buds flanked by molluscs -- atop a ring flanked by two petas, dala 'petal'. DhALako 'ingot'

Hackin 1954, p.169, figs.18 Ivory? Size: 10.6 x 15.8 x 0.4 cm Begram rectangular plaque depicting three palmettos with curled-up ends, held together by rings made up of lotus petals. Between the palmettos elongated fruit is shown . This scene is bordered by a band depicting a series of four-leaved flowers set in a square frame. In this hieroglyhphic multiplex, there are three distinct orthographic components:

Mollusc 1. mollusc (snail) pair depicted by a pair of antithetical S curved lines: sã̄khī Rebus: sã̄kh ʻconch-shell-cutterʼ
Palmetto or Spathe 2. spathe of a palm or palmetto: sippī f. ʻspathe of date palmʼ Rebus: sippi 'artificer, craftsman'. It could also be seen as a chisel:śaṅkula Rebus: sangin 'shell-cutter'.
Tied together, cord 3. a thread or cord that ties the mollusc pair and spath in the centre together into a composite orthographic unit. dām ʻropeʼ Rebus: dhamma 'dharma' dham̄a ʻemployment in the royal administrationʼ.  http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2015/06/deciphering-indus-script-meluhha.html

Hieroglyph on a Begram ivory plaque: a pair of molluscs tied with a chisel

Hieroglyph: śaṅkula 'chisel' Rebus: sangin 'shell-cutter'. sangi 'mollusc' Rebus: sangi 'pilgrim'. Dama 'cord, tying' Rebus: dhamma 'moral conduct, religious merit'. A variant ties a fish with the hieroglyph complex: ayira, ayila 'fish' Rebus: ayira, ariya 'noble conduct'. Thus connoting ariya-dhama, ayira-dhamma; ariya-sangha, ayira-sangha (Pali). 

Torana from Mathura and Mathura lion capital which incorporates many hieroglyph elements later to be found in Bharhut-Sanchi: Pair of tigers (lions?), molluscs, srivatsa

Bharhut. Capital of Gateway post (After Cunningham)

Ayagapatta. Pink sandstone relief showing puja to a stupa. Kusana period. Lucknow Museum. Note the pattern of molluscs on the Mathur panel which compares with Susa ritual basin glyphic. Photograph of a sculpture panel from Mathura, taken by Edmund William Smith in the 1880s-1890s. Mathura has extensive archaeological remains as it was a large and important city from the middle of the first millennium onwards. It rose to particular prominence under the Kushans as the town was their southern capital. The Buddhist, Brahmanical and Jain faiths all thrived at Mathura, and we find deities and motifs from all three represented in sculpture. In reference to this photograph in the list of photographic negatives, Bloch wrote that, "The technical name of such a panel was ayagapata [homage panel]." The tablet shows a representation of a stupa with a staircase

leading up to a terrace which is surrounded by a railing similar of those of the stupas of Bharhut and Sanchi. It appears from the inscription that the tablet is Jain. The piece is now in the Lucknow Museum.

Jaina tablet being offered by Vasu, daughter of Lavana Sobhika, relief from Kankalitila, Mathura, India, Hindu Civilization, Kushan Empire, 1st century. Centre-piece hieroglyph composition atop the third, top architrave is a spathe-palm or palmetto ligatured with molluscs; sippī f. ʻ shell, spathe of date palm ʼ Rebus: sippī 'sculpture, sculptor'.

Railing post with a lotus rhizome. Allahabad Museum. Stone. Bharhut, Madhya Pradesh.Shunga. c. 2nd cent. BCE. 43x58x25 cm. Pillar shows in the middle a lotus flower. A border of palmettes on each bevelled side. A small fragment later joined to it. 

Hieroglyph: tāmarasa 'lotus' Rebus: tāmra 'copper'.

See: Palm frond, overflowing-pot hieroglyphs on Ur-Nammu stela read rebus Meluhha: metalcastings, metalware used by ziggurat builders of Ur

Mirror: https://www.academia.edu/9668381/Palm_frond_overflowing-pot_hieroglyphs_on_Ur-Nammu_stela_read_rebus_Meluhha_metalcastings_metalware_used_by_ziggurat_builders_of_Ur

Ancient near East Gudea statue hieroglyph (Indus writing): lokhãḍ, 'copper tools, pots and pans' Rebus: lo 'overflow', kāṇḍa 'sacred water'.

See: http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2013/06/ancient-near-east-indus-writing-lokhad.html

Ur-Nammu stela is a Meluhha metalwork catalog denoting the metalcastings, metal weapons, tools and metalware as:dul 'metal casting, to cast metal in a mould (Santali)'; ḍhālako = a large metal ingot (Gujarati);lokhãḍ n. ʻ tools, iron, ironware ʼ (Gujarati).

This decipherment of Meluhha hieroglyphs complements the images presented on the 10 feet high stela of the then ongoing work of building temple, dagoba, the ziggurat of Ur linking heaven and earth and in celebration of the Bronze Age revolution.

The focus of this note on the duplicated hieroglyph shown on the central register of Ur-Nammu stela.

 The two hieroglyphs show an identical palm frond with two hanging twigs or fronds as the centerpiece of an altar in front of both the male and female divinities. The male divinity is a builder holding a staff and bob plumb bob as perceptively noted by Jenny Vorys Canby whose painstaking researches resulted in a reasonable reconstruction of missing fragments of the stela. A major missing part unearthed by Canby is another hieroglyph: overflowing pots pouring into the center-piece altars with the palm fronds.

The decipherment of the three hieroglyphs: 1. duplicated frond, 2. palm frond and 3. overflowing pot will provide a framework for unraveling the central message of the Ur-Nammu stela which is a monumental 10 feet high stela which surely shows builders at work in the bottom registe. The central message is the material resources with which the builders were working -- as conveyed by a rebus reading of the three hieroglyphs: metalcastings, metalware.

1. duplicated frond: dula 'pair' Rebus: dul 'metal casting, to cast metal in a mould (Santali)'

2. palm frond: ḍāla -- n. ʻ branch ʼtāla -- 2 m. ʻ Borassus flabelliformis ʼ, palm (CDIAL 5750)Rebus: ḍhālako = a large metal ingot (Gujarati) ḍhālakī = a metal ingot. Vikalpa: Ka. (Hav.) aḍaru twig; (Bark.) aḍïrï small and thin branch of a tree; (Gowda) aḍəri small branches. Tu. aḍaru twig.(DEDR 67) Rebus: aduru gan.iyinda tegadu karagade iruva aduru = ore taken from the mine and not subjected to melting in a furnace (Ka. Siddhānti Subrahmaṇya’ Śastri’s new interpretation of the AmarakoŚa, Bangalore, Vicaradarpana Press, 1872, p.330).

3. overflowing pot: lo 'overflowing' PLUS kand 'pot' Rebus: lōkhaṇḍa लोहोलोखंड 'copper tools, pots and pans' (Marathi)  N. lokhar ʻ bag in which a barber keeps his tools ʼ; H. lokhar m. ʻ iron tools, pots and pans ʼ; -- X lauhabhāṇḍa -- : Ku. lokhaṛ ʻ iron tools ʼ; H. lokhaṇḍ m. ʻ iron tools, pots and pans ʼ; G. lokhãḍ n. ʻ tools, iron, ironware ʼ; M. lokhãḍ n. ʻ iron ʼ (LM 400 < -- khaṇḍa -- )(CDIAL 11171) 

Akkadian Cylinder Seal 2330-2150 BC (Wolkenstein) Serpent. Tree branches, divinities

Both faces of a large fragment from the curved top edge of the stela. The upper body of the king appears on each side, with a female deity overhead pouring out streams of water.

Artist's rendition of the proposed restoration of the 'front' of the Ur-Nammu stela (Drawing by Kathleen Galligan). Source: Jeanny Vorys Canby, A monumental puzzle, reconstructing the Ur-Nammu stela in:Expedition, Vol. 29 No. 1 http://penn.museum/documents/publications/expedition/PDFs/29-1/Monumental1.pdf 

Jeanny Vorys Canby has demonstrated the depiction of 'overflowing pots' hieroglyphs on the Ur-Nammu stela. This insight reinforces the purport of the stela: to record the Bronze Age metals and materials used in the building activity directed by Ur-Nammu.

Just as the last-mile problem in expanding land-line telephony was resolved by the invention of wireless, mobile phone technology, the Indus script debate stands resolved by these factors: 1. continuity of the underlying culture and language of the civilization; 2. consistent rebus readings of all glyphs (irrespective of their being pictorial motifs or signs); and 3. the single category related the homophones to smithy repertoire. This dramatically establishes the fact that the inventors of early bronze-age metallurgical artifacts and techniques were also the inventors of a writing system which was necessitated by the imperative of trading surplus metal products across a vast interaction area stretching from Rakhigarhi (near Delhi) of Indus valley civilization area to Ur in Tigris-Euphrates river valley across the Persian Gulf of Mesopotamian civilization area. That the inscribed objects were used in the context of trade is also attested by the presence of seal impressions on packages and by the finds of seals with Indus writing in Mesopotamia civilization area. A by-product of this decoding of Indus script as mleccha has led to to the possibility of decoding many pictorial motifs displayed on many Mesopotamian cylinder seals, explained as caused by cultural exchanges and interaction with Meluhha (cognate: mleccha) speakers and possible acculturation of Meluhhans in the interaction area extending from Tigris-Euphrates doab to Indus-Sarasvati doab.

Leopard, scorpion, buffalo & zebu Indus Script hypertexts attest Meluhha-Marhashi metalwork interactions

August 24, 2017, 6:26 pm

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Meluhha speakers' (Indo-Iranian) arrival --from Sarasvati-Sindhu civilization-- on the Iranian plateau, east of Susa, east of Anshan (modern Tall-i Malyan, Fars province, Iran, central Zagros mountain range)
Meluhha settlements.

Location of Anshan in Elamite empire.

-- Leopard, scorpion & zebu Indus Script hypertexts signify wealth-producing metalwork, are attested in Tepe Yahya, Jiroft & other sites of Marhashi region bordering Meluhha

Jiroft. After Figure 11: http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/jiroft-iv-iconography-of-chlorite-artifacts.

 Daniel T. Potts, Piotr Steinkeller have connected Konar-Sandal site with Marhashi (situated east of Elam, between Anshan and Meluhha).

Indus Script hypertexts on the following artifacts:

ayo 'fish' rebus: aya 'iron' ayas 'alloy metal'

kolmo'rice plant' Rebus: kolimi'smithy, forge'

खरडा  kharaḍā 'A leopard' Rebus: karaḍā 'hard metal alloy'

eruvai 'eagle' rebus: eruvai 'copper'

फड, phaḍa 'cobra hood'  फड, phaḍa 'Bhāratīya arsenal of metal weapons' 

arye 'lion' (Akkadian) Rebus: arā 'brass' पोळा [ pōḷā ] rebus: पोळा [ pōḷā ] 'magnetite, iron ore Fe3O4'

rango'buffalo' rebus: rango'pewter' (alloy of copper, zinc, tin), 

miṇḍāl 'markhor' (Tōrwālī) meḍho a ram, a sheep (Gujarati)(CDIAL 10120) Rebus: mẽṛhẽt, meḍ 'iron' (Santali.Munda.Ho.)

dhanga 'mountain range' Rebus: dhangar 'blacksmith'

loa 'ficus glomerata' rebus: loh'copper' [ lōhá ʻ red, copper -- coloured ʼ ŚrS., ʻ made of copper ʼ ŚBr., m.n. ʻ copper ʼ VS., ʻ iron ʼ MBh. [*rudh -- ] Pa. lōha -- m. ʻ metal, esp. copper or bronze ʼ; Pk. lōha -- m. ʻ iron ʼ, Gy. pal. li°, lihi, obl. elhás, as. loa JGLS new ser. ii 258; Wg. (Lumsden) "loa"ʻ steel ʼ; Kho. loh ʻ copper ʼ; S. lohu m. ʻ iron ʼ, L. lohā m., awāṇ. lōˋā, P. lohā m. (→ K.rām. ḍoḍ. lohā), WPah.bhad. lɔ̃u n., bhal. lòtilde; n., pāḍ. jaun. lōh, paṅ. luhā, cur. cam. lohā, Ku. luwā, N. lohu, °hā, A. lo, B. lo, no, Or. lohā, luhā, Mth. loh, Bhoj. lohā, Aw.lakh. lōh, H. loh, lohā m., G. M. loh n.; Si. loho, lō ʻ metal, ore, iron ʼ; Md. ratu -- lō ʻ copper .

*lōhala -- , *lōhila -- , *lōhiṣṭha -- , lōhī -- , laúha -- ; lōhakāra -- , *lōhaghaṭa -- , *lōhaśālā -- , *lōhahaṭṭika -- , *lōhōpaskara -- ; vartalōha -- .Addenda: lōhá -- : WPah.kṭg. (kc.) lóɔ ʻ iron ʼ, J. lohā m., Garh. loho; Md. lō ʻ metal ʼ.(CDIAL 11158)]

See: https://www.scribd.com/document/196471244/Meluhha-Hieroglyphs-from-Elamite-Cylinder-seal-Corpus-of-KJ-Roach-2008. 

Meluhha Hieroglyphs from Elamite Cylinder seal Corpus of KJ Roach (2008)

Fig. 7. Catalogue, p. 126.

Source: http://www.bulletinasiainstitute.org/Muscarella_BAI15.pdf Oscar White Muscarella, Jiroft and ‘Jiroft-Aratta’ -- a review article of Yousefl Madjidzadeh, Jiroft The earliest oriental civilization, Bulletin of the Asian Institute, 15 (2005) 173-198

Shahi Tump. Lead weight.

Hypertext: kola'woman' rebus: kol'working in iron'kolhe'smelter'

Hypertext: पोळा [ pōḷā ] rebus: पोळा [ pōḷā ] 'magnetite, iron ore Fe3O4'; kamar 'moon' rebus: kamar'blacksmith' (Santali); arka'sun' rebus: arka, era'copper'; dhanga'mountain range' Rebus: dhangar'blacksmith'

Hypertext: bicha 'scorpion' rebus: bica 'stone iron ore, haematite'

Hypertext: meḍ 'dance-step' rebus: meḍ'iron' (Mu.Ho.)

Hypertext: खड्यावाघ khaḍyāvāgha m (खडा & वाघ) A leopard. खरडा  kharaḍā A leopard.  खरड्या kharaḍyā m or खरड्यावाघ m A leopard. Rebus: करडा  karaḍā Hard from alloy--iron, silver &c Rebus: खरड kharaḍa f (खरडणें) A hurriedly written or drawn piece; a scrawl; a mere tracing or rude sketch; खरडनीस  kharaḍanīsa c खरडनिशा a (खरड & P) A scrawler or bad writer. ; खरडनिशी  kharaḍaniśī f Scrawling, scribbling, bad writing. खरडा  kharaḍā also खरडें n A scrawl; a memorandum-scrap; a foul, blotted, interlined piece of writing. also खरडें n A rude sketch; a rough draught; a foul copy; a waste-book; a day-book; a note-book. A spotted and rough and ill-shaped pearl: also the roughness or knobbiness of such pearls. खरड्या kharaḍyā a (खरडणें) That writes or shaves rudely and roughly; a mere quill-driver; a very scraper. 

Hieroglyph: miṇḍāl 'markhor' (Tōrwālī) meḍho a ram, a sheep (Gujarati)(CDIAL 10120) Rebus: mẽṛhẽt, meḍ'iron' (Santali.Munda.Ho.)

This monograph presents evidences for the arrival of Indo-Iranian (Meluhha) speakers on the Iranian plateau in Marhashi region (including Tepe Yahya and Jiroft).

Tepe Yahya . finds with Indus Script glyphs. Seal impression. Pittman in Potts 2001: 267; Lamberg-Karlovsky & Tosi 1973: Fig. 137. Two clearly identifiable hypertexts on the seal impression which signify (copper, iron) metalwork are:

sal 'splinter'; Rebus: sal 'workshop' (Santali) 

eraka 'upraised hand' Rebus: eraka 'moltencast, metal infusion, copper'

Sign 1

Hieroglyph: mē̃d, mēd 'body, womb, back' Hieroglyp to signify mẽṛhẽt, meḍ ‘iron (metal)’ (Munda), med 'copper (metal)' (Slavic)

Ta. mēṉi body, shape, colour, beauty; mēl body. Ma. mēni body, shape, beauty, excellence; mēl body. Koḍ. me·lï 

body. Te. mēnuid.; mēni brilliancy, lustre; belonging to the body, bodily, personal. Kol. me·n (pl. me·nḍl) body. 

Nk. mēn (pl. mēnuḷ) id. Nk. (Ch.) mēn id. Pa. mēn (pl. mēnul) id. Ga. (S.) mēnu (pl. mēngil (P.) mēn id. Go. (Tr.)

 mēndur (obl. mēnduḍ-), (A. Y. W. M.) mēndul, (L.)meṇḍū˘l, (SR.) meṇḍol id. (Voc. 2963). Konḍa mēndol human body. Kur. mē̃d, mēd body, womb, back. Malt. méth body. Cf. 5073 Ta.mey. (DEDR 5099) Rebus:

https://destinationterre2.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/mesopotamie-commerce.jpg

"The main sites of the Bronze Age of Marhashi, currently known, are those of: Shahdad, Shahr-e Sukhteh, Tepe Bampur, Espiedej, Shahi Tump, Tal-e Iblis, and Tepe Yahya Konar Sandal Konar Sandal is thought to be the site of the capital’s legendary Marhashi: Aratta."https://earthistheaim2.wordpress.com/page/9/

 फड, phaḍa 'cobra hood'  फड, phaḍa 'Bhāratīya arsenal of metal weapons' 

"Shahi Tump is a site in the valley of Kechi crossing the Makran in southern Pakistan It found, dating from the fourth millennium BC, a weight-filled copper lead, weighing 13.5 kg, ovoid, with a hanging loop at the top It is decorated with mosaics of shells 2 representing a leopard pursuing a gazelle This proves the mastery of copper technology in lost wax casting and that of lead, in addition to the artistic skill of the mosaic The excavations also be said that the locals were engaged at the fourth millennium, a sophisticated and developed agriculture and livestock Found there remains of wheat and barley 6-row." 

ayo'fish' rebus: aya'iron'ayas'alloy metal'

"Tal-e Iblis

Excavations at Tal-i-Iblis Bardsir today, revealed many objects of copper, cast using the lost wax dating from the fourth millennium BC It should be remembered that the technique of lost wax casting requires treatment with very high melting temperature and controlled to the degree that it could not be controlled until the late 19th century!"

 फड, phaḍa 'cobra hood'  फड, phaḍa 'Bhāratīya arsenal of metal weapons' 

"Tepe Yahya

Tepe Yahya is located in the valley of the river Kish-e Shur, near Jiroft in Kerman province, Iran It has been occupied since the 6th millennium BC In large workshops searched, they found many ceramics and metals, especially copper and bronze But chlorite vases and cylinder seals of steatite There were also tablets, written in cuneiform The site is abandoned, then reoccupied and was finally abandoned sometime in the second half of the third millennium BCE..."

"Konar Sandal

Konar Sandal in the valley of the Halil Rud, in Kerman, is located near the town of Jiroft This site is divided into two tells part of the same city, split by a river The tell B is a high terrace In the workshops unearthed were found numerous tablets in an unknown This is the wedge that resembles the linear Elamite or Proto-Elamite In the graves were found many vases chlorite Konar Sandal should be the main center of production of these vases found throughout the Iranian plateau to Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley and around the Persian Gulf."

 arye'lion' (Akkadian) Rebus: arā 'brass' पोळा [ pōḷā ] rebus: पोळा [ pōḷā ] 'magnetite, iron ore Fe3O4'

eruvai  'eagle' rebus: eruvai 'copper'

Harappa seal impression. h-161a. Eagle glyph.

Incised eagle from Tepe Yahya (Kohl in Potts 2011: 218, fig. 9.7). Eagle glhyph comparable to the glyph on Harappa seal impression.

eruvai  'eagle' rebus: eruvai 'copper'

Early bronze age of Iran. Tepe Yahya (Lamberg-Karlovsky & Philip L. Kohl, 1971)

Storage jar decorated with mountain goats, early 4th millennium B.C.; Chalcolithic period, Sialk III 7 type Central Iran Ceramic, paint H. 20 7/8 in.

miṇḍāl 'markhor' (Tōrwālī) meḍho a ram, a sheep (Gujarati)(CDIAL 10120) Rebus: mẽṛhẽt, meḍ 'iron' (Santali.Munda.Ho.)

Markhor (Capra falconeri)Punjabi. mẽḍhā m. 'markhor'.(CDIAL 10310)Rebus: mẽḍh'iron' (Mu.)

Antelope cervicapra (with high, wavy horns) is a species of the capra genus. Middle Persian Ērān can be derived from haraṇa, 'buck'.(See etyma cited in the note) which had a specific rebus reading connoting 'anvil' in earlier times. 

Decoding haraṇa, 'buck'; rebus: haraṇa 'anvil'

Prillwitz Collection - Old French Anvil (marked 1616)

German anvil (ca. 18th cent.)

Celtic anvil and tools.

Samples of ancient Austrian anvils.

Maison de l'Outil Collection - Primitive Old Anvil

हरण [ haraṇa ] m n (हरिण S) An antelope, a deer, Antilope cervicapra (Marathi.lex.) hariṇá ʻ yellow ʼ MaitrUp. 2. m. ʻ deer ʼ RV., hariṇīˊ -- 1 f. ʻ doe ʼ TS., hariṇaka -- m. ʻ small deer ʼ Kād. [Ac. to J. Przyluski JA 1929, 319 hariṇá -- ʻ deer ʼ ← Austro -- as., but Mu. words there quoted are ← IA. <-> hári -- ]1. K. haryunu ʻ having shoots or buds just bursting forth ʼ (or perh. rather der. from har < śára -- 1).2. Pa. Pk. hariṇa -- m., °ṇī -- f. ʻ deer ʼ, K. haryunu m., °rüñü f., rām. pog. kash. harn m., °nī f., ḍoḍ. harnō m., °nī f., S. haraṇu m., °riṇī f.; L. haraṇ m., harṇī f. ʻ ravine deer ʼ; P. harn, °nā m. ʻ deer ʼ, ludh. haran m., harnī f., WPah.bhad. harin m., harnī f., paṅ. haraṇ m., harṇī f., (Joshi) harn m., °nī f., jaun. hariṇ, A. harinā, B. harin, Or. hariṇi, haraṇī, Mth. harin, Bhoj. harnā, Aw.lakh. hannā m., °nī f., H. harin, °ran, hiran, har(i)nā, hirnā m., harinī, hiranī, haranī f., G. haraṇ n., M. haraṇ m.f.n., harṇī f.hariṇá -- . 2. WPah.kṭg. hɔˋrən -- śíṅg(ɔ) ʻ a kind of musical instrument (formed of or like a buck's horn) ʼ, J. harn m. ʻ buck ʼ, poet. hirəṇ m. ʻ deer ʼ, Ku. hariṇ, hiraṇ m., hiraṇ(ī) f. (CDIAL 13892) ஏணி² ēṇi, n. < ēṇī. 1. Deer, antelope; மான். (சூடா.) 2. Young deer, fawn; மான் கன்று. (திவா.)Eṇi (f.) [etym.? dial.] a kind of antelope, only two foll. cpds.: ˚jangha "limbed like the antelope" (one of the physical characteristics of the Superman) D ii.17; iii.143, 156; M ii.136; S i.16; Sn 165; ˚miga the eṇi deer J v.416; SnA 207, 217. (Pali) [The 'buck' -- a pair of them -- are also shown on the pedestal of seal m0304, close to the pair of haystacks.]ఏణము [ ēṇamu ] or ఏణి ēṇamu. [Skt.] n. A gazelle or black antelope. పెద్దకన్నులు గల నల్లయిర్రి. ఏణనయన ēṇa-nayana. adj. Stag-eyed, dark-eyed. ఏణాంకుడు ēṇ-ānkuḍu. n. The Moon, because his ensign is an antelope. శశాంకుడు. ఏణాక్షి ēṇ-ākshi. adj. Stag-eyed, gazelle-eyed, having beautiful eyes.(Telugu)एणः एणकः 1 A kind of black antelope; कांश्चिदेणान्स- माजघ्ने शक्त्या शक्तिमतां वरः Mb.1.69.22; तस्य स्तनप्रणयि- भिर्महुरेणशावैः the several kinds of deer are given in this verse :-- अनृचो माणवो ज्ञेय एणः कृष्णमृगः स्मृतः । रुरुर्गौर- मुखप्रोक्तः शम्बरः शोण उच्यते ॥ -2 (In Astr.) Capricorn. -Comp. -अजिनम् deer-skin. -तिलकः, -भृत् the moon; so ˚अङ्कः, -˚लाञ्छनः &c. व्यरोचतैणाङ्क इवोडुभिर्वृतः Bhāg.1. 29.43. -एणाङ्क-चूडः The god Śiva; एणाङ्कचूडस्य ततः प्रसादात् Śāhendravilās 1.62. -दृश् a. one having eyes like those of a deer. m. Capricorn. -नाभिः, -मदः Musk. एणी ēṇī एणी 1 A female black deer. -2 A kind of poison- ous insect. -Comp. -पद a. having feet like those of a deer. (-दः) a kind of snake.(Apte.lex.)mf(/ई). a species of deer or antelope (described as being of a black colour with beautiful eyes and short legs) AV. v , 14 , 11 VS. xxiv , 36 Mn. iii , 269 MBh. &c (Monier-Williams, p. 231).

Black buck.

Rebus: A remarkable lexeme should be noted: WPah.erṇe ʻsmithy'. This semantic denotes the significance of 'anvil' in creating the repertoire of ancient smiths -- anvil IS the smithy. This decoding of the 'buck' glyph may explain the reason for the depiction of the 'buck' glyph in the entire interaction area: Meluhha-Elam-Iran-Mesopotamia-Persian Gulf. हरण [ haraṇa ] f ( H) अहिरण [ ahiraṇa ] f (Commonly ऐरण) An anvil.(Marathi) An anvil. adhikaraṇīˊ f. ʻ *anvil ʼ, adhikaraṇa -- n. ʻ receptacle, support ʼ TUp. [√kr̥1] Pa. adhikaraṇī -- f. ʻ smith's anvil ʼ; Pk. ahigaraṇī -- f. ʻ a piece of apparatus for a smith ʼ; K. yīran, dat. yṳ̄rüñ f. ʻ anvil ʼ, S. aharaṇi, araṇi f., L. (Jukes) ariṇ f., awāṇ. &circmacrepsilon;ruṇ, P. aihran, airaṇ, ā̆hraṇ f., WPah. bhal. arhini; roh. erṇe ʻ smithy ʼ, N. āran; H. aheran, ā̆hran m. ʻ anvil ʼ; -- H. Smith BSL 101, 115. adhikaraṇīˊ -- : S.kcch. eṇ f. ʻ anvil ʼ; WPah.kṭg. n/arəṇ, n/arṇi f. ʻ furnace, smithy ʼ; āˊrəṇ m. prob. ← P. Him.I 4; jaun. āraṇ, airaṇ; G. eraṇi f. ʻ anvil ʼ, M. aheraṇ, ahiraṇ, airaṇ, airṇī, haraṇ f.(CDIAL 252).Mth. hannā ʻ round block of iron pierced with a hole and placed on the perforated anvil (when iron is being pierced with holes) ʼ BPL 409 (CDIAL 13964)yīran ईरन् । स्थूणा f. (sg. dat. yīrüñü ईर&above;ञू&below;, Gr.Gr. 69), an anvil (El.; Gr.Gr. 14, 29, 69; H. xi, 16).(Kashmiri) For adhi- suffix, see Kannada lexeme: Ta. aṭai prop. slight support; aṭai-kal anvil. Ma. aṭa-kkallu anvil of goldsmiths. Ko. aṛ gal small anvil. Ka. aḍe, aḍa, aḍi the piece of wood on which the five artisans put the article which they happen to operate upon, a support; aḍegal, aḍagallu, aḍigallu anvil. Tu. aṭṭè a support, stand. Te. ḍā-kali, ḍā-kallu, dā-kali, dā-gali, dāyi anvil.(DEDR 86)

Glyphic: yīran ईरन् । स्थूणा f. (sg. dat. yīrüñü ईर&above;ञू&below;, Gr.Gr. 69), an anvil (Kashmiri) Rebus: yīrān ईरान् m. Iran, Persia (El. irán; Gr.Gr. 15; Gr.M.; H. ii, 1).yīröni yīröni ईरा&above;नि&below; adj. (f. yīrāni यीरानि, Gr.Gr. 15), of or relating to Persia, Persian (El. irání). -- guru -- गुरु&below; । ईरानदेशोद्भवो &1;श्वः m. a Persian horse (Gr.Gr. 15).(Kashmiri)

Meluḫḫa or Melukhkha is the Sumerian name of a prominent trading partner of Sumer during the Middle Bronze Age. Meluhha artisans and seafaring merchants documented their wealth-creating metalwork in Indus Script Corpora as hypertexts. Such hypertexts are also evidenced in Tepe Yahya & Jiroft (Marhashi) of Kerman region of Ancient Iran.

Jiroft, Tepe Yahya, Mohenjo-daro (Meluhha)

See: http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2013/07/location-of-marhashi-and-cheetah-from.html 

Cire perdue techniques of metalcasting in Mohenjo-daro and Shahi Tump: dhokra kamar

Cire perdue. Mehergarh. 2.2 cm dia. 5 mm reference scale. Perhaps coppper alloyed with lead. 

ara 'spoke' rebus: ara 'brass'.

Remarkable evidences of the excellence achived in cire perdue metal catings are provided by bronze or copper alloy artifacts kept in the British Museum, said to have been acquired from Begram, and dated to ca. 2000 to 1500 BCE.

Six bronze stamps (a-b) circular with pin-wheel design recalling a svastika (c) square with heart-shaped pattern; broken lug on the back (d-f) broken with radiating spokes; one with broken lug.

Cast, copper alloy, circular, openwork seal or stamp, comprising five wide spokes with projecting rims, radiating from a circular hub also encircled by a flange. The outer rim is mostly missing and two spokes are broken. The back is flat, with the remains of a broken attachment loop in the centre.

2000BC-1500BC (circa) Copper alloy. Pierced. cast.

Made in: Afghanistan(Asia,Afghanistan) 

Found/Acquired: Begram (Asia,Afghanistan,Kabul (province),Begram)

(a) Map indicating the major Indo-Iranian archaeological sites dated from the seventh to the second millennia BC. Scale bar, 200 km. (b) View of the MR2 archaeological site at Mehrgarh (sector X, Early Chalcolithic, end of period III, 4,500–3,600 BC). (c) View of the front side of the wheel-shaped amulet. Scale bar, 5 mm. (d) Dark-field image of the equatorial section of the amulet.

http://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms13356

Two dancing girls from Mohenjo-daro made of bronze, cire perdue casting. Both seem to be carrying diya or 'lamps' on their hands to ignite the smelters/furnaces of the Meluhha smelters and smiths, artisans, lapidaries of the Bronze Age.

Bronze statue of a girl c.2500 BC, now displayed at Karachi Museum, Pakistan.

Dancing girl. Mohenjo-daro. Now displayed at National Museum, New Delhi.Lost-wax copper alloy casting. c. 2500 BCE. 

Mohenodaro seal. Pict-103 Horned (female with breasts hanging down?) person with a tail and bovine legs standing near a tree fisting a horned tiger rearing on its hindlegs.

Dholavira molded terracotta tablet with Meluhha hieroglyphs written on two sides. Hieroglyph: Ku. ḍokro, ḍokhro ʻ old man ʼ; B. ḍokrā ʻ old, decrepit ʼ, Or. ḍokarā; H. ḍokrā ʻ decrepit ʼ; G. ḍokɔ m. ʻ penis ʼ, ḍokrɔ m. ʻ old man ʼ, M. ḍokrā m. -- Kho. (Lor.) duk ʻ hunched up, hump of camel ʼ; K. ḍọ̆ku ʻ humpbacked ʼ perh. < *ḍōkka -- 2. Or. dhokaṛa ʻ decrepit, hanging down (of breasts) ʼ.(CDIAL 5567). M. ḍhẽg n. ʻ groin ʼ, ḍhẽgā m. ʻ buttock ʼ. M. dhõgā m. ʻ buttock ʼ. (CDIAL 5585). Glyph: Br. kōnḍō on all fours, bent double. (DEDR 204a) Rebus: kunda ‘turner’ kundār turner (A.); kũdār, kũdāri (B.); kundāru (Or.); kundau to turn on a lathe, to carve, to chase; kundau dhiri = a hewn stone; kundau murhut = a graven image (Santali) kunda a turner’s lathe (Skt.)(CDIAL 3295) Tiger has head turned backwards. క్రమ్మర krammara. adv. క్రమ్మరిల్లు or క్రమరబడు Same as క్రమ్మరు (Telugu). Rebus: krəm backʼ(Kho.)(CDIAL 3145) karmāra ‘smith, artisan’ (Skt.) kamar ‘smith’ (Santali) 

Hieroglyph: N. dhokro ʻ large jute bag ʼ, B. dhokaṛ; Or. dhokaṛa ʻ cloth bag ʼ; Bi. dhŏkrā ʻ jute bag ʼ; Mth. dhokṛā ʻ bag, vessel, receptacle ʼ; H. dhukṛīf. ʻ small bag ʼ; G. dhokṛũ n. ʻ bale of cotton ʼ; -- with -- ṭṭ -- : M. dhokṭī f. ʻ wallet ʼ; -- with -- n -- : G. dhokṇũ n. ʻ bale of cotton ʼ; -- with -- s -- : N. (Tarai) dhokse ʻ place covered with a mat to store rice in ʼ.2. L. dhohẽ (pl. dhūhī˜) m. ʻ large thatched shed ʼ.3. M. dhõgḍā m. ʻ coarse cloth ʼ, dhõgṭī f. ʻ wallet ʼ.4. L. ḍhok f. ʻ hut in the fields ʼ; Ku. ḍhwākā m. pl. ʻ gates of a city or market ʼ; N. ḍhokā (pl. of *ḍhoko) ʻ door ʼ; -- OMarw. ḍhokaro m. ʻ basket ʼ; -- N.ḍhokse ʻ place covered with a mat to store rice in, large basket ʼ.(CDIAL 6880) Rebus: dhokra ‘cire perdue’ casting metalsmith. 

Plate II. Chlorite artifacts referred to as 'handbags' f-g (w 24 cm, thks 4.8 cm.); h (w 19.5 cm, h 19.4 cm, thks 4 cm); j (2 28 cm; h 24 cm, thks 3 cm); k (w 18.5, h 18.3, thks 3.2) Jiroft IV. Iconography of chlorite artifacts. http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/jiroft-iv-iconography-of-chlorite-artifacts

Shahi Tump

Image: Courtesy: Kenoyer.

Leopards weight from Shahi-Tump (Baluchistan) made using cire perdue technique.  "The artefact was discovered in a grave, in the Kech valley, in Balochistan, southern part of present Pakistan. It belongs to the Shahi Tump - Makran civilisation (end of 4th millennium -- beginning of 3rd millennium BCe). Ht. 200 mm. weight: 13.5 kg. The shell has been manufactured by lost-wax foundry of a copper alloy (12.6%b, 2.6%As), then it has been filled up through lead (99.5%) foundry. The shell is engraved with figures of leopards hunting wild goats, made of polished fragments of shellfishes. No identification of the artefact's use has been given. (Scientific team: B. Mille, D. Bourgarit, R. Besenval, Musee Guimet, Paris)." 

Mille, B., R. besenval, D. Bourgarit, Early lost-wax casting in Balochistan (Pakistan): the 'Leopards Weight' from Shahi-Tump in Persiens antike Pracht, Bergau-Handwerk-Archaologie, T. Stollner, R. Slotta, A. Vatandoust, A. ed., p. 274-80. Bouchum: Deutsches Bergbau Museum, 2004. 

Leopard weight. Shahi Tump. H.16.7cm; dia.13.5cm; base dia 6cm; handle on top. 

Seashells inlays on frieze. The pair of leopard and ibex is shown twice, separated by stylized flies.

Source: https://www.academia.edu/8164498/Early_lost-wax_casting_in_Baluchistan_Pakistan_the_Leopards_Weight_from_Shahi-Tump

Location of Marhashi and cheetah from Meluhha: Shahdad & Tepe Yahya are in Marhashi
Languages of Meluhha (Mleccha) and Marhashi are cognates.

"Not very far from the BMAC, to its south along the coast of Arabian Sea, are the Indus Valley, Elamite and Sumerian settlements stretching from east to west. The Sumerian name for the southern Indus Valley settlement (Mohenjo-daro) in Sind and Baluchistan is Meluhha. To its west is an area referred to as Marhashi by the Sumerians. Further west is the Elamite settlement of Shimashki (refer to the diagram below).  The languages of Meluhha and Marhashi are believed to be the same - we call it Meluhhan. The language of Shimashki is Elamite. BMAC artifacts have been found in all these places and also in the northern Indus areas (Harappa). This implies that there were trade links between these areas. Hence the languages of these areas are likely to have some common loan words between them. As the Indo Aryans were present in Central Asia for a considerable amount of time before moving into India it's likely that their language (Rig Vedic Sanskrit) would have substrates from all these older native languages from the areas around."

"The Ninevite Gigamesh Epic, composed probably at the end of the second millennium BC, has Utnapishtim settled "at the mouth of the rivers", taken by all commentators to be identical with Dilmun." (W.F.Albright, The Mouth of the Rivers, AJSL, 35 (1919): 161-195).

The mouth of the rivers may relate to the Rann of Kutch/Saurashtra lying at the mouth of the Sindhu and Sarasvati rivers. In the Sumerian myth Enki and Ninhursag, which recounts a Golden Age, paradise is described: "The crow screams not, the dar-bird cries not dar, the lion kills not... the ferry-man says not 'it's midnight', the herald circles not round himself, the singer says not elulam, at the outside of the city no shout resounds."  The cry of the sea-faring boatmen in Indian languages on the west-coast is: e_le_lo!

Lines 123-129; and interpolation UET VI/1:
"Let me admire its green cedars. The (peole of the) lands Magan and Dilmun, Let them come to see me, Enki! Let the mooring posts beplaced for the Dilmun boats! Let the magilum-boats of Meluhha transport of gold and silver for exchange...The land Tukris' shall transport gold from Harali, lapis lazuli and bright... to you. The land Meluhha shall bring cornelian, desirable and precious sissoo-wood from Magan, excellent mangroves, on big ships The land Marhashi will (bring) precious stones, dushia-stones, (to hang) on the breast. The land Magan will bring copper, strong, mighty, diorite-stone, na-buru-stones, shumin-stones to you. The land of the Sea shall bring ebony, the embellishment of (the throne) of kingship to you. The land of the tents shall bring wool... The city, its dwellin gplaces shall be pleasant dwelling places, Dilmun, its dwelling place shall be a pleasant dwelling place. Its barley shall be fine barley, Its dates shall be very big dates! Its harvest shall be threefold. Its trees shall be ...-trees." 
http://www.hindunet.org/hindu_history/sarasvati/lapis/lapis_lazuli.htm

I suggest that Shahdad and Tepe Yahya were important settlements (which included Meluhhan settlements) of Marhashi). The inscriptional evidence of Indus writing in these settlements attest to the trade contacts between Meluhha and ancient Elam (souh-eastern Iran), close to Baluchistan.

Researchers have suggested various locations for Marhashi. It refers to the lands situated to the east of Ur, during the period of Ur III state. It has also been called Old Akkadian Barahshum. Some place it in 'the perimeter of Kerman and eastern Fars' (Stein Keller 1982: 255) or in Iranian Baluchistan (Vallat 1993: CXIII).Karl Lamberg-Karlovsky suggests that the size of Shahdad (over 100 ha.)in Kerman makes Shahdad a possible capital of Marhashi; Tepe Yahya, a site in Kerman might have been one of the smaller towns of Marhashi (Lamberg-Karlovsky 2001: 278-279). As DT Potts notes in the embedded document, Sharkalisharri or his son went to Marhashi and married a Marhashian (Westenholz 1987: nos. 133 and 154). In the 18th year of Shulgi's reign, Shulgi's daughter became queen of Marhashi. 'The water buffaloes so beloved by the Sargonic seal cutters must have come to Babylonia as diplomatic gifts from Meluhha.' (Westenholz 199: 102; Boehmer 1975:4). DT Potts notes: "A well-known Old Babylonian inscription of Ibbi-Sin's from Ur (Sollberger 1965: 8, UET 8.34) records the dedication to Nanna of a statue of an ur gun-a Me-luhha-ki which the king had originally received a a gift from Marhashi and which he named 'let him catch' or 'may he catch'." (p.346) Elamites and soldiers are referred to 'Elamites of Marhashi' (Steinkeller 1982: 262, n. 97). Ur and Marhashi had always enjoyed friendly diplomatic relationships, sometimes fortified by royal marriages. Steinkeller suggests that the ur gun-a Meluhha-ki was a spotted feline given to Ibbi-Sin,it was 'most likely a leopard (Panthera pardus)(Steinkeller 1982: 253 and n. 61). It could also have been a cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus vernaticus). In Hindi chita means 'spotted' (Yule and Burnell 1886: 187).

Gold foil feline from Tal-i Malyan, Banesh period (courtesy of WM Sumner).

It is possible that the cheetah from Meluhha was the animal given to Ibbi-Sin with the legend 'let him catch'.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/156872759/Total-prestation-in-marhashi-ur-relations-DT-Potts-2002-Iranica-Antiqua-Vol-XXXVII

Total prestation in marhashi-ur relations (DT Potts, 2002, Iranica Antiqua, Vol.XXXVII)

After Figure 11: a. mountains landscape and waers; (upper part) a man under an arch with sun and crescent moon symbols; (lower part) man seated on his heels holding zebus; b. man holding a snake; c. two men (drinking) and zebus, on a small cylindrical vessel; d. Head of woman protruding from  jar, and snakes; 3. man falling from a tree to the trunk of which a zebu is tied; f. man with clas and bull-man playing with cheetahs, and a scorpion in the center (on a cylindrical vessel). http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/jiroft-iv-iconography-of-chlorite-artifacts.

http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/jiroft-iv-iconography-of-chlorite-artifacts

Hieroglyph: zebu, bos indicus: पोळ [ pōḷa ] m A bull dedicated to the gods पोळी [ pōḷī ] dewlap. Rebus: pōḷa 'magnetite, ferrite ore'.

Leopards weight from Shahi-Tump (Baluchistan) made using cire perdue technique.  "The artefact was discovered in a grave, in the Kech valley, in Balochistan, southern part of present Pakistan. It belongs to the Shahi Tump - Makran civilisation (end of 4th millennium -- beginning of 3rd millennium BCe). Ht. 200 mm. weight: 13.5 kg. The shell has been manufactured by lost-wax foundry of a copper alloy (12.6%b, 2.6%As), then it has been filled up through lead (99.5%) foundry. The shell is engraved with figures of leopards hunting wild goats, made of polished fragments of shellfishes. No identification of the artefact's use has been given. (Scientific team: B. Mille, D. Bourgarit, R. Besenval, Musee Guimet, Paris)." 

Mille, B., R. besenval, D. Bourgarit, Early lost-wax casting in Balochistan (Pakistan): the 'Leopards Weight' from Shahi-Tump in Persiens antike Pracht, Bergau-Handwerk-Archaologie, T. Stollner, R. Slotta, A. Vatandoust, A. ed., p. 274-80. Bouchum: Deutsches Bergbau Museum, 2004. 

Mille B., D. Bourgarit, R. Besenval, 2005, Metallurgical study of the 'Leopards Weight' from Shahi-Tump (Pakistan) in South Asian Archaeology 2001, C. Jarrige, V. Lefevre, ed., p. 237-244. Paris: Editions Recherches sur les Civilisations, 2005.

Bourgarit, D., N. Taher, B. Mille & J.-P. Mohen Copper Metallurgy in the Kutch (India) during the Indus Civilization: First Results from Dholavira in South Asian Archaeology 2001, C. Jarrige, V. Lefevre, ed., p. 27-34. Paris: Editions Recherches sur les Civilisations, 2005. 

Hieroglyph: leopard: karaḍa 'leopard' Rebus: karaḍa 'Hard from alloy--iron, silver &c., hard alloy' kolha Rebus: kolhe 'smelter'. kul ‘tiger’ (Santali); kōlu id. (Te.) kōlupuli = Bengal tiger (Te.)Pk. kolhuya -- , kulha — m. ʻ jackal ʼ < *kōḍhu -- ; H.kolhā, °lā m. ʻ jackal ʼ, adj. ʻ crafty ʼ; G. kohlũ, °lũ n. ʻ jackal ʼ, M. kolhā, °lā m. krōṣṭŕ̊ ʻ crying ʼ BhP., m. ʻ jackal ʼ RV. = krṓṣṭu — m. Pāṇ. [√kruś] Pa. koṭṭhu -- , °uka — and kotthu -- , °uka — m. ʻ jackal ʼ, Pk. koṭṭhu — m.; Si. koṭa ʻ jackal ʼ, koṭiya ʻ leopard ʼ GS 42 (CDIAL 3615). कोल्हा [ kōlhā ] कोल्हें [ kōlhēṃ ] A jackal (Marathi) Rebus: kol ‘furnace, forge’ (Kuwi) kol ‘alloy of five metals, pañcaloha’ (Ta.) 

Hieroglyph: kāṇḍa 'water' Rebus: khāṇḍā 'metalware, pots and pans, tools' 
Hieroglyph: dhanga 'mountain range' Rebus: dhangar 'blacksmith' adar ḍangra ‘zebu or humped bull’; ḍangar ‘bull’ Rebus: adar ḍhangar 'native metal-smith'.

Rebus: ḍangar ‘blacksmith’; aduru native metal (Kannada). Tu. ajirda karba very hard iron (DEDR 192). aduru =gaṇiyinda tegadu karagade iruva aduru = ore taken from the mine and not subjected to melting in a furnace (Ka. Siddhānti Subrahmaṇya śastri’s New interpretation of the Amarakośa, Bangalore, Vicaradarpana Press, 1872, p. 330) aduru ‘native metal’ (Kannada); ḍhangar ‘blacksmith’ (Hindi)

Hieroglyph: nAga 'snake' Rebus; nAga 'lead'

Hieroglyph: kolmo 'rice plant' Rebus: kolimi 'smithy, forge'

Hieroglyph: kola ‘woman’ kuṛī f. ʻ girl’ Rebus: kol ‘working in iron’

Hieroglyph: poLa 'zebu' Rebus: poLa 'magnetite' dula 'pair' Rebus: dul 'cast metal'

Hieroglyph: bichi 'scorpion' Rebus: bica 'sand stone ore';  meṛed-bica 'iron stone-ore' (Santali. Munda)

Hieroglyph:  OP. koṭhārī f. ʻ crucible' Rebus: kuṭhārī 'granary, room' (Hindi)

Hieroglyph: meDha 'polar star' Rebus: meD 'iron' (Ho. Munda)

Indo-Europeans domesticated the cow, the bull and the horse. Root? gu̯au/-gu̯ou-: Sanskrit go-, Avestan gāu-, Tocharian keu /ko, Armenian kov, Lithuanian gùovs, German Kuh, Irish bó, all for 'cow', Albanian ka/kau, Greek βοῦς, 'ox, cow', Latin bōs, bovis, Croatian and Serbian vo, 'ox'. See discussions at http://new-indology.blogspot.in/

Potts, D. T., Total prestation in Marhashi-Ur relations, Iranica Antiqua 37 (2002).

DT Potts https://www.academia.edu/1901531/Potts_2004_Exit_Aratta According to DT Potts, Aratta of Sumerian texts is not likely to be a reality.
See: The Land of ArattaYousef Majidzadeh Journal of Near Eastern Studies Vol. 35, No. 2 (Apr., 1976), pp. 105-113 http://www.jstor.org/stable/545195
http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2017/08/the-land-of-arattayousef-majidzadeh.html

Bhāratīya, itihāsa Araṭṭa is derived from rāṣṭrá > Lāṭa, land of Gurjara-s (evidence from R̥gveda, Baudhāyana-Śrautasūtra

https://tinyurl.com/y94nfbhw I suggest that araṭṭa, mentioned in Baudhāyana-Śrautasūtra is name of a region, derived from rāṣṭrá (R̥gveda)> Lāṭa, land of Gurjara-s: gurjararāṣṭra ʻkingdom of the Gurjarasʼ; gujrāṭ (Bengali). I make this suggestion because of the parallels between Gonur and Dholavira settlement structures which are fortified settlements. The Meluhha pronunciation variants are:  Pali. Prakrtam. raṭṭha -- n. ʻkingdom, countryʼ; Kumaunī. rāṭh ʻfaction, clan, separate division of a joint -- family groupʼ.

See: http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2017/08/indus-script-evidence-for-gandhari.html The monograph discusses the presence of Meluhha artisans and Indus Script on Gonur artifacts, attesting to metalwork. It is hypothesised that the Gonur (Jiroft culture) artisans are westward migrants from Kurukshetra region of Sarasvati_Sindhu civilization.

DT Potts also suggests that the regions of Iranian plateau bordering Meluhha are likely to be Marhashi. Potts, D. T., Total prestation in Marhashi-Ur relations, Iranica Antiqua 37 (2002).

DT Potts https://www.academia.edu/1901531/Potts_2004_Exit_Aratta  

 In Potts' view, Marhasi is a region composed of eastern Kerman, which included Tepe Yahya and Jiroft: "Conclusion. As the cuneiform sources on Marhashi attest, this was a country which, while it may have been distant from southern Mesopotamia, was nevertheless a reality. Its army and generals fought against Sargon, Rimushand Naram-Sin; its ruling family intermarried with the élite of Agade and Ur, exchanging diplomatic gifts; a contingent of its soldiers served the royal house of Ur; and its stones, most probably in the form of finished vessels, were familiar in Mesopotamia as well. The evidence summarized here – and in particular the inscribed chlorite fragment in Berlin – allow us to identify eastern Kerman (at least that portion which included Tepe Yahya and Jiroft) with Marhashi. Unlike Aratta, an alluring name perhaps but one which is attested only in a few pieces of tendentious literature written to glorify the Uruk legacy of the Third Dynasty of Ur, Marhashi was a real place, with real soldiers, fighting real battles and a ruling élite who were inter-married with two of the most powerful dynasties in the ancient world. Recent discoveries around Jiroft, which complement those made decades ago at Tepe Yahya, confirm the importance of the Bronze Age culture of southeastern Iran, a culture which we can now confidently associate with the land known to Sumerian and Akkadian scribes by the name of Marhashi." (DT Potts, 2004, Exit Aratta, in: Nāme-ye Irān-e Bāstān 4/1 (2004):1-11, p.10).

"Marhaši (Mar-ḫa-ši^KI 𒈥𒄩𒅆𒆠, Marhashi, Marhasi, Parhasi, Barhasi; in earlier sources Waraḫše) was a 3rd millennium BC polity situated east of Elam, on the Iranian plateau. It is known from Mesopotamian sources, and its precise location has not been identified, though some scholars link it with Jiroft. An inscription attributed to Lugal-Anne-Mundu of Adab (albeit in much later copies) mentions it among the seven provinces of his empire, between the names of Elam and Gutium. This inscription also recorded that he confronted their governor (ensi), Migir-Enlil of Marhashi, who had led a coalition of 13 rebel chiefs against him.The Awan kings of Elam were in conflict with a Sumerian ruler's attempt to seize the market at Warakshe, a kingdom apparently near Elam on the Iranian plateau, rich in luxury products of all types, especially precious stones. During the Akkadian Empire, Warakshe was conquered by Sargon the Great, " 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marhasi

Indus script glyphs and use of bullae in the context of trade/cultural interaction areas 

1. with notes on 'writing, counting' cf. the work of Denise Schmandt-Besserat. 

2. Enrico Ascalone's evidence on interaction areas in International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East 4, 2004, Berlin. cf. "...the extensive evidence for Bactrian Margiana materials recovered from Susa, Shahdad, Yahya, Khinaman, Sibri, Nausharo, Hissar, etc., might make it the prime candidate for Indo-Iranian arrival on the Iranian Plateau."(C.C. Lamberg-Karlovsky, 2002, Archaeology and Language, The Indio-Iranians, Current Anthropology, Volum3 43, Number 1, February 2002, p.84)

Meluhha and use of tokens in Tepe Hissar as bronze-age dawns

"Susa was not alone in Iran in yielding tokens in the second half of the fourth millennium BCE; the counters endured in the other prehistoric sites. They are attested, for example, at Chogha Misha and Farukhabad in Susiana; Tepe Yahya and Shahdad in the south of the country; and at Tepe Hissar in the north...It is remarkable, however, that most Iranian token assemblages do not give any indication of change. Instead, they maintain the usual types of counters known since the eighth millennium BCE. For example, Farukhabad, Sharafabad, KS 34 and KS 76 in the west, Tepe Sialk on the Iranian Plateau, and Tepe Yahya have assemblages consisting mostly of plain cones, spheres, disks, cylinders, and tetrahedrons. The case fo Tepe Hissar is interesting. Level II, which produced tokens with a modest number of specimens bearing punctuations, corresponds to a period of change in administrative and craft activities. The appearance of cylinder seals, tablet blanks, and jar stoppers coincides with an increase in copper smelting and the use of exotic materials such as gold, silver, lapis lazuli, carnelian, turquoise, and alabaster."(Denise Schmandt-Besserat, 1992, Before Writing: From counting to cuneiform, Univ. of Texas Press, p.85) 

Distribution of Tokens in the Middle East. From Denise Schmandt-Besserat, "An Ancient Token System: The Precursor to Numerals and Writing," Archaeology 39 (Nov.-Dec. 1986): 38

For a brief account of the theses of Denise Schmandt-Besserat, see:Tokens: the origin of mathematics

See a good summary at: 

1/ Denise Schmandt-Besserat, 2008, Two precursors of writing: plain and complex tokens (Collection: Denise Schmandt-Besserat 1st edition: Barcelona, 8 December of 2008; cf. The origins of writing ed. Wayne M. Senner. 1991: 27-41).

2. Denise Schmandt-Besserat, 1977, The earliest precursor of writing, Scientific American. June 1977, Vol. 238, No. 6, p. 50-58.

Lapis lazuli seal from Tomb 110, Tepe Gawra (G4-769). Iraq. Courtesy, Univ. Museum, Univ. of Pennsylvania. "In level X of Tepe Gawra, Tombs 102, 110, and 114 were among the richest sculptures of the site. They included obsidian, serpentine, or electrum vessels, gold ornaments in the form of studs, beads, or rosettes, stone maceheads, and lapis lazuli seals. (fig. 50)"(ibid., p.103).

A standing person is an Indus script glyph. Decoded as meḍ 'body'(Mu.); rebus: meḍ 'iron' (Ho.); helper of merchant (Pkt.)

After Fig. 44.1 En. After Pierre Amiet. La Glyptique mesopotamienne archaique (Paris: Editions du CNRS, 1980), pl. 46: 639; Fig. 44.2 En. ibid. pl. 44: 655.

"The five sites that produced the largest complex tokens assemblages -- Uruk and Tello in Iraq, Susa and Chogha Mish in Iran, and Habuba Kabira-Tell Kannas in Syria -- have strikingly similar assemblages. Although the cities were separated by several hundred miles, they shared the same monumental architecture characterized by a central plan and a decoration of niches and clay cone mosaics...Furthermore, the seals and sealings of the five cities were exactly alike, bearing analogous motifs. Among them was featured, for example, the bearded figure of the Mesopotamian priest-king, the so-called En, in his typical attire consisting of a robe in a netlike fabric and a round headdress (figs. 44.1 and 44.2). Finally, all five sites except Tello yielded envelopes holding tokens and impressed tablets. The various features which occur with consistency in the assemblages of sites yielding complex tokens -- the priest-king, public monumental architecture, measures, seals and complex tokens -- represent the elements of an elaborate bureaucracy. They indicate the presence of a powerful economic institution headed by an En acting in public buildings decorated with mosaics and relying upon a control of goods involving seals, beveled-rim bowls, and complex tokens."(ibid., p.101).

"It is likely that the strings of tokens fulfilled the same function as the envelopes described below, providing an alternative way of storing token. If this assumption is correct, presumably both ends of the string were tied together and secured by sealings identifying the account and preventing any tampering. I propose that a category of small bullae, bearing sealings, could have served this purpose." After Fig. 53. ibid., p. 109. Proposed reconstruction of a string of tokens by a solid bulla. Drawing by Ellen Simmons.

Note the seal impression of a short-horned bull on the bulla (Fig. 54)."The bullae are made of clay. They are solid, modeled in an oblong or biconoid shape, and measure about 7 cm. in length and 5 in diameter. The artifacts show, at both ends, the trace of the strings to which they are attached and are covered with sealings." After Fig. 54. ibid., p. 109. Two bullae (Sb62898 and 9297). Iran. Courtesy Musee du Louvre. Department des Antiquites Orientales. [Note: cowries were used for counting and as 'currency of exchange' in ancient India. It is likely that the cowries could have been similarly held on a string as tokens of counting, together with a seal or seal impression which indicated the commodity transacted.]

A string of cowries. An Indus valley shellbead string, ca. 3rd –2nd millennium BC. Drilled cowrie shells. ~8.5 inches. http://www.edgarlowen.com/a49ane.shtml Categorising, counting tokens (used with bulle)?

The short-horned bull is clearly an identifier describing the profession of the artisan or of the commodity category being counted to complete the bill of lading by the Indus artisan-trader.

Plain Bulla envelope. Schoyen collection. Representing an account or agreement of tentatively one large measure of barley. “Syria/Sumer/Highland Iran, ca. 3700-3200 BC, 1 spherical bulla-envelope (complete), diam. 6,0-6,8 cm, cylinder seal impression of several men facing tall ringstaff; and another with animals; token inside: 1 large sphere diam. 2 cm (D.S.-B.2:2). Context: MSS 4631-4646 and 5144-5127 are from the same archive. Only 25 more bulla-envelopes are known from Sumer, all excavated in Uruk. Total number of bulla-envelopes worldwide is ca. 165 intact and 70 fragmentary. Commentary: While counting for stocktaking purposes started ca. 8000 BC using plain tokens of the type here, more complex accounting and recording of agreements started about 3700 BC using 2 systems: a) a string of complex tokens with the ends locked into a massive rollsealed clay bulla (see MS 4523), and b) the present system with the tokens enclosed inside a hollow bulla-shaped rollsealed envelope, sometimes with marks on the outside representing the hidden contents. The bulla-envelope had to be broken to check the contents hence the very few surviving intact bulla- envelopes. This complicated system was superseded around 3500-3200 BC by counting tablets giving birth to the actual recording in writing, of the sexagesimal counting system (see MSS 3007 and 4647), and around 3300-3200 BC the beginning of pictographic writing (see MSS 2963 and 4551).” http://freeamerica2009.blogspot.com/2009/03/earths-ancient-history.html

Complex bulla. "Syria/Sumer/Highland Iran, ca. 3500-3200 BC, 1 oblong bulla, diam. 2,5x6,5 cm, rollsealed with a line of animals walking left or 2 men standing with arms raised, pierced for holding a string of counting tokens.Context: For another bulla of the same type, see MS 5113.Commentary: The bulla originally locked the ends of a string with a number of complex counting tokens attached to it, representing 1 transaction. The string with the tokens was hanging outside the bulla like a necklace. If the string had, say, 5 disk type tokens representing types of textiles, this number could not be tampered with without breaking the seal. The tokens could also be entirely enclosed in the centre of the bulla, see MSS 4631, 4632 and 4638. Tokens were used for accounting purposes in the Near East from the Neolithic period ca. 8000 BC until ca. 3200 BC, when they were superseded by counting tablets and pictographic tablets. Some of the earliest tablets have actual tokens impressed into the clay to form numbers and pictographs, and some of the pictographs were illustrations of tokens, see MS 4551." http://freeamerica2009.blogspot.com/2009/03/earths-ancient-history.html

These are examples of use of bullae for 'accounting' in Syria. Since, no comparable patterns of bullae have been evidenced in the corpora of Indus inscriptions, it is unclear (and will only be a matter of conjecture and hypotheses formulation) whether a similar practice occurred in civilization contact areas using the Indus script to record transactions of artisan repertoire.

"...at Susa, a particular seal impression featuring a line of peaceful animals and a line of felines was impressed on a solid bulla as well as on two envelopes. The number of seals is also the same on solid bullae and envelopes: Both have mostly the impression of a single seal rolled all over their surfaces and, on occasion, two or three."(ibid., p. 110). After Fig. 55. Bulla with impressed marking. Habuba Kabira (MII:139). Syria. Photo by Klaus Anger; courtesy Museum fur Vor-und Fruhgeschichte, Berlin.

Purpose of writing in Indus script glyphs in the context of bullae.

"Numerous impressions of seals have been found on ceramics (Josh) and Parpola 1987:103) as well as on "tags" or bullae used to seal bundles of trade goods (Josh) and Parpola 1987:273). Traces of rope impressions on the back of many "tags" indicates that they were applied to bundles of goods, possibly to denote ownership or for security purposes. " ( Geoffrey Cook,1994, "An Harappan Seal at Berkeley," in: Jonathan Mark Kenoyer, ed., From Sumer to Meluhha: Contributions to the Archaeology of South and West Asia in Memory of George F. Dales, Jr., Wisconsin Archaeology Reports, Vol. 3, Madison, Wisconsin, 1994.)

Denise Schmandt-Besserat, in what could "...possibly the single most important contribution published in recent years concerned with the antecedents to writing," has shown one purpose of seals, seal impressions and tablets (for e.g. of the types of miniature incised tablets of Harappa of the size of a thumb-nail) -- counting and preparing bills of lading of traded commodities. 

Denise Schmandt-Besserat's study of tokens and bullae and brilliant insights on the use of seal impressions on bullae strings, validates the decoding of Indus script cipher. Denise is the scholar who identified and demonstrated the sequence of counting and writing in the evolution of a what constituted a cultural revolution in communication systems. The Indus script hieroglyphs were identified with an underlying language: Meluhha (mleccha) -- and writing began as a logical sequence from the early systems of counting and categorising using tokens and bullae.

The sequence is confirmed by the semantics of a lexeme in Indian linguistic area: ákṣarā -- f. ʻ word, speech ʼ RV. [kṣará -- ]Pa. akkhara -- ʻ lasting ʼ, n. pl. ʻ syllables, words ʼ; Pk. akkhara -- m.n. ʻ written syllable ʼ; K. achur, pl. -- ar m. ʻ letter of the alphabet ʼ(CDIAL 38)Ko. ekm (obl. ekt-) counting, taking account of something; ekaṭ- (ekac-) to count (kaṭ- to tie); eku·ṭ- (eku·c-) to count (ku·ṭ- to make to join, gather); ekmu·ṛ- (ekmu·c-) to count. To. ökm (obl. ökt-) arithmetic, account, figures. Tu. ekkam the unit of numeration, first place in ciphering. Te. ekkamu a unit, the place of units, a multiplication table. ? Ma. akkam a numerical figure. / ? < Skt. eka-.(DEDR 769)(L) {V(lay)} ``to ^count''. Nom. ???. *Or.<>. #42001. (Munda etyma)లెక్క [ lekka ] lekka. [Tel.] n. Number, సంఖ్య. An account, a sum in arithmetic, reckoning.(Telugu) likhá m. ʻ writer ʼ Pāṇ.com., likhitr̥ -- m. ʻ painter ʼ Viddh. [√likh]G. lahiyɔ, laiyɔ m. ʻ writer, scribe ʼ.(CDIAL 11047)likháti ʻ scratches ʼ AV., ʻ writes ʼ Yājñ. [√likh]Pa. likhati ʻ scratches, carves, writes ʼ; Aś.shah. likhapeśami, man. likhapita -- , gir. likhāpisaṁ, dh. likhiyisāmi ʻ will write ʼ, NiDoc. lihati, Pk. lihaï, MB. lihe, Or. lihibā, M. lihiṇẽ, Ko. liuṁk, Si. liyanavā, caus. liyavanavā; Md. liyāka sb. ʻ writing ʼ.likháti. 1. WPah.poet. līṇo ʻ to draw, write ʼ, Md. liyanī (absol. lī), liyum ʻ writing ʼ.likhyatē ʻ is written ʼ Kathās.: OP. likhaṇu ʻ to write ʼ, P. likhṇā, B. lekhā, H. likhnā.(CDIAL 11048).

"Sibri. South-west of Mehrgarh and close to the Harappan period mount of Nowsharo, the deflated site of Sibri extends over an area of at least one hectare…A number of terracotta objects were recovered from sibri, including pawns, small wheels, spindle-whorls, rattles (Figure 8.4C), and sling-balls. Two crucible fragments were also collected…One of the rattles, with circular impressions on it, looks very much like a specimen from Mehrgarh and one from Shahdad (Hakemi, 1972: Plate XXIIA). Another example (Fig. 8.4C) bears incised signs which could represent numbers…Perhaps the most interesting finds from Sibri are the seals, which are of two types. The principal kind is the compartmented seal made of bronze or of stone…The second type of seal is represented by a single piece. It is a black steatite cylinder with a pierced boss on top, engravings of a zebu facing what is probably a lion around the cylinder, and an engraved scorpion on the base. (Fig. 8.4A). This cylinder seal was found associated with two beads in black steatite and, with them, may have formed part of a necklace. This piece is very similar to a few cylinder seals found in Margiana from the surface of the Taip sites (Masimov, 1981). One seal from Margiana bears a representation of a zebu. Not far from the place where the seal came was found a bronze shaf-hole axe-adze (Fig. 8.1E) of a type also well-known in the Murgabo-Bactria area as well as at Mohenjo-daro. Other bronze objects include a few pins.”(Marielle Santoni, Sibri and the South Cemetery of Mehrgarh: third millennium connections between the northern Kachi Plain (Pakistan) and Central Asia, in: South Asian Archaeology 1981; Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference of the Association of South Asian Archaeologists in Western Europe, held in Cambridge University, 5-10 July 1981, edited by Bridget Allchin, California University Press, pp.54-55)

Fig. 8.4A Stone Cylinder seal. Sibri.

Fig. 8.4C. Sibri. Terracotta rattles. 

Rattles. Harappa culture. Boston Museum.

Fig. 8.1E. Shaft-hole axe/'adze of copper or bronze. Sibri.

Rattle. Chanhudaro.Spherical rattle, hollow with small bits of clay inside, painted in red slip with decoration of concentric circles.PROVENANCE[Expedition date:] 1935-1936 Season CREDIT LINE Joint Expedition of the American School of Indic and Iranian Studies and the Museum of Fine Arts, 1935–1936 Season. Ball-shaped rattle Pakistan, Indus Valley, Chanhu-Daro, about 2600–1900 B.C.Chanhu-Daro, Indus Valley, Pakistan DIMENSIONS Legacy dimension: Diam: 5.5 cm

MEDIUM OR TECHNIQUE Terracotta, buff-colored fired clay with red slipThree lots (photos available on Museum website): Accession Nos. 36.2226, 36.2733, 36.2240 Legacy dimension: D. 2.5 in., D. 2.0 in., D. 1.74 in., 5.5 cm. Boston Museum. 

Marine shell 36.2400 Carved ball. Chanhudaro. Diameter: 3.2 cm Boston Museum. If this was used as a bulla, the likely decoding of the 'dotted circle' glyph: kandhi ‘a lump, a piece’ (Santali)The dotted circles also adorn the standard device which is a drill-lathe, sangaḍa खंड [ khaṇḍa ] A piece, bit, fragment, portion.(Marathi) Rebus: kandi ‘beads’ (Pa.)(DEDR 1215). khaṇḍ ‘ivory’ (H.) Vikalpa: Rebus: khaṇḍaran, khaṇḍrun ‘pit furnace’ (Santali)Thus, the package to which such a bulla might have been attached might have contained ivory artifacts or beads or drill lathes or provided for a count of furnaces. काढतें [ kāḍhatēṃ ] n Among gamesters. An ivory counter &c. placed to represent a sum of money. (Marathi) 

An Indus valley shellbead bracelet, ca. 3rd –2nd millennium BC. The necklace of drilled cowrie shells. ~8.5 inches. 

Dotted circles incised on steatite bead; No. 5256 ca. 3rd –2nd millennium BC. The carved, drilled and polished gray stone bead with incised annulet and oblique designs. 1 x 1.2 inches.. Did the number of 'dotted circles' glyphs on the bead represent the count of 'number of furnaces' worked on by the Indus smith/arisan?

Fish-shaped tablet (text 3428), Harappa with incised text; eye is a dotted circle; after Vats 1940: II, pl. 95, no.428; Parpola, 1994, p. 194. 'Fish-eye' as a glyph? Dotted circle. Denotes the 'furnace'. To be read with the glyphs: fish + arrow + rimless pot or fish+four (strokes) + rimless pot; rebus reading: ayaskaṇḍa bhaṭa 'excellent iron' (out of the furnace -- kaṇḍa bhaṭa). 'Arrow' and 'count of four strokes' glyphs are allographs: kaṇḍa 'arrow'; kaṇḍa 'four koḍa'(lit. four one-s). 'Fish-eye' or 'dotted circle' is thus a phonetic determinant of the lexeme: kaṇḍa. A vikalpa rebus reading is: kaṇḍa 'ivory' or 'bead'.

The sequence of sign-glyphs occurs without the 'fish-shaped' tablet replacing it with a 'fish' glyph as part of the inscription. The inscription also occurs without the 'fish-eye' glyph shown on tablet text 3428.

This identical inscription set appears on two sides of two miniature tablets, Harappa (a) H-302; (b) 3452; after Vats 1940: II, 452 B. Parpola, 1994, p. 194.

Both these examples of inscriptions (one fish-shaped tablet and the other plain-shaped, rectangular tablet) are a record of the iron furnaces worked on by the Indus artisans of Harappa. Maybe, these were 'identity' tokens for the artisans of the guild.

It is unclear if the 'terracotta balls' can be categorised as bullae. The excavator of Mohenjo-daro does not report on the uniqueness of the three pellets that a 'rattle' contained. Marshall's report: "Ratttles (Pl. CLIII, 11). Round pottery rattles with small pellets of clay inside are well known at Mohenjo-daro. The one illustrated (C 2567) is among the best of those found. It is 2.55 inches in diameter and is of light-red ware decorated with parallel circles in red paint. Level. 12 feet below surface. Room 9, Block 8, Section C, DK Area. The rattles found vary in size from 1.5 inches to 2.6 inches in diameter, and are all made of light-red ware. Some are plain and others decorated with thick lines, always of red and arranged either laterally or vertically. These rattles were probably made by wrapping the clay round a combustible core, in the centre of which the roughly made baked clay pellets were placed to produce the sound. (In one rattle that we opened were three small clay pellets.) In every case they are hand-made, not moulded, and they are invariably well finished, but without a slip. They are found at all levels. In none of the rattles was there a vent-hole to allow the gases resulting from the combustion of the core to escape. Possibly the porous nature of the pottery would of itself permit a gas to pass through easily, and that may be the reason why these toys were not coated with a slip."(John Marshall, Mohenjo-dro and the Indus Civilization: being an official account of archaeological excavations at Mohenjo-Daro carried out by the Government of India between the years 1922 and 1927, Repr. Asian Educational Services, 1996, p.551)

During historical periods, there is an instance of a rattle with a glyphic impression: "From Harinarayanpur Shri P. C. Das Gupta secured a terracotta seal showing two beak-headed abstract figures facing each other (pi. LXXXIII, 2), ...and a rattle with a seated figure (pi. LXXXIV, 2)." (Indian Archaeology 1957-58 A review, p.70) 

If, in fact,such rattles were bullae, it is likely that some bullae might also have been used conjointly -- as evidenced by Denise Schmandt-Besserat in Susa and other sites of the Indus script interaction areas of Elam/Mesopotamia -- with the Indus script seal (with hieroglyphs) to record the profession of the artisan or the product made by the artisan and thus complete the 'bill-of-lading' for the trade transaction -- the tokens denoting the count (quantity).

The images are also repeated in: Jarrige, Catherine, Jean-François Jarrige, Richard H. Meadow, and Gonzague Quivron, editors (1995/1996) Mehrgarh: Field Reports 1974-1985 - From Neolithic Times to the Indus Civilization. The Reports of Eleven Seasons of Excavations in Kachi District, Balochistan, by the French Archaeological Mission to Pakistan. Sindh, Pakistan: The Department of Culture and Tourism, Government of Sindh, Pakistan, in Collaboration with the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (Seventh season 1980-1981 Excavations at Mehrgarh).

The representation of 'zebu' on the Mehrgarh cylinder seal (in the context of the shaft-hole-axe/adze) is significant, since the glyph is decoded adar ḍangra 'zebu'; rebus: aduru ḍhangar native-metal- smith (Meluhha/mleccha Indian linguistic area).

The context of predominantly 'smith's repertoire' decoded in Indus script Cipher, gets validation from the Mehrgarh Field Reports 1975-1985 cited above.

Location map. Tepe Hissar in relation to Meluhha.

Hissar I painted ware is decorated with geometric, plant, and animal motifs (gazelles, ibexes, and birds).After FIGURE 2. Gold applique Ibex (H3211); one of five from Hoard I. Treasure Hall; Period IIIC, 1940-1705 BC, 1932. Source: (Tappa Ḥeṣār), prehistoric site located just south of Dāmḡān in northeastern Persia.http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/tepe-hissar#

Sutka-koh, Meluhha. Persian Gulf.

This is a continuation of the blogpost which decoded mlekh 'goat' (Brahui) identified rebus with meluhha (mleccha, Indian linguistic area): http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.com/2011/11/susa-ritual-basin-decorated-with.html Goat and fish as hieroglyphs of Indus script: Susa-Meluhha interactions. Meluhhan interpreter 'may have been literate and could read the undeciphered Indus script.' 

An example of Indus script glyphs used in interaction areas is the transelamite cylinder-stamp seal from Jalalabad. Enrico Ascalone provides scores of seals demonstrating interaction with Indus civilization.

After Fig. 1 Transelamite cylinder-stamp seal from Jalalabad. Source: Archaeological National Museum of Tehran, NMI 2698. In: (Enrico Ascalone, Cultural interactions among Mesopotamia, Elam, Transelam and Indus civilization. The evidence of a cylinder-stamp seal from Jalalabad (FARS) and its significance in the historical dynamics of south-eastern Iran, in: International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East 4, 2004, Berlin (4 ICAANE). Proceedings of the 4th International Congress of the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Volume 1, Berlin, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, 2008, pp. 255-276). "The iconographical representation (Fig. 1) shows a composite being with Mesopotamian kaunakes flanked by dragon's heads, with naked torso and unfortunately a raised face while it left up the arms ending with dragon heads; in front of him are three figures with long clothes, one of them is knelled down with up arms, two are simply bowed. A Harappan or pseudo-Harappan inscription is located in the central upper part of seal, while a globe, two three-petals vegetable elements and a eight-pointd star are depicted in the last free-spaces of cylindrical surface. On the base is depicted a single icon representing a profile head with beard and horned hat...the epigraphic evidence is related to the Harappan inscriptions corpora as known in the Indus valley and in Harappan cylinder seals found in Mesopotamia and Susiana." (ibid., p. 255)

Enrico Ascalone provides samples of seals comparable to Indus script glyphs (ibid., pp. 267 to 276); he also explains in his article, reasons he why he finds comparable glyphic elements across indus, elamite/iran interaction areas:

Fig. 6f: Transelamite stamp seal from Tepe Giyan Source: Archaeological National Museum of Tehran, NMI 737/6

Evidence of Indus seals of Ahar-Banas culture is integral to the Vedic culture of Sarasvati_Sindhu civilization 

http://tinyurl.com/zfwouy5

manasataramgini ‏@blog_supplement  3 hours ago

Seals from Afg of BMAC complex with motif shared with Ahar-Banas chalcolithic

Thanks for these exquisite images of seals (called compartmentalised seals) from BMAC.   

Following notes point to the essential similarity between Ahar-Banas artifacts and the finds from other sites of Sarasvati-Sindhu civilization. In particular, the seal showing a + shaped fire-altar may be explained as a Vedi. Similar hieroglyphs occur on Indus Script Corpora, for example the following:

Kot Diji type seals with concentric circles from (a,b) Taraqai Qila (Trq-2 &3, after CISI 2: 414), (c,d) Harappa(H-638 after CISI 2: 304, H-1535   after CISI 3.1:211), and (e) Mohenjo-daro (M-1259, aftr CISI 2: 158). (From Fig. 7 Parpola, 2013).

Distribution of geometrical seals in Greater Indus Valley during the early and *Mature Harappan periods (c. 3000 - 2000 BCE). After Uesugi 2011, Development of the Inter-regional interaction system in the Indus valley and beyond: a hypothetical view towards the formation of the urban society' in: Cultural relations between the Indus and the Iranian plateau during the 3rd millennium BCE, ed. Toshiki Osada & Michael Witzel. Harvard Oriental Series, Opera Minora 7. Pp. 359-380. Cambridge, MA: Dept of Sanskrit and Indian Studies, Harvard University: fig.7.

I suggest that the 'dotted circle' signifies on Indus Script corpora: ḍāv ʻdice-throwʼ Rebus: dhāu 'ore'.See: http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2015/11/evolution-of-brahmi-script-syllables.html?view=sidebar 

Evolution of Brahmi script syllables ḍha-, dha- from Indus Script. Ur cylinder seal, Harappa tablet with 5 svastika deciphered. Evolution of Brahmi script syllables ḍha-, dha- traced from Indus Script hieroglyph dotted circle, dām 'rope (single strand or string?)', dã̄u 

ʻtyingʼ, ḍāv m. ʻdice-throwʼ rebus: dhāu 'ore' 

Brahmi script syllables ḍha-, dha- are derived from Indus Script hieroglyphs: dhāv 'string, dotted circle' rebus: dhāu'ore'

Button seal. Harappa.

Fired steatite button seal with four concentric circle designs discovered at Harappa. 

Sibri cylinder seal with Indus writing hieroglyphs: notches, zebu, tiger, scorpion?. Each dot on the corner of the + glyph and the short numeral strokes on a cylinder seal of Sibri, may denote a notch: खांडा [ khāṇḍā ] m  A jag, notch, or indentation (as upon the edge of a tool or weapon). (Marathi) Rebus: khāṇḍā ‘tools, pots and pans, metal-ware’.

 m0352 cdef

The + glyph of Sibri evidence is comparable to the large-sized 'dot', dotted circles and + glyph shown on this Mohenjo-daro seal m0352 with dotted circles repeated on 5 sides A to F. Mohenjo-daro Seal m0352 shows dotted circles in the four corners of a fire-altar and at the centre of the altar together with four raised 'bun' ingot-type rounded features.

Rebus readings of m0352 hieroglyphs:

  dhātu 'layer, strand'; dhāv 'strand, string' Rebus: dhāu, dhātu 'ore'

1. Round dot like a blob -- . Glyph: raised large-sized dot -- (gōṭī ‘round pebble);goTa 'laterite (ferrite ore)

2. Dotted circle khaṇḍa ‘A piece, bit, fragment, portion’; kandi ‘bead’;

3. A + shaped structure where the glyphs  1 and 2 are infixed.  The + shaped structure is kaṇḍ  ‘a fire-altar’ (which is associated with glyphs 1 and 2)..

Rebus readings are: 1. khoṭ m. ʻalloyʼgoTa 'laterite (ferrite ore); 2. khaṇḍā ‘tools, pots and pans and metal-ware’; 3. kaṇḍ ‘furnace, fire-altar, consecrated fire’.

Four ‘round spot’; glyphs around the ‘dotted circle’ in the center of the composition: gōṭī  ‘round pebble; Rebus 1: goTa 'laterite (ferrite ore); Rebus 2:L. khoṭf ʻalloy, impurityʼ, °ṭā ʻalloyedʼ, awāṇ. khoṭā  ʻforgedʼ; P. khoṭ m. ʻbase, alloyʼ  M.khoṭā  ʻalloyedʼ (CDIAL 3931) Rebus 3: kōṭhī ] f (कोष्ट S) A granary, garner, storehouse, warehouse, treasury, factory, bank. khoṭā ʻalloyedʼ metal is produced from kaṇḍ ‘furnace, fire-altar’ yielding khaṇḍā ‘tools, pots and pans and metal-ware’. This word khaṇḍā is denoted by the dotted circles.

eraka 'wing' Rebus: eraka 'moltencast' garuDa 'eagle' Rebus: karaDa 'hard alloy'; garuDa 'gold' (Samskritam)

Hieroglyph: eruvai 'eagle'; synonym: गरुड 'eagle' eraka 'wing'. Rebus: eruvai 'copper' (Tamil. Malayalam)+ करडा [ karaḍā ] Hard from alloy--iron, silver &c.  eraka 'moltencast' See: http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2015/06/suparna-garuda-eagle-meluhha-hieroglyph.html?view=classic

Harappa seal h166A, h166B. Vats, 1940, Excavations in Harappa, Vol. II, Calcutta: Pl. XCI. 255

               

वेदि [p= 1017,2] f. (later also वेदी ; for 1. 2. » col.2) an elevated (or according to some excavated) piece of ground serving for a sacrificial altar (generally strewed with कुश grass , and having receptacles for the sacrificial fire ; it is more or less raised and of various shapes , but usually narrow in the middle , on which account the female waist is often compared to it) RV. &cthe space between the supposed spokes of a wheel-shaped altar , S3ulbas.a stand , basis , pedestal , bench MBh. Ka1v. &c  

Hieroglyph/Rebus: kaṇḍ 'fire-altar' (Santali) kāṇḍa 'tools, pots and pans and metal-ware' (Marathi)

वेदि  f. knowledge , science (» अ-व्°)

नाग nāga [p= 532,3] m. (prob. neither fr. न-ग nor fr. नग्न) a snake , (esp.) Coluber Naga S3Br. MBh. &c

नाग  nāga n. (m. L. ) tin , lead Bhpr. n. a kind of coitus L.

गरुड [p= 348,3] m. ( √2. गॄ Un2. iv , 155 , " devourer " , because गरुड was perhaps originally identified with the all-consuming fire of the sun's rays) , N. of a mythical bird (chief of the feathered race , enemy of the serpent-race [cf. RTL. p.321] , vehicle ofविष्णु [cf. RTL. pp. 65 ; 104 ; 288] , son of कश्यप and विनता ; shortly after his birth he frightened the gods by his brilliant lustre ; they supposed him to be अग्नि , and requested his protection ; when they discovered that he was गरुड , they praised him as the highest being , and called him fire and sun MBh. i , 1239 ff. ; अरुण , the charioteer of the sun or the personified dawn , is said to be the elder [or younger cf. RTL. p.104] brother of गरुड ; स्वाहा , the wife of अग्नि , takes the shape of a female गरुडी = सुपर्णी MBh. iii , 14307 and 14343) Suparn2. TA1r. x , 1 , 6 MBh. &ca building shaped like गरुड R. VarBr2S. See: http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2015/06/suparna-syena-patanga-garuda-takes-to.html

gāruḍa गारुड a. (-डी f.) [गरुडस्येदं अण्] 1 Shaped like Ga- ruḍa. -2 Coming from or relating to Garuḍa. -डः, -डम् 1 An emerald; राशिर्मणीनामिव गारुडानां सपद्मरागः फलितो विभाति R.13.53. -2 A charm against (snake) poison; संगृहीतगारुडेन K.51 (where it has sense 1 also). -3 A missile presided over by Garuḍa. -4 A military array (व्यूह) of the shape of Garuḍa. -5 Gold. 

Ta. eruvai a kind of kite whose head is white and whose body is brown; eagle. Ma. eruva eagle, kite.(DEDR 818). Rebus: eruvai ‘copper’ (Tamil).

eṟaka ‘wing’ (Telugu) Rebus: erako ‘molten cast’ (Tulu) loa ‘ficus’; rebus: loh 

‘copper’. Pajhar ‘eagle’; rebus: pasra ‘smithy’. 

Hieroglyph: वज्र[p= 913,1] mfn. shaped like a kind of cross (cf. above ) , forked , zigzag ib. [cf. Zd. vazra , " a club. "]

Rebus: वज्र[p= 913,1] mn. n. a kind of hard iron or steel L. mfn. adamantine , hard , impenetrable W." the hard or mighty one " , a thunderbolt (esp. that of इन्द्र , said to have been formed out of the bones of the ऋषिदधीच or दधीचि [q.v.] , and shaped like a circular discus , or in later times regarded as having the form of two transverse bolts crossing each other thus x ; sometimes also applied to similar weapons used by various gods or superhuman beings , or to any mythical weapon destructive of spells or charms , also to मन्यु , " wrath " RV. or [with अपाम्] to a jet of water AV. &c ; also applied to a thunderbolt in general or to the lightning evolved from the centrifugal energy of the circular thunderbolt of इन्द्र when launched at a foe ; in Northern Buddhist countries it is shaped like a dumb-bell and called Dorje ; » MWB. 201 ; 322 &c ) RV. &ca diamond (thought to be as hard as the thunderbolt or of the same substance with it) , Shad2vBr. Mn. MBh. &cm. a form of military array , Mn. MBh. &c (cf. -व्यूह)a kind of hard mortar or cement (कल्क) VarBr2S. (cf. -लेप)

m0451A,B Text 3235 

m1390Bt Text 2868 Pict-74: Bird in flight.

Elamite bird (eagle?) with spread wings on an axe-head from Tepe Yahya (Lamberg-Karlovsky, C.C. and D.T. Potts. 2001. Excavations at Tepe Yahya, Iran, 1967-1975: The Third Millennium. Cambridge: Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, p.216).

Two seals from Gonur 1 in thee  Murghab delta; dark brown stone ((Sarianidi 1981 b: 232-233, Fig. 7, 8) eagle 

engraved on one face.

"a fortified enclosure of mud and brick, comparable to the citadels of the Harappans, spread over 500 sq m. It was filled with ash and cowdung. A people called the Ahars had built it in Balathal near modern Udaipur some 4,500 years ago.

Carbon dating established that they had lived in and around the Mewar region in Rajasthan between 3,500 and 1,800 B.C. They were Mewar's first farmers, older even than the Harappans. But why had they built a fort only to fill it with ash and cowdung? To solve the mystery, a team of Indian archaeologists excavating the site went on removing layer after layer of civilisation. ...Who Were The Ahars?

There are 90 sites of Ahar - a ruralsociety. The recent round of excavations is establishing that Ahar culture and Harappan civilisation were different though contemporary and related. This village life emerged much before the mature Harappan era...In modern Rajasthan, Ahar sites have been reported in Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Dungarpur, Bhilwara, Rajsamand, Bundi, Tonk and Ajmer dotting10,000 sq km. "There is a commonality in all 90-sites located in South eastern Rajasthan and parts of Madhya Pradesh,'' says Jaipur-based Rima Hooja, a scholar on Ahar culture...The excavations reveal a large number of bull figurines indicating the Ahar people worshipped the bull. At Marmi, a site near Chittorgarh, these figures have been found in abundance indicating it could be a regional shrine of the bull cult of this rural population. Discovery of cow-like figurines in Ojiyana, the first site found on the slope of a hill, has baffled archaeologists...

Decorated black-and-red pottery is a mark of Ahar culture distinct from the Harappan where the interiors of vessels was black. In Balathal, the black-and-red ware constitute only 8 per cent of the ceramic assemblage whereas in Ahar it is 70 per cent.,,Unlike other chalcolithic cultures which had stone tools, the Aharites made copper tools such as chisels, razors and barbed and tanged arrow heads, apparently for hunting. Probably, they had the advantage of access to copper from the Khetri mines and in the nearby Aravalli hills. There is evidence of copper melting too. Harappans probably imported copper ores and even finished copper goods from Ahar people...Balathal, for example, remained unoccupied until 300 B.C., when in the Mauryan era, some people re-occupied the sites. Lalti Pandey of the Institute of Rajasthan Studies says of these people that "they knew of iron smelting and manufactured iron implements''. Two iron smelting furnaces have been found in Balathal in this phase. It is around this period's layer that the fifth skeleton was found." -- Rohit Parihar in http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/ahar-culture-provides-clues-to-links-between-harappans-and-their-predecessors/1/232800.html                                                                                                       See: http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2016/04/varaha-in-indus-script-reinforces-vedic.html Two Indus Script inscribed anthropomorphs of Ancient Bharatam copper complexes are deciphered as seafaring metalsmiths, merchants...              

The decipherment is consistent with the archaeological finds of Bhirrana-Kalibangan-Karanpura-Ahar-Banas complex as Vedic Sarasvati civilization metalwork continuum of Bharatam Janam (RV 3.53.12), 'metalcaster folk'. 

Ahar-Banas region of Rajasthan (close to the Khetri copper belt) is a copper complex.

1. Cache of Seal Impressions Discovered in Western India Offers Surprising New Evidence For Cultural Complexity in Little-known Ahar-Banas Culture, Circa 3000-1500 B.C.E
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   2. 1. 
         
         http://mathomathis.blogspot.in/2013/09/the-origin-of-indus-geometrical.html
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         6. Ahar-Banas culture finds point to copper/iron metalwork during the Chalcolithic period.
            Iron points and nails from Gilund.
            “The copper objects discovered at Gilund invite comparisons to the copper assemblages of Ahar, Balathal and Ojiyana…Implements fashioned from copper sheets are present at all the excavated Ahar-Banas sites except Purani Marmi…Although many scholars have noted the mineral wealth of the Aravalli Range, along which many Ahar-Banas sites are located, the number of copper objects discovered is surprisingly low…Misra suggested that the location of the furnace in the lowermost level indicated early knowledge of metallurgy…Copper technology at Gilund is also demonstrated by the presence of six vitrified fragments found in Middle to Late Chalcolithic trenches. They are blackened to the point that the flay has become like pumice, and one of the fragments still has what appear to be pieces of copper attached to the inside. It is likely that these fragments were once part of one or more crucibles used in the smelting of copper…copper technology was practiced by the inhabitants of Ahar-Banas sites in Rajasthan during the Chalcolithic.” (opcit., p.18) 
            Fragments of crucibles. Gilund.
            
            
            Gilund: copper objects: 1 knife, 1 chisel, fragment, 2 blade fragments
            
            
            Gilund copper finds: 2 rings, 1 kohl stick, 3 bangle fragments
            
            
            
            
            Humped bull figurines. Gilund. Source: Julie Hanlon, 2007, An Overview of the Antiquities from the 1999-2005 Excavations at Gilund, a Chalcolithic Site in Southeast Rajasthan, in: The Gilund Project:Excavations in Teresa P. Raczek and Vasant Shinde (eds), 2007, Regional Context. Proceedings of the 19th Meeting of theEuropean Association of South Asian Archaeologyin Ravenna, Italy, July 2007, p.14. Note: List of artifacts excavated from Gilund between 1999 to 2005 included 130 metal objects: Bangles Bells Blades Hoe fragments Nails Points Rings.
            "The so-called unicorn... with one horn, heart-shaped harness is the central element of more than 80% of the square stamp seals (of Mohenjo-daro and Harappa),with bison and elephants making up the next largest groups...two stamp seals from Kalibangan (K-34 and K-37) depict a goat (or markhor) with no inscription. Instead, they have a fish in the space in front of icon that is generally reserved for a standard or feeding trough in the standard Harappan animal seals ..."
            Copper/alloy metals mint, smithy/forge, smelter: Ta. kampaṭṭam coinage, coin. Ma. kammaṭṭam, kammiṭṭam coinage, mint. Ka. kammaṭa id.; kammaṭi a coiner. Signified by the symbol: Fin of fish khambhaṛā 'fin' ( Lahnda). ayo 'fish' rebus: aya 'iron' ayas 'metal' PLUS Tor. miṇḍ 'ram', miṇḍā́l 'markhor' (CDIAL 10310) Rebus: meḍ (Ho.); mẽṛhet 'iron' (Munda.Ho.) med 'copper' (Slavic) mlekh 'goat' Rebus: milakkhu 'copper' mleccha 'copper'.
            Hieroglyph: tail with three short strokes: kolA 'tail' Rebus: kol 'working in iron' kole.l 'smithy' kolom 'three' rebus: kolimi 'smithy, forge'.
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            (Marta Ameri, 2012, Regional diversity in the Harappan world: the evidence of seals, in: Connections and Complexity, New approaches in the archaeology of South Asia, ed. by S. Abraham, P.Gullapalli, TP Raczek, and UZ Rizvi, Walnut Creek, California, Left Coast Press, pp.355-374).
            
            Stepped cross seals with Indus Script hieroglyphs
            
            
            Hieroglyph: eruvai 'kite' Rebus: eruvai = copper (Ta.lex.) eraka, er-aka = any metal infusion (Ka.Tu.); erako molten cast (Tu.lex.) Rebus: eraka = copper (Ka.) eruvai = copper (Ta.); ere - a dark-red colour (Ka.)(DEDR 817). eraka, era, er-a = syn. erka, copper, weapons (Ka.) The central dot in the cross (which signifies a fire-altar) is: goTa 'round' Rebus: khoT 'ingot'. gaNDA 'four' rebus: kanda.'fire-altar'.khamba 'wing' rebus: kammaTa 'mint'.

I suggest that the prefix maha- in Marhashi is a metathesis of combined expression: mah+ arṣa partly derived as 'sacred descent' from आर्ष [p= 152,3] mf(ई)n. relating or belonging to or derived from ऋषिs (i.e. the poets of the Vedic and other old hymns) , archaistic MBh. R. &c; n. the speech of a ऋषि , the holy text , the वेदs Nir. RPra1t. Mn. ; n. sacred descent Comm. on La1t2y. Ya1jn5.  

मर्य a. Ved. Mortal. -र्यः 1 A man. -2 A young man. -3 A male. -4 A lover, suitor. -5 A stallion, horse. -6 A camel. PLUS आर्ष 'sacred descent' may lead to the derived expression which signifies marya+mahas +arṣa > Marhashi as a region of young men of 'venerable, sacred descent'. (Note, of a later date, ca. 16th cent. BCE: cf. maryannu'chariot-mounted hereditary warrior nobility' in Mitanni treaties).

Maha (m. & nt.) [fr. mah, see mahati & cp. Vedic nt. mahas] 1. worthiness, venerableness Miln 357. -- 2. a (religious) festival (in honour of a Saint, as an act of worship) Mhvs 33, 26 (vihārassa mahamhi, loc.); VvA 170 (thūpe ca mahe kate), 200 (id.). mahā˚ a great festival Mhvs 5, 94. bodhi˚ festival of the Bo tree J iv.229. vihāra˚ festival held on the building of a monastery J i.94; VvA 188. hatthi˚ a festival called the elephant f. J iv.95.

Mahati [mah; expld by Dhtp 331 as "pūjāyaŋ"] to honour, revere Vv 4711 (pot. med. 1 pl. mahemase, cp. Geiger, P.Gr. § 129; expld as "mahāmase pūjāmase" at VvA 203). Caus. mahāyati in same sense: ger. mahāyitvāna (poetical) J iv.236. -- Pass. mahīyati Vv 621 (=pūjīyati VvA 258); 6422 (ppr. mahīyamāna= pūjiyamāna VvA 282). pp. mahita.

Mahatta (nt.) [fr. mahat˚ cp. Sk. mahattva] greatness J v.331 (=seṭṭhatta C.); Vism 132, 232 sq.; VbhA 278 (Satthu˚, jāti˚, sabrahmacārī˚); DA i.35; VvA 191. Mahant (adj.) [Vedic mahant, which by Grassmann is taken as ppr. to mah, but in all probability the n is an original suffix. -- cp. Av. mazant, Sk. compar. mahīyān; Gr. me/gas (compar. mei/zwn), Lat. magnus, Goth. mikils=Ohg. mihhil=E. much] great, extensive, big; important, venerable. -- nom. mahā Sn 1008; Mhvs 22, 27. Shortened to maha in cpd. pitāmaha (following a -- decl.) (paternal) grandfather PvA 41; & mātāmaha(maternal) grandfather (q. v.). -- instr. mahatā Sn 1027. -- pl. nom. mahantā Sn 578 (opp. daharā). -- loc. mahati Miln 254. -- f. mahī -- 1. one of the 5 great rivers (Np.). -- 2. the earth. See separately. -- nt. mahantaŋused as adv., meaning "very much, greatly" J v.170; DhA iv.232. Also in cpd. mahantabhāva greatness, loftiness, sublimity DhsA 44. -- Compar. mahantatara DhA ii.63, and with dimin. suffix ˚ka J iii.237. -- The regular paraphrase of mahā in the Niddesa is "agga, seṭṭha, visiṭṭha, pāmokkha, uttama, pavara," see Nd2 502.

  Note on mahā & cpds. -- A. In certain cpds. the combn with mahā (mah˚) has become so established & customary (often through politeness in using mahā˚ for the simple term), that the cpd. is felt as an inseparable unity and a sort of "antique" word, in which the 2nd part either does not occur any more by itself or only very rarely, as mah' aṇṇava, which is more freq. than aṇṇava; mah'âbhisakka, where abhisakka does not occur by itself; cp. mahânubhāva, mahiddhika, mahaggha; or is obscured in its derivation through constant use with mahā, like mahesī [mah+esī, or īsī], mahesakkha [mah+esakkha]; mahallaka [mah+*ariyaka]; mahāmatta. Cp. E. great -- coat, Gr. a)rx˚ in a)rx -- iatro/s=Ger. arzt. Only a limited selection of cpd. -- words is given, consisting of more frequent or idiomatic terms. Practically any word may be enlarged & emphasized in meaning by prefixing mahā. Sometimes a mahā˚ lends to special events a standard (historical) significance, so changing the common word into a noun proper, e. g. Mah -- âbhinikkhammana, Mahāpavāraṇa. -- B. Mahā occurs in cpds. in (a) an elided form mah before a & i; (b) shortened to maha˚ before g, d, p, b with doubling of these consonants; (c) in the regular form mahā˚: usually before consonants, sometimes before vowels.(Pali)

Col Purohit's tragic saga: how India's sword-arm was betrayed -- Joy Bhattacharjee

August 24, 2017, 8:57 pm

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This should not be politicized, but I think Army did not give adequate protection to #ColPurohit at that time:Manohar Parrikar

http://www.newsx.com/national/72756-malegaon-blasts-2008-case-lt-col-purohit-speaks-exclusively-to-newsx#.WZ-pTUaIK5s.twitter

http://indiafacts.org/colonel-purohits-tragic-saga-indias-sword-arm-betrayed/

Col. Purohit, Our salutes to you, a disciplined soldier

August 24, 2017, 10:11 pm

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Aditya Raj Kaul‏Verified account @AdityaRajKaul

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Indian Army stands united to welcome Lt. Col. Purohit forming a human chain at Colaba Military Station in South Mumbai. Brothers in arms.

9:09 PM - 22 Aug 2017
The Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to Lt. Colonel Shrikant Prasad Purohit in the 2008 Malegaon serial blast case.

“We set aside order of Bombay High Court.” the bench of Justice R K Agrawal and AM Sapre said while granting conditional bail to Lt Colonel Purohit.

The Lieutenant Colonel served in the Indian Army between 2002-2005 taking part in the counter-terrorism operation throughout Jammu and Kashmir. He later was shifted to Military intelligence due to some health issues.

After granting bail to other accused Sadvi Pragya Singh in April this year the Supreme Court today granted bail to chief Malegaon accused Lt. Col. Purohit.

In an exclusive interview to NewsX’s Ashish Singh, Col. Purohit revealed all the details of incidents that occurred before he was detained and what atrocities he had to go through during the whole investigation. The interview also reflects on his exposure of the most wanted criminal Daood Ibrahim and how the mafia don operated in India and had links with several naxal groups.

 Here are the excerpts:

Ashish Singh: I have read about your case from the documents. I just want to understand from the horse’s mouth. The entire story… how were you picked up…  having gone through all the documents of army and court, it appears that there is much more than meets the eye…

 Lt Col Purohit:  It does

Ashish Singh: Could you tell me please?

Lt Col Purohit: I will speak nothing.                                                                                            

Ashish Singh: Sir, just for my understanding please. I want to understand this entire case. How were you picked up, how were you tortured?

Lt Col Purohit: It’s there in the papers – everything is there in the papers.

Ashish Singh: I just want to understand directly from you how you were picked up. This is one of the main issues in the case.

Lt Col Purohit: See- you must understand one thing. In the army, you cannot move on your own to any place. You have to go on a movement order.

When I was told to go to Delhi, I moved with the understanding that I am going to Delhi but I was made to undertake the journey to Mumbai by Col Shrivastava. I never had that movement order with me.  It apparently came up in the court of inquiry. Col Shrivastava had picked up my movement order without me knowing. He had told the officer not to hand over my movement order to me and also not to disclose to me change of destination.  
‘Col Purohit should never know where he is going’.  That’s how it is and then I was taken to Mumbai, bundled up in a vehicle, taken to bloody Khandala and from 29th to 3rd of November – I faced a nightmare.

Ashish Singh: How?  Were you tortured?

Lt Col Purohit: Tortured? I think torture is sober word.

Ashish Singh: What did they do?

Lt Col Purohit: What they did not, they kept pulling my hair, kept me naked; semi nude. What would you say hand cuffed, tight blind folded abuses hurled to my wife, my sister and my mother, they also threatened that they will parade them in front of me and will put them behind the bars.

They threatened that my son will go to orphanage and tied me by my wrist on the horizontal bar my legs stretched you name a thing doesn’t remind me of this.

Ashish Singh: They made you confess for the Malegaon blast?  They forced you to confess but you did not?

Lt Col Purohit: Confession is something – if you have done something then you confess. I have done nothing, so what am I supposed to confess?

Ashish Singh: What did they ask you to confess?

Lt Col Purohit:  That I am involved in that stupid case.

Ashish Singh: In which a lot of other people have already got bail.

Lt Col Purohit:  I am not talking about anything which is subjudice.

Ashish Singh: I have gone through your documents and the court of inquiry. It appears that a lot of it is politics and your lawyers have been suggesting that you are behind the bars just because of your political nature

Lt Col Purohit: you still have doubts about it?

Ashish Singh:  What did they do? I have seen your Dawood report. Sir, I just want to understand these reports… right from Dawood to fake currency to a terrorist in Kashmir travelling in a politician’s car

Lt Col Purohit: Yes, it is all there in black and white, I have reported all these matters in the report

Ashish Singh: What all did you report sir? Could you please elaborate?

Lt Col Purohit: As you said these things, Kashmiri terrorist traveling in a politician’s red beacon car. Dawood, his connection with naxalites at the behest of ISI and how he was conducting the coordination part of it, nexus of the fraternity you just talked about, I don’t even want to name them.

I don’t want to talk about politicians as a serving office but then it is that way. The fake currency racket, the involvement of people who call themselves politicians.  

I don’t find my performance or performing my duties wrong… if I see something going wrong in this country… I am serving the flag… I am serving the president… I recognize the political party let me tell you. I should not have opinion about politicians and politics neither should I have any inclination or soft corner for them. In my life I have never voted -let me tell you – and I am never going to vote in my life. That is the level I keep myself at…

Ashish Singh: It seems the system has let you down – and the Army.

Lt Col Purohit: No, don’t say anything about Army. I have faith in them they have stood by me, don’t say anything about the Army.

Ashish Singh: You are still a serving officer?

Lt Col Purohit: I am and I would remain one.

Ashish Singh: But they did let you down at one point…

Lt Col Purohit: Don’t even say that. Wrong people go high up at wrong times but the organization is strong. It’s a fantastic organization and I serve it with a lot of pride and honor.

Ashish Singh: You have written a lot of letters. It seems you are fighting for the pride and uniform?

Lt Col Purohit:  What else an officer has other than his pride and honor to defend? Tell me?  You feel do we work for money in the army? You are sadly mistaken. It is that few grams of brass that matters to us. It is that colored ribbon what matters to us.  It matters nothing for civilians and you would never understand these kinds of things. I am talking to you and I am getting Goosebumps. Let me tell you. It (army) is my place. I belong there. I belong to my olive green uniform.

Ashish Singh: You still want to serve the army once you come out?

Lt Col Purohit: Why do you ask me this?  You want me to break down? Don’t say this; I am a man from trenches. I have faced bullets. I belong to a martial clan. My pride, my flag, and my family flag I never let anyone down. That’s my army you have gone through my court of enquiry. You must have seen that not a single officer has spoken against me. In fact, it was my open challenge in the court that I surrender my right to examine anyone in my defense. I said call anyone – from sipahi to hawaldar to a general with whom I have served even for a single day.  Any one, who says that Col Purohit does not have officer-like qualities, does not have an officer’s character.  I said I’ll put down my badges of ranks in front of you. I have no right to serve under you if any one whether in my command or who commands me says that I am not worthy of the uniform.

Ashish Singh: Yes, all 59 officers have given the statement in your favor

Lt Col Purohit:  I say it even today; anyone let them say that I’m not worthy to be an officer. I should cease to exist.

Ashish Singh: If the army is completely backing you, the court of enquiry has given you clean chit; officers have given statements in your favor, completely supporting you then is it just a political game? You have irritated a lot of politicians.

Lt Col Purohit: It is for you to answer. For me my job is over, my fight is over.

I was fighting for my papers from the army which they have given me. I have proved through these papers to everyone, whether someone wants to look into it or he doesn’t. It doesn’t matter to me.

Ashish Singh: Sir, I have read a report which you have reported that Dawood was present in Mumbai, his connections and how was his movement?

Lt Col Purohit: Yes. That’s what I am saying. I was doing my job

Ashish Singh: What was it Sir? What did they suggest? One particular thing, I want to ask, who did you report to? What was that report? Do you remember, can you tell us exactly? Like when, where?

Lt Col Purohit:  It was 2005, if I remember correctly, in the month of June 5th or 6th June and then it has come in papers, in 2011 then everyone accepted that yes he was there (in Mumbai) and he was acting as a pivot between ISI and Naxals.

Ashish Singh: Colonel, are you telling me he (Dawood) was present in India (in 2005)?

Lt Col Purohit: It is there in papers.

Ashish Singh: But did the authorities act after that? Did anyone take your report seriously? Were you called?

Lt Col Purohit: I can only say that when my reports reached at an appropriate level, they were verified and based on that I was called by ATS superintendent along with senior officers and the senior officers said that in the court of enquiry. When the reports were verified, probably they were found to be correct. That’s why we were invited.                                                                                                                                                                                    http://www.newsx.com/national/72756-malegaon-blasts-2008-case-lt-col-purohit-speaks-exclusively-to-newsx#.WZ-pTUaIK5s.twitter

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Jiroft Indus Script hypertexts evidence Meluhha interactions for metalwork trade & creation of wealth

August 25, 2017, 5:17 pm

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This monograph presents selected Jiroft or Halil Rud artefacts with Indus Script hypertexts and derives the meanings of the Meluhha hypertexts. 

Meluhha is the parole (speech form), lingua franca of Sarasvati-Sindhu civilization. 

These readings of Jiroft hypertexts are premised on the suggested presence of Meluhha speakers of artisan guilds  in Halil Rud (Jiroft culture), as explorers for metal resources and producers of metal products to create wealth of their nation or janapada. 

Jiroft culture and Harappa culture are cognates: an iconographic comparison reveals the deep roots of Indo-Iranian traditions. See notes on the arrival of Meluhha speakers in Indo-Iranian region: 

Leopard, scorpion, buffalo & zebu Indus Script hypertexts attest Meluhha-Marhashi metalwork interactions 

https://tinyurl.com/yanfwgfx

When a hypertext is presented with a black drongo perched on a zebu (bos indicus), it is not necessary to posit a mythological narrative. Treating this as a hypertext of metaphors rendered rebus in Indus Script Meluhha provides a truthful framework for realizing the meanings of the signifier and the signified in the message. Hieroglyph: black drongo: పోలడు pōlaḍu rebus: पोलाद [ pōlāda ] n ( or P) Steel. पोलादी a Of steel. (Marathi) bulad'steel, flint and steel for making fire' (Amharic); fūlād'steel' (Arabic) The Prakritam gloss पोळ [pōḷa], 'zebu' as hieroglyph is read rebus: pōḷa, 'magnetite, ferrous-ferric oxide'; poliya 'citizen, gatekeeper of town quarter'. Thus, the black drongo perched on a zebu, bos indicus as a hypertext signifies: magnetite, ferrite ore and steel.

Halil Rud plaque signifies:in Sarasvati Script hieroglyphs pōlāda  pōḷa dhā̆vaḍ 'smelter and worker in magnetite ferrite ore and steel' (in) sãgaṛh m. ʻ line of entrenchments, stone walls for defence ʼ.

The bird perched on the hump of the zebu on this Halil Rud chlorite plaque seems to be a black drongo which characteristically perches on grazing cattle and consumes the insects affecting the crop on a farmer's field...

A ladder hieroglyph is seen on the body of the zebu next to a comb within a cartouche shaped like a rhombus.

śrēṣṭrī 'ladder' Rebus: seṭh ʻ head of a guild, Members of the guild (working with a furnace)

kāṅga'comb' Rebus: kanga'brazier, fireplace'.

Hieroglyph: Object in front of the zebu: sangaḍa 'portable furnace', 'gimlet (turner's apparatus)' (Marathi) sangaḍa ‘lathe, furnace’. saghaḍī = furnace; sā̃gāḍo, sãgaḍa(lathe/portable furnace)(Gujarati)  సగ్గెడ (p. 1288)saggeḍa. [Tel.] n. A metal vessel, చెంబు."ద్వి. బానిసచేతగల్లు, వలనొప్పదెప్పించి వాడు నిచ్చలును జలములు గ్రోలెడిసగ్గెడనించి." Navanad. 229.  Kannada:

Rebus: sã̄gāḍā m. ʻ frame of a building ʼ (M.)(CDIAL 12859) Rebus 1: jangaḍiyo  ‘military guards who accompanies treasure into the treasury’’ (G.) Rebus 2:  sanghāḍo (G.) cutting stone, gilding (G.); sangatarāśū = stone cutter; sangatarāśi = stone-cutting; san:gsāru karan.u = to stone (S.) sanghāḍiyo, a worker on a lathe (G.) *saṁgaḍha ʻ collection of forts ʼ. [*gaḍha -- ]L. sãgaṛh m. ʻ line of entrenchments, stone walls for defence ʼ.(CDIAL 12845).
                                                                                                                   
Hieroglyph: calf feeding from the zebu cow's udder: kōḍe, kōḍiya. [Tel.] n. A bullcalf. Rebus: koḍ artisan’s workshop (Kuwi) kunda ‘turner’ kundār turner (Assamese)  Also, dāmuri ʻcalfʼ evoking the rebus of dAv 'strands of rope' rebus: dhAtu 'mineral elements'.. dām m. ʻ young ungelt ox ʼ: damya ʻ tameable ʼ, m. ʻ young bullock to be tamed ʼ Mn. [~ *dāmiya -- . -- √dam]Pa. damma -- ʻ to be tamed (esp. of a young bullock) ʼ; Pk. damma -- ʻ to be tamed ʼ; S. ḍ̠amu ʻ tamed ʼ; -- ext. -- ḍa -- : A. damrā ʻ young bull ʼ, dāmuri ʻ calf ʼ; B.dāmṛā ʻ castrated bullock ʼ; Or. dāmaṛī ʻ heifer ʼ, dāmaṛiā ʻ bullcalf, young castrated bullock ʼ, dāmuṛ, °ṛi ʻ young bullock ʼ.Addenda: damya -- : WPah.kṭg. dām m. ʻ young ungelt ox ʼ.(CDIAL 6184). This is a phonetic determinative of the 'twisted rope' hieroglyph: dhāī˜ f.dāˊman1 ʻ rope ʼ (Rigveda) Thus, the calf is a semantic determinant of the functions of the artisan signified by the word dhā̆vaḍ 'iron smelter' . M. dhāū, dhāv m.f. ʻ a partic. soft red stone ʼ (whence dhā̆vaḍ m. ʻ a caste of iron -- smelters ʼ, dhāvḍī ʻ composed of or relating to iron ʼ); dhāˊtu n. ʻ substance ʼ RV., m. ʻ element ʼ MBh., ʻ metal, mineral, ore (esp. of a red colour) ʼ; Pk. dhāu -- m. ʻ metal, red chalk ʼ; N. dhāu ʻ ore (esp. of copper) ʼ; Or. ḍhāu ʻ red chalk, red ochre ʼ (whence ḍhāuā ʻ reddish ʼ; (CDIAL 6773) धातु  primary element of the earth i.e. metal , mineral, ore (esp. a mineral of a red colour) Mn. MBh. &c element of words i.e. grammatical or verbal root or stem Nir. Pra1t. MBh. &c (with the southern Buddhists धातु means either the 6 elements [see above] Dharmas. xxv ; or the 18 elementary spheres [धातु-लोक] ib. lviii ; or the ashes of the body , relics L. [cf. -गर्भ]) (Monier-Williams. Samskritam)

This monograph is framed on an archaeometallurgical background to provide 'meanings' to the hypertexts and expands upon insights provided by the remarkable article by Massimo Vidale which appeared in 2015. Massimo Vidale elucidates the mythological framework of some vivid pictorial motifs. 

This monograph provides a Meluhha reading of the hypertexts and deciphers the wealth-producing metalwork of artisans of Jiroft or Halil Rud Civilization which had deep interactions with the neighbour, Sarasvati-Sindhu or Meluhha civilization.

In the Bronze Age, cultural hypertexts have travelled far into the Ancient Near East as evidenced by the following maps and images of cultural artefacts (Images from http://www.danel.info/bmac.html):

Hypertexts of Shahdad standard

“The shaft is set on a 135 mm high pyramidal base. The thin metal plate is a square with curved sides set in a 21 mm wide frame. On the plate there is a figure of a goddess sitting on a chair and facing forward. The goddess has a long face, long hair and round eyes. Her left hand is extended as if to take a gift…a square garden divided into ten squares. In the center of each square there is a small circle. Beside this garden there is a row of two date palm trees…Under this scene the figure of a bull flanked by two lions is shown…The sun appears between the heads of the goddess and, one of the women and it is surrounded by a row of chain decorative motives.” (Hakemi, Ali, 1997, Shahdad, archaeological excavations of a bronze age center in Iran, Reports and Memoirs, Vol. XXVII, IsMEO, Rome. 766 pp, p.271, p.649). The inscriptional evidence discovered at this site which is on the crossroads of ancient bronze age civilizations attests to the possibility of Meluhha settlements in Shahdad, Tepe Yahya and other Elam/Susa region sites. The evolution of bronze age necessitated a writing system -- the answer was provided by Indus writing using hieroglyphs and rebus method of rendering Meluhha (mleccha) words of Indian sprachbund.

A metal flag found at Shahdad, one of eastern Iran's early urban sites, dates to around 2400 B.C. The flag depicts a man and woman facing each other, one of the recurrent themes in the region's art at this time. (Courtesy Maurizio Tosi) 

Three pots are shown of three sizes in the context of kneeling adorants seated in front of the person seated on a stool. meṇḍā 'kneeling position' (Gondi) Rebus: meḍ 'iron' (Munda)

eruvai 'kite' Rebus:eruvai 'copper'

dula 'pair' Rebus: dul 'cast metal'

arya 'lion' (Akkadian) Rebus: Ara 'brass'

kul, kOla 'tiger' Rebus: kol 'working in iron'

poLa 'zebu' Rebus: poLa 'magnetite'

kōla = woman (Nahali) Rebus: kol ‘furnace, forge’ (Kuwi) kol ‘alloy of five 

metals, pañcaloha’ (Tamil) kol ‘working in iron’ (Tamil)

kaṇḍō a stool. Malt. Kanḍo stool, seat. (DEDR 1179) Rebus: kaṇḍ = a furnace, altar (Santali) Alternative: paṭa 'slab, turban, throne Rebus: फड, phaḍa 'Bhāratīya arsenal of metal weapons'

If the date palm denotes tamar (Hebrew language), ‘palm tree, date palm’ the rebus reading would be: tam(b)ra, ‘copper’ (Pkt.)

kuṭi ‘tree’. Rebus: kuṭhi ‘smelter’ (Santali). The two trees are shown ligatured to 

a rectangle with ten square divisions and a dot in each square. The dot may 

denote an ingot in a furnace mould.

Hieroglyph: BHSk. gaṇḍa -- m. ʻ piece, part ʼ(CDIAL 3791)

Hieroglyph: Paš. lauṛ. khaṇḍā ʻ cultivated field ʼ, °ḍī ʻ small do. ʼ (→ Par. kheṇ ʻ field ʼ IIFL i 265); Gaw. khaṇḍa ʻ hill pasture ʼ (see also bel.)(CDIAL 3792)

Rebus: khaṇḍa 'implements'

 Santali glosses

Glyph of rectangle with divisions: baṭai = to divide, share (Santali) [Note the 

glyphs of nine rectangles divided.] Rebus: bhaṭa = an oven, kiln, furnace (Santali) 

ḍāḷ= a branch of a tree (G.) Rebus: ḍhāḷako = a large ingot (G.) ḍhāḷakī = a metal heated and poured into a mould; a solid piece of metal; an ingot (G.)

Three sets of entwined 'glyphs (like twisted ropes) are shown around the entire narrative of the  Shahdad standard.

Twisted rope as hieroglyph:

Rebus: dhāˊtu n. ʻ substance ʼ RV., m. ʻ element ʼ MBh., ʻ metal, mineral, ore (esp. of a red colour) ʼ Mn.Pk. dhāu -- m. ʻ metal, red chalk ʼ; N. dhāu ʻ ore (esp. of copper) ʼ; Or. ḍhāu ʻ red chalk, red ochre ʼ (whence ḍhāuā ʻ reddish ʼ; M. dhāū, dhāv m.f. ʻ a partic. soft red stone ʼ (whence dhā̆vaḍ m. ʻ a caste of iron -- smelters ʼ, dhāvḍī ʻ composed of or relating to iron ʼ)(CDIAL 6773).dauRA 'rope' rebus: dhAvaD 'smelter'

Impression of cylinder seal from Gonur-1. "In this connection worthy of utmost attention is the impression of a cylinder seal on one of the Margianian vessels, found .... at Gonur. The central figure of a frequently repeated frieze composition is a standing nude anthropomorphic winged deity with an avian head holding two mountain goats by the legs...Such anthropomorphic winged and avian-headed deities are represented fairly fully in the glyptics and on the seals of Bactria.... These Bactrian images find the most impressive correspondence in Syro-Hittite glyptics...If the fact that it’s for the Mittani kingdom that the names of Aryan deities are evidenced is taken into account the importance of the Bactrian-Margianian images will become obvious in the light of solving the Aryan problem on the basis of new archaeological data." (Sarianidi,V., 1993, Margiana in the Ancient Orient. In IASCCA Information Bulletin, 19, pp. 5-28. Nauka.).

Sarianidi notes that the conflict motif (involving an avian-headed person and animals) is recurrent at a number of BMAC contact areas to the west of Bactria upto Greece. The conflict motif on Indus script inscriptions do not show an avian-headed person, but perhaps a woman in conflict with two felines on either side of the person.

m0312 Persons vaulting over a water buffalo. The water buffalo tosses a person on its horns. Four or five bodies surround the animal.

Spread of the motif of acrobats jumping over bulls shown on objects from Bactria to Greece. Indus script does show a motif of men vaulting over a bovine (buffalo), but the artistic rendering are not exactly comparable to the acrobat motif of BMAC.

The motifs on Indus seals (winged feline, conflict of a woman with two felines, rhinoceros, snakes, eagle (or, bird-in-flight), goat) have been decoded as hieroglyphs of Indian linguistic area related to metalworking trades.

For example, rhinoceros is decoded as: baḍhia = a castrated boar, a hog; rebus: baḍhi ‘a caste who work both in iron and wood’; baḍhoe ‘a carpenter, worker in wood’; badhoria ‘expert in working in wood’(Santali) Thus, when an eagle is shown attacking rhinoceros, the motif can be read rebus: pajhar badhia = pasra badhoe, 'carpenter's workshop or workshop of an artisan working in wood and metal.'

Amulets and seals made of soft stone and pierced lengthwise often have a swastika engraved on one side. (Sarianidi, V. I., Die Kunst des Alten Afghanistan, Leipzig, 1986, Abb. 100; Fig. 1 after Sarianidi, V. I., Bactrian Centre of Ancient Art, Mesopotamia, 12 / 1977, Fig. 59 / 18; Fig. Of inter-locked snakes after Sarianidi, V. I., Seal- Amulets of the Murghab Style, in: Kohl, Ph. L., ed., The Bronze Age Civilization of Central Asia, New York, 1981,
Fig. 7.). Svastika is an Indus script hieroglyph.

It would thus appear that the user of Indus script hieroglyphs on the Gonur Tepe inscriptions – showing eagle hieroglyphs, wings of falcon (seals/seal impressions) is describing the nature of metalworking he or she is engaged in. It would also appear that the explanations of the narratives in Rigveda and in Mesopotamian hieroglyphs (cf. Apkallu) are echoes of these metalworking activities of Indus artisans (smiths and mine-workers).

Cult vessel from Togolok-1 temple.

The cult vessel is found at Margiana and Bactria. Winged felines are found at Margiana and southwest of Afghanistan. Winged-feline is a motif found on Indus script objects and also on Nal pot (the site Nal has also yielded other Indus script objects).

era female, applied to women only, and generally as a mark of respect, wife; hopon era a daughter; era hopon a man’s family; manjhi era the village chief’s wife; gosae era a female Santal deity; buḍhi era an old woman; era uru wife and children; nabi era a prophetess; diku era a Hindu woman (Santali)

erako = molten cast (G.) eraka, (copper) ‘metal infusion’; eraka ‘copper’ (Ka.)

Seal of a Metal guild-master. Hieroglyph: śrēṣṭrī 'ladder' Rebus: seṭh ʻ head of a guild, Members of the guild (working with a furnace) are: blacksmith, turner, smelter, coppersmith, ironsmith (magnetite ore), Supercargo who is a representative of the ship's owner on board a merchant ship, responsible for overseeing the cargo and its sale.

Mohenjo-daro seal m417 six heads from a core.

sãgaḍ f. ʻa body formed of two or more fruits or animals or men &c. linked together' (Marathi). This gloss sãgaḍ as a body of written or pictorial material of hieroglyphs (voiced in Meluhha speech) can be used to create a ciphertext with elements of enhanced cyber-security encryptions. This ciphertext can be called: Hieroglyphmultiplextext. Rebus 1: sãgaḍ māṇi 'alloying adamantine glue, सं-घात caravan standard' -- vajra saṁghāṭa in archaeometallurgy, deciphered in Indus Script Corpora. Enhanced encryption cyber-security. Rebus 2: जांगड [jāṅgaḍa] ad Without definitive settlement of purchase--goods taken from a shop. जांगड [ jāṅgaḍa ] f ( H) Goods taken from a shop, to be retained or returned as may suit: also articles of apparel taken from a tailor or clothier to sell for him. 2 or जांगड वही The account or account-book of goods so taken.Rebud 3: sangaDa 'a cargo boat'. Rebus 4: sangaRh 'proclamation'.

śrēṇikā -- f. ʻ tent ʼ lex. and mngs. ʻ house ~ ladder ʼ in *śriṣṭa -- 2, *śrīḍhi -- . -- Words for ʻ ladder ʼ see śrití -- . -- √śri]H. sainī, senī f. ʻ ladder ʼ; Si. hiṇi, hiṇa, iṇi ʻ ladder, stairs ʼ (GS 84 < śrēṇi -- ).(CDIAL 12685). Woṭ. Šen ʻ roof ʼ, Bshk. Šan, Phal. Šān(AO xviii 251) Rebus: seṇi (f.) [Class. Sk. Śreṇi in meaning “guild”; Vedic= row] 1. A guild Vin iv.226; J i.267, 314; iv.43; Dāvs ii.124; their number was eighteen J vi.22, 427; VbhA 466. ˚ -- pamukha the head of a guild J ii.12 (text seni -- ). — 2. A division of an army J vi.583; ratha -- ˚ J vi.81, 49; seṇimokkha the chief of an army J vi.371 (cp. Senā and seniya). (Pali)

*śrētrī ʻ ladder ʼ. [Cf. śrētr̥ -- ʻ one who has recourse to ʼ MBh. -- See śrití -- . -- √śri]Ash. ċeitr ʻ ladder ʼ (< *ċaitr -- dissim. from ċraitr -- ?).(CDIAL 12720) *śrēṣṭrī2 ʻ line, ladder ʼ. [For mng. ʻ line ʼ conn. with √śriṣ2 cf. śrḗṇi -- ~ √śri. -- See śrití -- . -- √śriṣ2]Pk. sēḍhĭ̄ -- f. ʻ line, row ʼ (cf. pasēḍhi -- f. ʻ id. ʼ. -- < EMIA. *sēṭhī -- sanskritized as śrēḍhī -- , śrēṭī -- , śrēḍī<-> (Col.), śrēdhī -- (W.) f. ʻ a partic. progression of arithmetical figures ʼ); K. hēr, dat. °ri f. ʻ ladder ʼ.(CDIAL 12724) Rebus:  śrēṣṭhin m. ʻ distinguished man ʼ AitBr., ʻ foreman of a guild ʼ, °nī -- f. ʻ his wife ʼ Hariv. [śrḗṣṭha -- ]Pa. seṭṭhin -- m. ʻ guild -- master ʼ, Dhp. śeṭhi, Pk. seṭṭhi -- , siṭṭhi -- m., °iṇī -- f.; S. seṭhi m. ʻ wholesale merchant ʼ; P. seṭh m. ʻ head of a guild, banker ʼ, seṭhaṇ, °ṇī f.; Ku.gng. śēṭh ʻ rich man ʼ; N. seṭh ʻ banker ʼ; B. seṭh ʻ head of a guild, merchant ʼ; Or. seṭhi ʻ caste of washermen ʼ; Bhoj. Aw.lakh. sēṭhi ʻ merchant, banker ʼ, H. seṭh m., °ṭhan f.; G. śeṭh, śeṭhiyɔ m. ʻ wholesale merchant, employer, master ʼ; M.śeṭh, °ṭhī, śeṭ, °ṭī m. ʻ respectful term for banker or merchant ʼ; Si. siṭu, hi° ʻ banker, nobleman ʼ H. Smith JA 1950, 208 (or < śiṣṭá -- 2?)(CDIAL 12726)

This denotes a mason (artisan) guild -- seni -- of 1. brass-workers; 2. blacksmiths; 3. iron-workers; 4. copper-workers; 5. native metal workers; 6. workers in alloys.

The core is a glyphic ‘chain’ or ‘ladder’. Glyph: kaḍī a chain; a hook; a link (G.); kaḍum a bracelet, a ring (G.) Rebus: kaḍiyo [Hem. Des. kaḍaio = Skt. sthapati a mason] a bricklayer; a mason; kaḍiyaṇa, kaḍiyeṇa a woman of the bricklayer caste; a wife of a bricklayer (G.)

The glyphics are:

1.     Glyph: ‘one-horned young bull’: kondh ‘heifer’. kũdār ‘turner, brass-worker’.

2.     Glyph: ‘bull’: ḍhangra ‘bull’. Rebus: ḍhangar ‘blacksmith’. koD 'horns' rebus: koD 'workshop'

3.     Glyph: ‘ram’: meḍh ‘ram’. Rebus: meḍ ‘iron’

^4.         Glyph: ‘antelope’: mr̤eka ‘goat’. Rebus: milakkhu ‘copper’. Vikalpa 1: meluhha ‘mleccha’ ‘copper worker’. Vikalpa 2: meṛh ‘helper of merchant’.

^5.         Glyph: ‘zebu’: khũṭ ‘zebu’. Rebus: khũṭ ‘guild, community’ (Semantic determinant of the ‘jointed animals’ glyphic composition). kūṭa joining, connexion, assembly, crowd, fellowship (DEDR 1882)  Pa. gotta ‘clan’; Pk. gotta, gōya id. (CDIAL 4279) Semantics of Pkt. lexeme gōya is concordant with Hebrew ‘goy’ in ha-goy-im (lit. the-nation-s)^. Pa. gotta -- n. ʻ clan ʼ, Pk. gotta -- , gutta -- , amg. gōya -- n.; Gau. gū ʻ house ʼ (in Kaf. and Dard. several other words for ʻ cowpen ʼ > ʻ house ʼ: gōṣṭhá -- , Pr. gūˊṭu ʻ cow ʼ; S. g̠oṭru m. ʻ parentage ʼ, L. got f. ʻ clan ʼ, P. gotar, got f.; Ku. N. got ʻ family ʼ; A. got -- nāti ʻ relatives ʼ; B. got ʻ clan ʼ; Or. gota ʻ family, relative ʼ; Bhoj. H. got m. ʻ family, clan ʼ, G. got n.; M. got ʻ clan, relatives ʼ; -- Si. gota ʻ clan, family ʼ ← Pa. (CDIAL 4279). Alternative: adar ḍangra ‘zebu or humped bull’; rebus: aduru ‘native metal’ (Ka.); ḍhangar ‘blacksmith’ (H.)

6.     The sixth animal can only be guessed. Perhaps, a tiger (A reasonable inference, because the glyph ’tiger’ appears in a procession on some Indus script inscriptions. Glyph: ‘tiger?’: kol ‘tiger’.Rebus: kol ’worker in iron’. Vikalpa (alternative): perhaps, rhinoceros. gaṇḍa ‘rhinoceros’; rebus:khaṇḍ ‘tools, pots and pans and metal-ware’. Thus, the entire glyphic composition of six animals on the Mohenjodaro seal m417 is semantically a representation of a śrḗṇi, ’guild’, a khũṭ , ‘community’ of smiths and masons.

 bhaTa 'warrior' rebus: bhaTa 'furnace' Also, baTa 'six' rebus: bhaTa 'furnace'.

Meluhha or Sarasvati-Sindhu civilization

Map showing the main sites of Middle Asia in the third millennium BC (whorls indicate the presence of Indus and Indus-like seals bearing multiple heads of different animals arranged in whirl-like motif).

The hypertexts on the images of the following artefacts presented by Massimo Vidale are drawn from Indus Script Corpora and meanings presented with rebus renderings, consistent with the decipherment of about

8000 inscriptions of Indus Script Corpora.

1.zebu or bos indicus पोळ [pōḷa], 'zebu' as hieroglyph is read rebus: pōḷa, 'magnetite, ferrous-ferric oxide'

2. Black drongo perched on a zebu పోలడు pōlaḍu 'black drongo' rebus: पोलाद [ pōlāda ] n ( or P) Steel.

3. waterflow or waves kāṇḍa 'water' Rebus: khāṇḍā 'metalware, pots and pans, tools'. vanyāˊ (Pāṇ.gaṇa) f. ʻ heavy rain ʼ Kr̥ṣis.[vana -- 2 n. ʻ water ʼ Naigh., Kālid., vāna -- 3 n. ʻ tidal wave, boreʼ W. ~ vāˊr --] A. bān ʻ flood, abundance, swarm ʼ; Or. bāna ʻ tide, wave, flood ʼ.Addenda: vanyāˊ -- : B. bān ʻ flood ʼ. (CDIAL 11278) Rebus:bāṇá (bāˊṇa -- AV.) m. ʻ reed -- shaft, arrow ʼ RV. 2. vāṇá -- 1 m. ʻ arrow, pipe ʼ, vāṇīˊ -- f. ʻ reed ʼ RV. [Cf. *vāṇa -- 2. <-> Differing Austro -- as. sources suggested by J. Przyluski BSL xxv 56 and PMWS 34. -- → Par. bân&omacrtodtod;, bânug ʻ arrow ʼ IIFL i 240]1. Pa. Pk. bāṇa -- m. ʻ arrow ʼ; Kal.rumb. buŕə̃ ʻ arrowhead ʼ; K. bān m. ʻ arrow ʼ, S. ḇāṇu m., L. P. bāṇ m., Ku.gng. bã̄&rtodtilde;ə, A. B. bān, Or. bāṇa (whence bāṇuā ʻ hunter ʼ), Bi. bān, OAw. bāna m., H. bān, m., G. bāṇ n., M. bāṇ m., Si. baṇa.2. P. vāṇ m. ʻ arrow ʼ.bāṇāsana -- ; *antarabāṇa -- .Addenda: bāṇa -- : WPah.kṭg. bāṇ m. ʻ arrow ʼ. (CDIAL 9203)

6. markhor miṇḍāl 'markhor' (Tōrwālī) meḍho a ram, a sheep (Gujarati)(CDIAL 10120) Rebus: mẽṛhẽt, meḍ 'iron' (Santali.Munda.Ho.)

7. eagle eruvai 'eagle' rebus: eruvai 'copper'

8. cobra hood फड, phaḍa 'cobra hood'  फड, phaḍa 'Bhāratīya arsenal of metal weapons' 

9. woman/man kola 'woman' rebus: kol 'working in iron' kolhe 'smelter' kolimi 'smithy, forge'. mē̃d, mēd 'body, womb, back' Hieroglyp to signify mẽṛhẽt, meḍ ‘iron (metal)’ (Munda), med 'copper (metal)' (Slavic)

10.mountain range dhanga 'mountain range' Rebus: dhangar 'blacksmith'

11. tiger kul ‘tiger’ (Santali); kōlu id. (Te.) kōlupuli = Bengal tiger (Te.)Pk. kolhuya -- , kulha — m. ʻ jackal ʼ < *kōḍhu -- ; H.kolhā, °lā m. ʻ jackal ʼ, adj. ʻ crafty ʼ; G. kohlũ, °lũ n. ʻ jackal ʼ, M. kolhā, °lā m. krōṣṭŕ̊ ʻ crying ʼ BhP., m. ʻ jackal ʼ RV. = krṓṣṭu — m. Pāṇ. [√kruś] Pa. koṭṭhu -- , °uka — and kotthu -- , °uka — m. ʻ jackal ʼ, Pk. koṭṭhu — m.; Si. koṭa ʻ jackal ʼ, koṭiya ʻ leopard ʼ GS 42 (CDIAL 3615). कोल्हा [ kōlhā ] कोल्हें [ kōlhēṃ ] A jackal (Marathi) Rebus: kol ‘furnace, forge’ (Kuwi) kol ‘alloy of five metals, pañcaloha’ (Tamil) 

12. sun  arka 'sun' rebus: arka, era 'copper'. mēḍha ] the polar star (Phonetic determinant); rebus: meḍ 'iron' (Mu.Ho.); med 'copper' (Slavic)

13. moon  kamar 'moon' rebus: kamar'blacksmith' (Santali)  OP. koṭhārī f. ʻ crucible' Rebus: kuṭhārī 'granary, room' (Hindi)

14. door (temple entrance?) kole.l 'temple' rebus: kole.l 'smithy, forge'

15. twisted rope dām 'rope (single strand or string?)', dã̄u ʻtyingʼ, ḍāv m. ʻdice-throwʼ rebus: dhāu 'ore'; dhāv 'string, dotted circle' rebus: dhāu'ore' dhā̆vaḍ 'iron-smelter. meṛh f. ʻ rope tying oxen to each other and to post on threshing floor ʼ (Lahnda)(CDIAL 10317) rebus: meḍ 'iron' (Mu.Ho.); med 'copper' (Slavic)

16. lion arye 'lion' (Akkadian) Rebus: arā 'brass'. 

See: Locations of Konar Sandal, Shahdad, Tepe Yahya

पोळ pōḷa, 'Zebu, bos indicus' of Sarasvati Script corpora is rebus:pōlāda 'steel', pwlad (Russian), fuladh (Persian) folādī (Pashto) http://tinyurl.com/mrsqcws

See: https://www.scribd.com/doc/314263878/Indus-Components-in-the-Iconography-of-a-White-Marble-Cylinder-Seal-from-Konar-Sandal-South-Kerman-Iran-Massimo-Vidale-and-Dennys-Frenez-2015 South Asian Studies, 31:1, 2015, pp 144-154. 

Rare White Marble Cylinder Seal from Jiroft

April 13th, 2015

• A rare white marble cylinder seal from Jiroft. A brand new paper by Massimo Vidale and Dennys Frenez, Indus Components in the Iconography of a White Marble Cylinder Seal from Konar Sandal South (Kerman, Iran) provides a detailed analysis of this seal found at the recently discovered site of Jiroft . Well used, and apparently worn at the wrist, it testifies to the multiple cultural and trade connections between the Indus civilization and its western neighbors. It also suggests many more discoveries and insights into Indus civilization will come from material found at and connected to Jiroft.Read Massimo Vidale's paper Indus Components in the Iconography of a White Marble Cylinder Seal from Konar Sandal South (Kerman, Iran). The first part of the article summarizes what we know about the Jiroft civilization so far, its apparent origins in the late 5th millennium BCE, how it flourished at the height of the Indus civilization, and the tantalizing facts about connections between the two. Could it have been the ancient nation and state of Marhashi/Parahshum about which so little is known but which would have been at the cross-roads of so many cultures? What could have been the function of these so-called whorl seals, only found so far here, at Mohenjo-daro, Allahdino and Kalibangan?

Cylinder seal photograph courtesy of Halil Rud Archaeological Project. Paper first published in April 2015 in South Asian Studies.

https://www.harappa.com/blog/rare-white-marble-cylinder-seal-jiroft

poḷa'zebu, bos indicus' rebus: poḷa'magnetite ferrite ore'

Source of images: Massimo Vidale, 2015, Searching for mythological themes on the ‘Jiroft’ chlorite artefacts, in: Iranica Antiqua, Vol. L, 2015. pp. 15-59

https://www.scribd.com/document/341164404/Searching-for-mythological-themes-on-the-jiroft-chlorite-artefacts-Massimo-Vidale-2015

The Indus Civilization Through a Halil Rud Civilization Object

June 21st, 2016

[quote]A new paper (2016) by Denys Frenez and Massimo Vidale examines a curious artifact of the newly emerging Halil Rud civilization in Southeastern Iran contemporary with Harappan civilization that includes hallmarks of Indus iconography with notable twists. Translated Symbols. Reminiscences in a Carved Chlorite Artefact of the Halil Rud Civilization shows how much we are slowly beginning to learn about how Indus symbolism and belief systems intersected with the wider Near Eastern region, and suggest that there is so much to still be learned as future artifacts come to light. Two of the most and imaginative – and careful – archaeologists working on the region today offer another fascinating meditation on an object with multiple ramifications, while addressing the complexities of working with yet another looted object that is escaping the kind of analysis and study it deserves.

Also summarizes what we know about the so-called Halil Rud civilization, which many suspect was the Marhashi/Parhashum civilization referred to in ancient texts but whose physical location seems to only have become apparent after the floods of 2001 in the Jiroft valley led to the exposure of thousands of ancient graves.

Article

1. Carved chlorite plaque of the Halil Rud civilization inspired to the Indus unicorn motif (size not available)
2. Major sites of the Indus Civilization and other contemporaneous sites with commercial relations with the Indus Valley
3. Main types of chlorite carved containers and other artifacts of the Halil Rud Civilization (courtesy Y. Madjidzadeh)
4. Indus unicorn motif represented on stamp seals and amulets in steatite; b) Indus ritual 'filter' or 'standard' represented on stamp seals in steatite, miniature tablets and figurines in terracotta and ivory (courtesy A. Parpola and Harappa Archaeological Research Project) [unquote]

See: https://www.harappa.com/blog/indus-civilization-through-halil-rud-civilization-object 

The Function of a Chlorite Hand-Bag of the Halil Rud Civilization as Inferred from Its Wear Traces

Article 1, Volume 2, Issue 2, Winter 2012, Page 1-11

Document Type: Research Paper

Authors

Massimo Vidale1; Roberto Micheli2

1Department of Cultural Heritage : Archaeology, History of Art, of Music and Cinema, University of Padua, Italy

2Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici del Friuli Venezia Giulia, Trieste, Italy

Abstract

A chlorite “hand-bag” belonging to the once-called “intercultural style” production, currently on exhibit in the National Archaeological Museum, Tehran, is described focusing attention, for the first time, to the peculiar wear traces clearly visible on the handle and along its contour. The strong wear suggests that the hand-bag was suspended for a long time on a cord; and that in this setting it was gradually polished while rubbing against a soft surface, most probably a vertical one, covered with cloth. While this inference is based on a single object, and therefore is far from being granted, we propose that wear traces can provide a useful key for understanding the function of these peculiar objects. At a later stage of its life-cycle, the hand-bag was broken and restored with iron fittings and nails. As the edges of the great Iranian deserts are a favorable location for the recovery of iron-rich meteorites, we propose that the iron parts of the Tehran hand-bag should be analyzed to test the possible presence of rare metals like nikel, niobium and others, more abundant in meteorites than in terrestrial iron.

Keywords

Halil Rud Civilization; Intercultural Style; Chlorite Hand-bag; Meteoritic Iron http://ijas.usb.ac.ir/article_1442.html Jiroft, Cradle Of Human Civilization In Iran?  8/04/2015 07:00:00 PM For centuries, Mesopotamia was thought to be the world's oldest civilization. This was generally accepted by most people until a 5,000-year old temple was discovered in Jiroft Historical Site in Iran's southern Kerman province, prompting archaeologists to identify the region as the world's oldest cradle of human civilization. image: https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q5xr8vgt4Ag/Vch5OLrdf3I/AAAAAAABYus/vh1Vj8hF7-0/s400/Jiroft_03.jpg One of the mounds at Jiroft Historical Site  [Credit: Ali Shahryari] Jiroft has undergone different phases of archeological excavations since 2002. Although many valuable objects, including two clay inscriptions carrying the oldest human scripts, have been unearthed during authorized excavations in the region, many more such objects have been found by pillagers and smuggled abroad to become the centerpieces in museums across the world. Nader Alidad Soleimani, the manager of Jiroft's Cultural Heritage Site, has been studying the location for the past 20 years. He has greatly contributed to safeguarding the cultural and historical remains of Jiroft. Iran Daily conducted an interview with him to get detailed information about the ongoing studies. Excerpts follow: ID: Please explain the various phases of excavations that have been conducted in Jiroft. SOLEIMANI: The first phase of official archaeological studies was conducted during 2002-2007. The studies resumed in the region in 2014 after a seven-year pause. However, I have been exploring the Jiroft region since 1995, since I was aware of the historical importance of Jiroft, years before official studies began. Currently, the second season of excavations is underway in Esfandagheh Plains in Jiroft. The first season was completed last summer. image: https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F2NkWoWKavc/Vch5g0mBPII/AAAAAAABYu0/P4EFBXwhAuw/s400/Jiroft_02.jpg Excavations at site B - thought to be a citadel  [Credit: National Geographic] Valuable architectural items have been unearthed during the first and the second excavation seasons, including evidences of Neolithic settlement and the remnants of ancient buildings in red and yellow colors. In addition to archaeological excavations, the joint three-month research studies were conducted in collaboration with a delegation from German University of Tübingen International and Iranian experts during Feb. 20-May 20, 2015. The research yielded positive outcomes and raised our knowledge about the historical site. ID: American archaeologists have described Jiroft's excavations as the largest excavation projects of its kind ever conducted in the Middle East. The importance of Jiroft's human civilization has been accepted by French, British and Italian experts as well. Many experts also believe that if any important event were to occur in the field of archaeology within the next 50 years, it would definitely occur in Jiroft. Please tell us more about the geographic situation of Jiroft and its importance. SOLEIMANI: Many think that Jiroft is only a city with identifiable boundaries. This is while, when we talk of Jiroft we mean an extensive cultural field that once was thrived along Halilroud river. The river is situated in the southeast of Iran near Jiroft, Kerman province. The river, which extends for 390 kilometers, runs along the Jiroft and Kahnuj districts. It originates in Hazar mountains, some 3,300 meters above sea level and about 100 kilometers to the northwest of Jiroft, and flows to the southwest. Many historical hills have been located in this massive area, each providing valuable evidence of the cultural richness of the region. The region is host to various archeological teams every year. image: https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m6vSja2BUKY/Vch5wkEmwpI/AAAAAAABYu8/HXNIPhq-2sE/s400/Jiroft_05b.jpg An inscription found in archaeological excavations of Kerman Province near,Jiroft,   or the Halil Rud region of Iran, which dates back to the sixth millennium BC  [Credit: Sciencepost] ID: Which countries are involved in the archaeological excavation project of Jiroft? SOLEIMANI: The US, France, Italy and, very recently, Germany have so far sent archaeological teams to Jiroft. Foreign archaeological teams can only work under the supervision of Iranian experts. Their activities are also limited. ID: Why are foreign teams needed for excavations? SOLEIMANI: Today, archaeology is regarded as an interdisciplinary field. Ancient Botany and Osteology are among the fields of study that have contributed to the development of global archaeology over the past few years. Such fields of study are not available in Iranian universities. Sometimes, they are available but domestic knowledge about them is poor. Theses shortcomings make the need for using the proficiency of foreign archaeologists greatly felt. Foreign experts engaged in excavations help train Iranian students, improve their knowledge, and contribute to the archaeological excavations. ID: Numerous illegal diggings have taken place in the region in the past, leading to the smuggling of many valuable items. What has the government done to address illegal pillagers or prevent such problems from recurring? SOLEIMANI: Illegal diggings have damaged Jiroft historical site over the years, leading to the smuggling of a great volume of valuable historical objects, which are now being kept at the world's prestigious museums. The Iranian government has taken effective steps for the repatriation of such objects. Eighteen artifacts, each dating back to 5,000 years were returned home four years ago thanks to  former government's efforts. The return of historical objects becomes a more complicated if they are owned by unknown private collectors or kept at private museums. Filing lawsuit against private collectors in international courts is a tougher job. ID:  How much money is allocated for archaeological projects annually? SOLEIMANI: An annual $10,000 is allocated by the government for archaeological excavations in Jiroft, which is meager given the extensive areas which have to be explored. An archaeological team consists of only six individuals and this is not enough for conducting excavations over such extensive areas. All the shortages pave the ground for looters, and increase the risk of illegal diggings. urrently, the digs are refilled on the completion of the projects so that the site and historical objects can be protected. This is while, a historical site, such as Jiroft, can also serve as an open-air museum. An open-air museum attracts so many visitors and contributes to the development of tourism sector as well. Author: Fatemeh Shokri & Atefeh Rezvan-Nia | Source: Iran Daily [August 04, 2015] https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.in/2015/08/jiroft-cradle-of-human-civilization-in.html#YMj4fRospTI7tiqa.97 Ancient Metal Relics Discovered In Jiroft Persian Journal ^ | 7-19-2006  Posted on 21/07/2006, 03:34:59 by blam Ancient Metal Relics Discovered in Jiroft Jul 19, 2006 The police department of Jiroft succeeded in confiscating 41 metal relics belonging to the pre-historic and historic periods. The most ancient one is a Riton belonging to the third millennium BC. Riton is a kind of goblet with the head of an animal, usually in the shape of a lion, horse, ibex, or winged lion. "The police department of Jiroft found 41 bronze, copper, and silver relics. The most ancient one is a Riton with the head of a humped cow belonging to some 5000 years ago," said Nader Soleimani, archeologist from the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department of Kerman province. According to Soleimani, a bronze dagger belonging to the first millennium BC with the design of an animal like crocodile is one of the other interesting relics in this collection. "The designs which can be seen on this dagger depict something like the crocodiles which still exist in south of Chabahar Port in Iran's Sistan va Baluchestan province. The person who came up with this design must have seen this animal closely to be able to put down such accurate pattern," added Soleimani. A bronze axe and a copper plaque engraved with a humped cow, an ibex and palm tree are the other discovered relics. "Such designs had already been seen in other parts of Jiroft on artifacts made with soapstone," said Soleimani. Soleimani also announced the existence of a small bronze vessel belonging to the third millennium BC with some geometrical designs, and also 24 antique coins belonging to different periods of Parthian, Sassanid, the beginning of Islamic, Seljuk, Ilkhanid, Safavid, and Qajar periods in this newly discovered collection. Jiroft historical site is located in Kerman province on the basin of Halil Rud River. Jiroft is known to be one of the most historical sites of the world which enjoyed a rich civilization in the third millennium BC. Over 100 historical sites have so far been identified along the bank of Halili-Rud River, extended for 400 kilometers. Lack of enough control over this historical site and unawareness of the public about its importance turned Jiroft into a paradise for illegal diggers, plundering a large number of ancient relics in this site. What happened in Jiroft is today known as one of the most tragic events in archeology. It was only after all these illegal excavations that the archeologists rushed to this area to study one of the most prominent historical sites in Iran which revealed much about one of the most ancient civilizations of the world. Some archeologists believe that more findings on the earliest civilization that lived in Jiroft will be a turning point in their current understanding of the history of civilization. "This threshold of history found in Jiroft is what is lost in the evolution course of the Mesopotamian civilization and is not that notable in that of Egypt. There are so many objects dating to this time found in the Halil-Rud Area, which can fill the gap in the formation and development course of the Jiroft civilization. Therefore, one can say that Jiroft is the capital of today's world archeology because it allows the archeologists to modify the previous theories on how people lived during that time. The part of history that was hidden in the strata of Iran's plateau is essential to rebuilding the base of world's history," these words were expressed by Jean Perrot, one of world's greatest archeologists who headed the French teams working in Iran from 1968 to 1978 and also attended the International Conference of Halil-Rud Civilization which was held in Jiroft from 1-3 February 2005. Up until now, some 4000 historical relics which had been unearthed during illegal excavations in Jiroft have been identified and confiscated by the police department. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1669440/posts Halil-Rud Civilization: Shahdad Shahdad Halil-Rud Civilization تمدن هلیل رود- شهداد Ever since the excavations of Ali Hakemi at the site of Shahdad at the edge of the Dasht-I Lut, we have understood that the Bronze Age communities of the Iranian plateau played a central role in the greater ancient world system of exchange that connected all of the Middle East during the 3rd millennium BC. When published in comprehensive form, Hakimi’s results, combined with Tal-I Iblis and Yahya, allowed us to begin to sketch picture of long distance interaction that began with the arrival of the proto- Elamites into the region around 3000 BC and intensified for a millennium before it faded in response to environmental challenges. With additional data coming from the recent excavation at the sites of Konar Sandal South and North in the Halil River Valley, we can now begin to construct a picture of interaction that puts the region of Kerman as a central nexus of interaction in all directions. (Pittman 2011) Prehistoric Shahdad was a major Bronze Age centre discovered at the edge of the Dasht-e-Lut in 1968. From that point up until the early 1970s, the late professor ALI HAKEMI of the Archaeological Institute of Iran supervised intensive excavations at Shahdad over seven consecutive seasons, revealing extensive evidence for a sophisticated civilization using a range of elite artifacts, elaborate metalwork technology, complex burial practices and archaic pictographs. In many ways, the late 1960s and 1970s were a truly pioneering period for the archaeology of southeast Iran, and work at sites like Shahdad, Tal-e Iblis, and Tepe Yahya revolutionized our understanding of Iran in the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC. Since the publication of the monumental volume “SHAHDAD - Archaeological Excavations of a Bronze Age Center in Iran” by ISMEO in 1997, there have been several major books published on the archaeology of southeast Iran, and extensive new excavations at several mound sites, including Konar Sandal at Jiroft in the Halil Rud plain. Five Linear Elamite texts inscribed on metal vessels (W, X, Y, Z and A’) have been recently ‘published’. Through their comparison with the susian Linear Elamite documents corpus, they permit to identify several graphical variants for the same sign. This consideration about graphical variations in Linear Elamite writing gives a better understanding of the only inscription (S) found up to now in Shahdad. Then will be particularly examined the sign probably used to note down the sound in, for which ‘occidental’ variations (in Susa and Marv Dasht plain), different from ‘oriental’ ones (in Shahdad and Konar Sandal), have been identified. ( Desset, 2011) We sampled a small collection of copper working indicators (slag, crucibles, kiln linings, possibly ore fragments) from 4th and 3rd millennium BCE settlement areas of Shahdad. These finds were investigate by the means of XRD, SEM and metallographic analysis, providing preliminary information on the type of metallurgical processes carried out in the site and their changes in time.( Vidale, 2011) Southeast of Iran especially Kerman region has played an important role during the fourth and third millennium BC due to its rich Mines. The most important metallurgical analysis is Hakemi’s work, which have been carried out on Shahdad samples. He has analyzed these samples through AAS, EDAX, SEM and XRFS. Results of his analyses show that high percentage of the coppers in the Shahdad objects testify that craftsmen of Shahdad had not alloyed copper and tin during the 4th and 3rd millennium BC; however a few samples showed that they might have been aware to alloy copper and tin. ( Mortazavi, 2011) The finds of objects made of a special type of coralline limestone are distributed over a vast area that extends from the Persian Gulf and the eastern Iranian Plateau to Mesopotamia. While two manufacturing areas of this stone have been recently identified at Shahdad (see the related paper of Vidale, Desset, Pignatti and Conti), a group of such objects found in excavations at Tello (ancient Girsu) and bearing dedicatory inscriptions of rulers of the so-called Second Dynasty of Lagash, or of high-ranking officials in their service, attest to trade relationships between the independent city-state of Lagash and the East (possibly the area of Shahdad) throughout several generations. These objects are also remarkable in that they represent a unique class of prestige goods and votive artefacts: indeed, in Mesopotamia, they are almost exclusively found at Lagash and for a relatively short period of time. An argument is presented that the ancient name of the stone of which they were made was pirig-gùnu, "spotted lion," that is "leopard spotted stone" - a name that recalls one of the animal symbols par excellence in the Iranian art of the third millennium BC. (Marchesi, 2011) Between 1967 and 1970 three sites in Eastern Iran, Shahdad, Shahr-i Sokhta, Tepe Yahya, contributed to open a new perspective on the emergence of civilization in the Ancient Orient filling the geographic gap between the Near East and the Indian Subcontinent, proving that political complexity and economic wealth had been equally shared by the all agricultural heartlands east of Mesopotamia. While trade circuits and exchange networks did connect desert highlands and alluvial floodplains in a mosaic of polities culturally linked in spite of the autarchic structure of their economies. (Tosi, 2011) https://www.facebook.com/pg/Jiroft.Ancient.Civilization/photos/?tab=album&album_id=504061502983973 Jiroft. Antelope, snake, tiger. ranku 'antelope', 'liquid measure'; read rebus: ranku 'tin'. kol = tiger (Santali) kol ‘pancaloha, alloy of five metals (Ta.) http://sarasvatismithy.blogspot.com/ na_ga `serpent' (Sanskrit) na_ga `lead' (Sanskrit) Sarasvati Script in Ancient Near East to signify dhokra 'cire perdue metalcaster'& pōḷa dhā̆vaḍ sãgaṛh 'fortified settlements of steel, ore workers'  Mirror: http://tinyurl.com/jqkcscq pōḷa dhā̆vaḍ sãgaṛh 'fortified settlement of magnetite steel, ore workers' signified by Sarasvati Script hieroglyphs --Hieroglyphs पोळ pōḷa 'zebu'& pōlaḍu 'black drongo' signify polad 'steel';  saggeḍa 'cup' signifies sãgaṛh 'fortified settlement'; samghāta 'adamantine glue or hard metallic cement' --Evidence from Nahal Mishmar, Jiroft, Halil Rud, Konar Sandal Ancient Near East (Sarasvati Civilization contact areas of Bronze Age, 3rd millennium BCE) It is remarkable that Meluhha artisans had attained in 3rd millennium BCE the metallurgical competence to formulate adamantine glue (vajra) or hard metallic cement. Massimo Vidale et al have provided remarkable archaeological narratives from Konar Sandal and Halil Rud (Helmand): http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02666030.2015.1008820 (Konar Sandal) https://www.harappa.com/sites/default/files/pdf/Indus-helmand2.pdf (Helmand)  Jiroft. Vase. Basket-shaped wallet. http://antikforever.com/Perse/Divers/jiroft.htm Bi. dhŏkrā ʻ jute bag ʼ; Mth. dhokṛā ʻ bag, vessel, receptacle ʼ; OMarw. ḍhokaro m. ʻ basket ʼ; -- N. ḍhokse ʻ place covered with a mat to store rice in, large basket ʼ.(CDIAL 6880) Rebus: dhokra kamar 'cire perdue, lost-wax casting metalworker'. āre 'lion' rebu: āra 'brass' PLUS dula 'pair' rebus: dul 'metal casting'. pōḷa 'zebu' rebus: pōḷa 'magnetite, ferrite ore) pōladu 'black drongo bird' rebus: pōḷad 'steel' Thus, this Jiroft vase with Sarasvati Script hieroglyphs is a professional calling card -- dharma samjñā 'responsibility badge' -- of the Meluhha  cire perdue metalcaster. "Steel (with a carbon content between pig iron and wrought iron) was first produced in antiquity as an alloy. Its process of production, Wootz steel, was exported before the 4th century BC to ancient China, Africa, the Middle East and Europe. Archaeological evidence of cast iron appears in 5th century BC China." Bulat steel blade of a knife."Bulat is a type of steel alloy known in Russia from medieval times; regularly being mentioned in Russian legends as the material of choice for cold steel. The name булат is a Russian transliteration of the Persian word fulad, meaning steel. This type of steel was used by the armies of nomadic peoples. Bulat steel was the main type of steel used for swords in the armies of Genghis Khan, the great emperor of the Mongolian Empire. The technique used in making wootz steel has been lost for centuries and the bulat steel used today makes use of a more recently developed technique...Carbon steel consists of two components: pure iron, in the form of ferrite, and cementite or iron carbide, a compound of iron and carbon. Cementite is very hard and brittle; its hardness is about 640 by the Brinell hardness test, whereas ferrite is only 200. The amount of the carbon and the cooling regimen determine the crystalline and chemical composition of the final steel. In bulat, the slow cooling process allowed the cementite to precipitate as micro particles in between ferrite crystals and arrange in random patterns. The color of the carbide is dark while steel is grey. This mixture is what leads to the famous patterning of Damascus steel. Cementite is essentially a ceramic, which accounts for the sharpness of the Damascus (and bulat) steel. Cementite is unstable and breaks down between 600–1100 °C into ferrite and carbon, so working the hot metal must be done very carefully." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulat_steel “One of the big mysteries of wootz Damascus steel has been why the art of making these blades was lost…to produce the damascene patterns of a museum-quality wootz Damascus blade the smith would have to fulfill at least three requirements. First, the wootz ingot would have to have come from an ore deposit that provided significant levels of certain trace elements, notably, Cr, Mo, Nb, Mn, or V. This idea is consistent with the theory of some authors30 who believe the blades with good patterns were only produced from wootz ingots made in southern India, apparently around Hyderabad. Second, the data … confirm previous knowledge that wootz Damascus blades with good patterns are characterized by a high phosphorus level. This means that the ingots of these blades would be severely hot short.. as previously shown,15successful forging would require the development of heat-treating techniques that decarburized the surface in order to produce a ductile surface rim adequate to contain the hot-short interior regions. Third, a smith who developed a heat-treatment technique that allowed the hot-short ingots to be forged might still not have learned how to produce the surface patterns, because they do not appear until the surface decarb region is ground off the blades; this grinding process is not a simple matter.” http://www.tms.org/pubs/journals/JOM/9809/Verhoeven-9809.html Hypertext on Mohenjo-daro seal m301 is composed of hieroglyphs to create a 'composite animal'; this animal has zebu horns. Zebu is the dominant signature tune of Sarasvati Civilization. The message and meaning of the hypertexts of the inscription is simple: a metalwork catalogue is documented by the artisan. The 'rim=of-jar'. hieroglyph signifies a seafaring merchant with a cargo of metalwork: khanka'rim-of-jar' rebus: karṇika, karaika 'helmsman of a seafaring merchant vessel' and supercargo, a representative of the ship's owner on board a merchant ship, responsible for overseeing the cargo and its sale. m0301 Mohenjo-daro seal. Components of hieroglyph multiplex of m0301 inscription are: --ram or sheep (forelegs denote a bovine) --neck-band, ring --bos indicus (zebu)(the high horns denote a bos indicus) --elephant (the elephant's trunk ligatured to human face) --tiger (hind legs denote a tiger) --serpent (tail denotes a serpent) --human face All these glyphic elements are decoded rebus: meḍho a ram, a sheep (G.)(CDIAL 10120);  kaḍum ‘neck-band, ring’  adar ḍangra ‘zebu’ ibha ‘elephant’ (Skt.); rebus: ib ‘iron’ (Ko.) kolo ‘jackal’ (Kon.) moṇḍ the tail of a serpent (Santali) Rebus: Md. moḍenī ʻ massages, mixes ʼ. Kal.rumb. moṇḍ -- ʻ to thresh ʼ, urt. maṇḍ -- ʻ to soften ʼ (CDIAL 9890) Thus, the ligature of the serpent as a tail of the composite animal glyph is decoded as: polished metal (artifact). mũhe ‘face’ (Santali); mleccha-mukha (Skt.) = milakkhu ‘copper’ (Pali) கோடு kōṭu : •நடுநிலை நீங்குகை. கோடிறீக் கூற் றம் (நாலடி, 5). 3. [K. kōḍu.] Tusk; யானை பன்றிகளின் தந்தம். மத்த யானையின் கோடும் (தேவா. 39, 1). 4. Horn; விலங்கின் கொம்பு. கோட்டிடை யாடினை கூத்து (திவ். இயற். திருவிருத். 21).  Ta. kōṭu (in cpds. kōṭṭu-) horn, tusk, branch of tree, cluster, bunch, coil of hair, line, diagram, bank of stream or pool; kuvaṭu branch of a tree; kōṭṭāṉ, kōṭṭuvāṉ rock horned-owl (cf. 1657 Ta. kuṭiñai). Ko. kṛ (obl. kṭ-) horns (one horn is kob), half of hair on each side of parting, side in game, log, section of bamboo used as fuel, line marked out. To. kwṛ (obl. kwṭ-) horn, branch, path across stream in thicket. Ka. kōḍu horn, tusk, branch of a tree; kōr̤ horn. Tu. kōḍů, kōḍu horn. Te. kōḍu rivulet, branch of a river. Pa. kōḍ (pl. kōḍul) horn (DEDR 2200) meḍ ‘iron’ (Ho.) khāḍ ‘trench, firepit’ aduru ‘native metal’ (Ka.) ḍhangar ‘blacksmith’ (H.)  poL 'zebu' Rebus: poLa 'magnetite' kol ‘furnace, forge’ (Kuwi) kol ‘alloy of five metals, pancaloha’ (Ta.) mẽṛhẽt, meḍ ‘iron’ (Mu.Ho.) mūhā mẽṛhẽt = iron smelted by the Kolhes and formed into an equilateral lump a little pointed at each of four ends (Santali) koḍ = the place where artisans work (G.)  Orthographically, the glytic compositions add on the characteristic short tail as a hieroglyph (on both ligatured signs and on pictorial motifs) xolā = tail (Kur.); qoli id. (Malt.)(DEDr 2135). Rebus: kol ‘pañcalōha’ (Ta.)கொல் kol, n. 1. Iron; இரும்பு. மின் வெள்ளி பொன் கொல்லெனச் சொல்லும் (தக்கயாகப். 550). 2. Metal; உலோகம். (நாமதீப. 318.) கொல்லன் kollaṉ, n. < T. golla. Custodian of treasure; கஜானாக்காரன். (P. T. L.) கொல்லிச்சி kollicci, n. Fem. of கொல்லன். Woman of the blacksmith caste; கொல்லச் சாதிப் பெண். (யாழ். அக.) The gloss kollicci is notable. It clearly evidences that kol was a blacksmith. kola ‘blacksmith’ (Ka.); Koḍ. kollë blacksmith (DEDR 2133). Vikalpa: dumba दुम्ब or (El.) duma दुम । पशुपुच्छः m. the tail of an animal. (Kashmiri) Rebus: ḍōmba ?Gypsy (CDIAL 5570).  sangaḍi = joined animals (Marathi) Rebus: sãgaṛh m. ʻ line of entrenchments, stone walls for defence ʼ (Lahnda)(CDIAL 12845) [Note: Within this fortification, zebu signifies a poliya 'citizen, gatekeeper of town quarter'.] This suggests that seal m0301 is an archaeometallurgist signifying the guild of artisans at work in the fortified settlement. baraDo 'backbone' Rebus: bharat 'alloy of copper, pewter, tin' karNIka 'rim of jar' Rebus: karNI 'supercargo' karNIka 'scribe'. dhatu 'scarf' Rebus: dhatu 'mineral' kola 'tiger' Rebus: kolhe 'smelter' nAga 'serpent' Rebus: nAga 'lead' खोंड khōṇḍa A variety of जोंधळा.कांबळा-cowl. खोंड [ khōṇḍa ] m A young bull, a bullcalf. Rebus: khond 'turner' Hieroglyph: pōḷa 'zebu' Rebus: pōḷa 'magnetite, ferrite ore' Hieroglyph: खांडा [ khāṇḍā ] m  A jag, notch, or indentation (as upon the edge of a tool or weapon). (Marathi)  Rebus: khāṇḍā ‘tools, pots and pans, metal-ware’. (Marathi) Nahal Mishmar. Crown with building facade decoration, Ibex and birds on Nahal Mishmar artefacts After examining several artefacts of Nahal Mishmar hoard, Goren concludes: "The results of this study indicate that all the examined materials were the remains of the casting molds...This indeed indiates that the Chalcolithic technology of mold construction for the lost wax casting technique was well established and performed by specialists. Moreover, the emphasized homogeneity of the materials and technology in use, regardless of the location of the find, stands against the possibility of production by itinerary craftsmen and supports the idea that all of these items were produced by a single workshop or workshop cluster. The results make it clear that, although Chalcolithic mold production and casting techniques can be compared to some extent with the methods of traditional craftsmen such as the Dhokra of India, they are far more sophisticated and thus more analogous with the mold construction techniques used today by modern workshops...some motifs...specifically depict ibexes and vultures...It is likely that these animals were seen as protectors of this highly skilled metallurgy... (ibex) representation in the En Gedi sanctuary might be related to the special role of this animal in the decoration fo the Chalcolithic metal artifacts as well as ossuaries. (p.393)" [Yuval Goren, 2008, The location of specialized copper production by the lost wax technique in the chalcolithis southern Levant, Geoarchaeology: An international Journal, Vol. 23, No. 3, 374-397 (2008), p. 377]. http://www.scribd.com/doc/220039411/Yuval-Goren-2008-The-location-of-specialized-copper-production-by-the-lost-wax-technique-in-the-chalcolithis-southern-Levant-Geoarchaeology-An-int Radiocarbon dating of Nahal Mishmar reed mat  by Arizona AMS laboratory takes at least some of (the finds to 5375 +_ 55 to 6020+_60 BP). (Aardsman, G., 2001, New radiocarbon dates for the reed mat from the cave of the treasure, Israel, Radiocarbon, Volume 43, number 3: 1247-1254). This indicates the possibility that cire perdue technique was already known to the metallurgists who created the Nahal Mishmar artefacts. There is, however, a possibility that all the artefacts of the Nahal Mishmar hoard may not belong to the same date and hence, cire perdue artefacts might have been acquisitions of a later date. (Shlomo Guil  https://www.academia.edu/5689136/Reflections_Upon_Accepted_Dating_of_the_Prestige_Items_of_Nahal_Mishmar) I suggest that an interpretation for the use of ibex and birds on Nahal Mishmar artefacts. They may be Meluhha hieroglyphs describing the specific metallurgical skill of and materials used by the artisans. The double ibex was made using a complicated wax and ceramic mold..Standard (scepter)  with ibex heads. Dm. mraṅ m. ‘markhor’ Wkh. merg f. ‘ibex’ (CDIAL 9885) Tor. miṇḍ ‘ram’, miṇḍā́l ‘markhor’  (CDIAL 10310) Rebus: meḍ (Ho.); mẽṛhet ‘iron’ (Munda.Ho.) dula 'pair' Rebus: dul 'cast metal'. āra‘six’ Rebus: āra ‘brass’ karaṇḍa ‘duck’ (Sanskrit) karaṛa ‘a very large aquatic bird’ (Sindhi) Rebus: करडा [karaḍā] Hard from alloy--iron, silver &c. (Marathi) dula 'pair' Rebus: dul 'cast metal'. sã̄gāḍā m. ʻ frame of a building ʼ (M.)(CDIAL 12859) Rebus: jaṅgaḍ ‘entrustment articles’ sãgaṛh m. ʻ line of entrenchments, stone walls for defence ʼ (Lahnda).(CDIAL 12845) Allograph: saṅgaḍa ‘lathe’. 'potable furnace'. sang ‘stone’, gaḍa ‘large stone’. Rebus: Vajra-samghāta is to be compounded of 8 parts of lead, 2 parts of bell metal and 1 part of brass, melted and poured hot. It is stated that when this type of cement is applied to temple, etc. they last for around thousand years. Vajra-samghāta means, composition as hard as thunderbolt.  http://www.niscair.res.in/sciencecommunication/researchjournals/rejour/ijtk/Fulltextsearch/2006/April%202006/IJTK-vol%205(2)-April%202006-pp%20259-262.htm samghāta सं-घात b [p= 1130,1] close union or combination , collection , cluster , heap , mass , multitude TS. MBh. &c वज्र--संघात [p= 914,1]mfn. having the hardness or compactness of adamant (said of भीम) MBh. i , 4775; m. N. of a kind of hard cement VarBr2S. dula 'pair' Rebus: dul 'cast metal'. koḍ ‘horns’ Rebus: koḍ‘artisan’s workshop’. पोलाद [ pōlāda ] n ( or P) Steel. पोलादी a Of steel. (Marathi) ولاد polād, s.m. (6th) The finest kind of steel. Sing. and Pl. folād P فولاد folād or fūlād, s.m. (6th) Steel. Sing. and Pl. folādī P فولادي folādī or fūlādī, adj. Made of steel, steel. (Pashto) pŏlād प्वलाद् or phōlād फोलाद् । मृदुलोहविशेषः m. steel (Gr.M.; Rām. 431, 635, phōlād).pŏlödi pōlödi  phōlödi (= ) । लोहविशेषमयः adj. c.g. of steel, steel (Rām. 19, 974, 167, pōo) pŏlāduwu । शस्त्रविशेषमयः adj. (f. pŏlādüvü made of steel (H. v, 4).(Kashmiri). Polad, bulat crucible steel 'Schrader gives a list of names for 'steel' related to Pers. pulAd; Syr. pld; Kurd. pila, pola, pulad; Pehl. polAwat; Armen. polovat; Turk. pala; Russ. bulat; Mizdzhegan polad, bolat; Mongol. bolot, bulat, buriat. He is unable to suggest an origin for these words. Fr. Muller pointed out that the Pehlevi and Armenian should be polapat and suggested Greek 'much-beaten' as the original word...not all the countries of Asia had been exhausted in search for similar names...by adding Tibetan p'olad, Sulu bAlan, Tagalog patalim, Ilocano paslip, we at once see that the origin of the word may lie to the east. Naturally one thinks of China as the possible point of issue, for there steel was known in the third millenium before our era and we have the positive reference to steel in a Chinese writer of the fifth century BCE...Cantonese dialect fo-lim, literally 'fire-sickle'..."(Wiener, Leo, 2002, Contributions toward a history of Arabico-Gothc culture, vol.4, Gorgias Press LLC, pp. xli-xlii) "...‘pulad’ of Central Asia. The oasis of Merv where crucible steel was also made by the medieval period lies in this region. The term ‘pulad’ appears in Avesta, the holy book of Zorastrianism and in a Manichéen text of Chinese Turkestan. There are many variations of this term ranging from the Persian ‘polad’, the Mongolian ‘bolat’ and ‘tchechene’, the Russian ‘bulat’, the Ukrainian and Armenian ‘potovat’, Turkish and Arab ‘fulad’, ‘farlad’ in Urdu and ‘phaulad’ in Hindi. It is this bewildering variety of descriptions that was used in the past that makes a study of this subject so challenging." https://www.scribd.com/doc/268526061/Wootz-Steel-Indian-Institute-of-Science Wootz Steel, Indian Institute of Science Meluhha and Jiroft A dominant hieroglyph depicted on Jiroft artifacts is a 'wallet'. The Meluhha word for this hieroglyph is dhokra. Meluhha hieroglyphs related to metalwork are depicted on artifacts shaped like wallets. Hieroglyph: wallet:  *dhōkka1 ʻ sacking, matting ʼ. 2. *dhōkha -- . 3. *dhōṅga -- 2. 4. *ḍhōkka -- 1. [Cf. *ṭōkka -- 1]1. Ext. -- ḍ -- : N. dhokro ʻ large jute bag ʼ, B. dhokaṛ; Or. dhokaṛa ʻ cloth bag ʼ; Bi. dhŏkrā ʻ jute bag ʼ; Mth. dhokṛā ʻ bag, vessel, receptacle ʼ; H. dhukṛī f. ʻ small bag ʼ; G. dhokṛũ n. ʻ bale of cotton ʼ; -- with -- ṭṭ -- : M. dhokṭī f. ʻ wallet ʼ; -- with -- n -- : G. dhokṇũ n. ʻ bale of cotton ʼ; -- with -- s -- : N. (Tarai) dhokse ʻ place covered with a mat to store rice in ʼ.2. L. dhohẽ (pl. dhūhī˜) m. ʻ large thatched shed ʼ.3. M. dhõgḍā m. ʻ coarse cloth ʼ, dhõgṭī f. ʻ wallet ʼ.4. L. ḍhok f. ʻ hut in the fields ʼ; Ku. ḍhwākā m. pl. ʻ gates of a city or market ʼ; N. ḍhokā (pl. of *ḍhoko) ʻ door ʼ; -- OMarw. ḍhokaro m. ʻ basket ʼ; -- N. ḍhokse ʻ place covered with a mat to store rice in, large basket ʼ.(CDIAL 6880) Rebus: dhokra kamar 'cire perdue, lost-wax casting metalworker' Stairs of Konar Sandal Ziggurat The main part of the Konar Sandal Ziggurat of the Jiroft ancient site, located in the southern Iranian province of Kerman, has recently been excavated, the Persian service of CHN reported on Friday. Before the discovery of the ziggurat in 2002, Chogha Zanbil, a major remnant of the Elamite civilization near Susa , was the only surviving ziggurat in Iran . Chogha Zanbil Ziggurat dates back to 1250 BCE. “The main part of the Konar Sandal Ziggurat is the lower part and is 200 years older than the upper section. Thus, construction of the ziggurat was carried out in stages beginning in 2200 BCE,” said Professor Yusef Majidzadeh, the director of the archaeological team working at the site. Built some time around 2100 BCE by king Ur-Nammu, the Ur Ziggurat is the oldest one in Mesopotamia , but the Konar Sandal Ziggurat is a century older than it, he added. The Ur Ziggurat was built in honor of the god Sin in Ur , a Sumerian city on the Euphrates , in the south of modern-day Iraq . It was called 'Etemennigur', which means 'house whose foundation creates terror'. “The archaeologists have determined the original shape of the Konar Sandal Ziggurat for restoration,” Majidzadeh said. Jiroft came into the spotlight nearly four years ago when reports of extensive illegal excavations and plundering of the priceless historical items of the area by local people surfaced. Since 2002, two excavation seasons have been carried out at the Jiroft site under the supervision of Majidzadeh, leading to the discovery of a ziggurat made of more than four million mud bricks dating back to about 2200 BCE. Jiroft is one of the richest historical areas in the world, with ruins and artifacts dating back to the third millennium BCE. Over 100 historical sites are located along the approximately 400 kilometers of the Halil Rud riverbank. Many Iranian and foreign experts see the findings in Jiroft as signs of a civilization as great as Sumer and ancientMesopotamia . Majidzadeh believes that Jiroft is the ancient city of Aratta , which was described as a great civilization in a Sumerian clay inscription. http://www.cais-soas.com/News/2006/February2006/25-02-discovery.htm Madjidzadeh, 13 January 2007, http://www.cais-soas.com/News/2007/January2007/13-01.htm Jiroft artifacts with Meluhha hieroglhyphs referencing dhokra kamar working with metals. Dark grey steatite bowl carved in relief. Zebu or brahmani bull is shown with its hump back; a male figure with long hair and wearing akilt grasps two sinuous objects, representing running water, which flows in a continuous stream. Around the bowl, another similar male figure stands between two lionesses with their head turned back towards him; he grasps a serpent in each hand. A further scene (not shown) represents a prostrate bull which is being attacked by a vulture and a lion.  The zebu is reminiscent of Sarasvati Sindhu seals. The stone used, steatite, is familiar in Baluchistan and a number of vessels at the Royal Cemetery at Ur were made out of this material.  The bowl dates from c. 2700-2500 B.C. and the motif shown on it resembles that on a fragment of a green stone vase from one of the Sin Temples at Tell Asmar of almost the same date.  Khafajeh bowl; a man sitting, with his legs bent underneath, upon two zebu bulls. This evokes the proto-Elamite bull-man; the man holds in his hands streams of water and issurrounded by ears of corn. He has a crescent beside his head. On the other side of the bowl, a man is standing upon two lionesses and grasping two serpents.    An Early Dynastic II votive plaque from the Inanna temple at Nippur VIII (after Pritchard, 1969: 356, no. 646). "It has something very Harappan about it also in the lower part depicting two 'unicorn' bulls around a tree. The six dots around the head of the Harappan hero, clearly visible in one seal (Mohenjodaro, DK 11794; cf. Mackay, 1937: II, pl. 84:75) may be compared to the six locks of hair characteristic of the Mesopotamian hero from Jemdet Nasr to Akkadian times (cf. Calmeyer, 1957-71: 373). From the Early Dynastic period onwards the scene usually comprises a man fighting with one or two bulls, and a bull-man fighting with one or two lions....North-west India of the third millennium BC can be considered as an integral, if marginal, part of the West Asian cultural area." (Parpola, A., New correspondences between Harappan and Near Eastern glyptic art, in: Bridget Allchin (ed.), South Asian Archaeology, 1981, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1984). http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2015/05/pie-and-vedic-studies-multi-layered.html Finds at Atlyn-depe: ivory sticks and gaming pieces (?) obtained from Sarasvati Sindhu civilization; similar objects with dotted circles found in Mohenjodaro and Harappa. (Masson, VM, 1988, Altyn-depe, UPenn museum, p. 90) Zebu draws the ratha with uṣas 'female sun divinity' called the spiked throne terracotta object. A pair of zebu bull heads flank the throne which is embellished with 'spikes' to signify sun's rays. I suggest that zebu is a hieroglyph metaphor to signify magnetite, ferrite ore.  Plate 7. Details of the zebu bull's head, with its painted and incised decoration. Pipal leaf motif is notable. Decoration on the bull is indication of a celebration. Just as decoration of a heifer (bull-calf?) with trefoils is also indicative of sacredness. The over all impression of the artifact is an exquisite expression of the life familiar to the artist. Note: The nostrils are painted with a red pigment. The practice of using red pigment is also noted on the 'priest' statuette. Trefoil glyphs on the 'priest' statuette were originally filled with red pigment. cf. http://www.harappa.com/indus/41.html http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2012/06/lady-of-spiked-throne-massimo-vidale.html See: http://tinyurl.com/p3n28lf That zebu, bos indicus, is an exclusive legacy of South Asia is proven by genetic studies.  After the domestication of the zebu, bos indicus, deployment of the hierolyph of zebu on Indus Script Corpora is a significant advance in archaeometallurgy documentation.  The writing system depicting a hieroglyph multiplex of a zebu tied to a post with a bird perched on top is based on the rebus rendering of the Prakritam glosses: Hieroglyph: पोळ [pōḷa], 'zebu' Rebus: magnetite, citizen. baṭa 'quail' Rebus: baṭha'furnace'. Alternative: Hieroglyph: black drongo: పోలడు pōlaḍu rebus: पोलाद [ pōlāda ] n ( or P) Steel. पोलादी a Of steel. (Marathi) bulad 'steel, flint and steel for making fire' (Amharic); fUlAd 'steel' (Arabic)  The messaging on Nausharo pots of a magnetite furnace for metalwork continues on seals and tablets including copper plates as metalwork catalogues. The Prakritam gloss पोळ [pōḷa], 'zebu' as hieroglyph is read rebus: pōḷa, 'magnetite, ferrous-ferric oxide'; poliya 'citizen, gatekeeper of town quarter'. Zebu also signifies a native metal blacksmith: another gloss for zebu: ad.ar d.an:gra (Santali); rebus: aduru ‘native metal’ (Ka.) d.han:gar ‘blacksmith’ (WPah.) aduru = gan.iyinda tegadu karagade iruva aduru = ore taken from the mine and not subjected to melting in a furnace (Kannada. Siddha_nti Subrahman.ya’ S’astri’s new interpretation of theAmarakos’a, Bangalore, Vicaradarpana Press, 1872, p. 330). Ta. ayil iron. Ma. ayir, ayiramany ore. Ka. aduru native metal. Tu. ajirda karba very hard iron. (DEDR 192). ayas 'metal' (Rigveda); aya'iron' (Gujarati) Note: karba 'iron' is signified by hieroglyphs: karibha 'trunk of elephant' (Pali); ibha'elephant' (Samsritam). Thus, ajirda karba (Tulu) = aduru (aya) karba 'native metal iron' in semantic expansion of Prakritam in tune with archaeometallurgy advances in smelting, alloying and cire perduemetalcastings. Hieroglyph: पोळ [pōḷa] m A bull dedicated to the gods, marked with a trident and discus, and set at large. பொலியெருது poli-y-erutu , n. < பொலி- +. 1. Bull kept for covering; பசுக்களைச் சினையாக்குதற் பொருட்டு வளர்க்கப்படும் காளை. (பிங்.) கொடிய பொலியெருதை யிருமூக்கிலும் கயி றொன்று கோத்து (அறப். சத. 42). 2. The leading ox in treading out grain on a threshing-floor; களத்துப் பிணையல்மாடுகளில் முதற்செல்லுங் கடா. (W.) பொலி முறைநாகு poli-muṟai-nāku, n. < பொலி + முறை +. Heifer fit for covering; பொலியக்கூடிய பக்குவமுள்ள கிடாரி. (S. I. I. iv, 102.) Rebus 1: pōḷa 'magnetite, ferrous-ferric oxide Fe3O4'. Rebus 2: pol m. ʻgate, courtyard, town quarter with its own gate': Ka. por̤al town, city. Te. prōlu, (inscr.) pr̤ōl(u) city. ? (DEDR 4555) पोवळ or पोंवळ [ pōvaḷa or pōṃvaḷa ] f पोवळी or पोंवळी f The court-wall of a temple. (Marathi) *pratōlika ʻ gatekeeper ʼ. [pratōlī -- ] H. pauliyā, pol°, pauriyā m. ʻ gatekeeper ʼ, G. poḷiyɔ m.(CDIAL 8632) pratōlī f. ʻ gate of town or fort, main street ʼ MBh. [Cf. tōlikā -- . -- Perh. conn. with tōraṇa -- EWA ii 361, less likely with *ṭōla -- ] Pk. paōlī -- f. ʻ city gate, main street ʼ; WPah. (Joshi) prauḷ m., °ḷi f., pauḷ m., °ḷi f. ʻ gateway of a chief ʼ, proḷ ʻ village ward ʼ; H. paul, pol m. ʻ gate, courtyard, town quarter with its own gate ʼ, paulī f. ʻ gate ʼ; OG. poli f. ʻ door ʼ; G. poḷi f. ʻ street ʼ; M. pauḷ, poḷ f. ʻ wall of loose stones ʼ. -- Forms with -- r -- poss. < *pradura -- : OAw. paüri ʻ gatepost ʼ; H. paur, °rī, pãwar, °rī f. ʻ gate, door ʼ.WPah.poet. prɔ̈̄ḷ m., prɔḷo m., prɔḷe f. ʻ gate of palace or temple ʼ.(CDIAL 8633) Porin (adj.) [fr. pora=Epic Sk. paura citizen, see pura. Semantically cp. urbane>urbanus>urbs; polite= poli/ths>po/lis. For pop. etym. see DA i.73 & 282] belonging to a citizen, i. e. citizenlike, urbane, polite, usually in phrase porī vācā polite speech D i.4, 114; S i.189; ii.280=A ii.51; A iii.114; Pug 57; Dhs 1344; DA i.75, 282; DhsA 397. Cp. BSk. paurī vācā MVastu iii.322. Porisa2 (nt.) [abstr. fr. purisa, *pauruṣyaŋ, cp. porisiya and poroseyya] 1. business, doing of a man (or servant, cp. purisa 2), service, occupation; human doing, activity M i.85 (rāja˚); Vv 6311 (=purisa -- kicca VvA 263); Pv iv.324 (uṭṭhāna˚=purisa -- viriya, purisa -- kāra PvA 252). -- 2. height of a man M. i.74, 187, 365.(Pali) పౌరము [ pauramu ] pauramu. [Skt. from పుర.] adj. Belonging to a city or town (పురము.) పౌరసతులు the ladies of the place: citizens' wives. పౌరలోకము paura-lōkamu. n. The townsfolk, a body of citizens. పౌరుడు pauruḍu. n. A citizen. పౌరులు citizens, townsfolk.(Telugu) वृषः 1 A bull; असंपदस्तस्य वृषेण गच्छतः Ku.5.8; Me.54; R.2.35; Ms.9.123. -2 The sign Taurus of the zodiac. -3 The chief or best of a class, the best of its kind; (often at the end of comp.); मुनिवृषः, कपिवृषः &c.  -उत्सर्गः setting free a bull on the occasion of a funeral rite, or as a religious act generally; एकादशाहे प्रेतस्य यस्य चोत्सृज्यते वृषः । प्रेतलोकं परित्यज्य स्वर्गलोकं च गच्छति (Samskritam. Apte)  वृषोत्सर्ग [p=1012,2] m. letting loose a bull (or accord. to some , a bull and four heifers , as a work of merit esp. on the occasion of a श्राद्ध in honour of deceased ancestors) Gr2S. Pan5cat. RTL. 319 (Monier-Williams. Samskritam) "The letting loose of a bull (vRshotsarga) stamped with Siva's trident -- in cities like Benares and Gaya is fraught with the highest merit. This setting free of a bull to roam about at will often takes place at zrAddhas." (Monier Monier-Williams, 1891, Brahmanism and Hinduism: or religious thought and life in Asia, Macmillan, p.319). In Hindu tradition, GRhyasUtra prescribe procedures for vRshotsarga. "It is note-worthy that the details of the ceremony of setting a bull at liberty viz. the 'Vrshotsarga' in the Grhya-Sutras viz. S & P, in which it is described are almost identical (mutual borrowing or a common source are possibilities).   On the Karttika full-moon day or on the day of the Asvayuja month falling under the Nakshtra RevatI, the fire is made to blaze in the midst of cows and Ajya oblations are sacrificed with ap­ propriate Mantras. Then he sacrifices from the Sthalipaka be­ longing to Pushan with an invocation to Pushan.   Then he selects a bull of one, two or three colours or a red bull or one that leads the herd or is loved by the herd, perfect in all limbs and the finest in the herd, mumuring the Rudra-hymns. Then that bull is adorned, as also four of the finest young cows of the herd and then he says "This young bull, I give you as your husband; sporting with him, your lover, walk about etc." When  the  bull  is  in  the  midst of  the  cows,  he  recites over them the Rig-Verses X, 169.   With the milk of all those cows he should cook milk-rice and feed the Brahmins with it.   In the opinion of some (P) an animal is sacrificed in this rite, in which case the ritual is the same as that of the *sula-gava*." http://dli.gov.in/rawdataupload/upload/0113/986/RTF/00000141.rtf  Hieroglyph: black drongo: పోలడు pōlaḍu rebus: पोलाद [ pōlāda ] n ( or P) Steel. पोलादी a Of steel. (Marathi) bulad 'steel, flint and steel for making fire' (Amharic); fUlAd 'steel' (Arabic)  Hieroglyph: eagle పోలడు [ pōlaḍu ] , పోలిగాడు or దూడలపోలడు pōlaḍu. [Tel.] n. An eagle. పసులపోలిగాడు the bird called the Black Drongo. Dicrurus ater. (F.B.I.)(Telugu) పసి (p. 730) pasi pasi. [from Skt. పశువు.] n. Cattle. పశుసమూహము, గోగణము. The smell of cattle, పశ్వాదులమీదిగాలి, వాసన. పసిపట్టు pasi-paṭṭu. To scent or follow by the nose, as a dog does a fox. పసిగొను to trace out or smell out. వాసనపట్టు. మొసలి కుక్కను పసిపట్టి when the crocodile scented the dog. పసులు pasulu. n. plu. Cattle, గోవులు. పసిగాపు pasi-gāpu. n. A herdsman, గోపకుడు పసితిండి pasi-tinḍi. n. A tiger, పెద్దపులి. పసులపోలిగాడు pasula-pōli-gāḍu. n. The Black Drongo or King crow, Dicrurusater. (F.B.I.) ఏట్రింత. Also, the Adjutant. తోకపసులపోలిగాడు the Raquet-tailed Drongo shrike. Jerdon. No. 55. 56. 59. కొండ పనులపోలిగాడు the White bellied Drongo, Dicrurus coerulescens. వెంటికపనుల పోలిగాడు the Hair-crested Drongo, Chibia hottentotta. టెంకిపనుల పోలిగాడు the larger Racket-tailed Drongo, Dissemurus paradiseus (F.B.I.) పసులవాడు pasula-vāḍu. n. A herdsman, గొల్లవాడు.  "With short legs, they sit upright on thorny bushes, bare perches or electricity wires. They may also perch on grazing animals."(Whistler, Hugh (1949). Popular handbook of Indian birds (4th ed.). Gurney and Jackson, London. pp. 155–157.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_drongo Rebus: Bolad (alternatively spelled Pulad, Pulat, Polat, or Polad in Persian and Turkic languages) is common given name among the Inner Asian peoples. The meaning of the word Bolad is "steel". In Khalkha Mongolian form of the word is Bold. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolad_(given_name) A Black drongo in Rajasthan state, northern India https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_drongo Rebus: पोळ [ pōḷa ] 'magnetite', ferrous-ferric oxide Fe3O4 (Asuri) Rebus: cattle festival: पोळ (p. 305) pōḷa m A bull dedicated to the gods, marked with a trident and discus, and set at large. पोळा [ pōḷā ] m (पोळ) A festive day for cattle,--the day of new moon of श्रावण or of भाद्रपद. Bullocks are exempted from labor; variously daubed and decorated; and paraded about in worship. (Marathi) "Pola is a bull-worshipping festival celebrated by farmers mainly in the Indian state of Maharashtra (especially among the Kunbis). On the day of Pola, the farmers decorate and worship their bulls. Pola falls on the day of the Pithori Amavasya (the new moon day) in the month of Shravana (usually in August)." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pola_(festival) Festival held on the day after Sankranti ( = kANum) is called pōlāla paNDaga (Telugu). होळा (p. 526) hōḷā m (Intens. of होळी) A huge blazing and roaring fire.  होळी (p. 527) hōḷī f (होलिका S) The name of a Rákshasí to whom this festival is addressed. 2 The pile (of wood, grass &c.) arranged to be kindled at the close of the festival of the होळी. 2 The festival of the होळी, or the season of it. It is held at the approach of the vernal equinox. It is comprehended within the first day (or the fifth day) and the day of full moon of the month Phálgun. The term is applied also to the day of full moon of Phálgun, and to that of the month Mágh. 3 Applied to the tree or stick which is planted or fixed in the centre of the pile. होळी करणें To burn the होळी,--to kindle the pile and close the festival. hōlā f. ʻ spring festival ʼ MW., hōlākā -- f. Rājat., hōlī- f. W. Pk. hōliyā -- f. ʻ spring festival ʼ, K. hūli f., S. horī f., P. horī, hollī f., Ku. holī, N. holi, hori (← Mth.), A. hâlī, B. holi, Or. huḷi, Bi. holī; OAw. horī ʻ pile of wood for burning at the spring festival ʼ; H. holī, horī f. ʻ the festival ʼ, G. M. hoḷī f. (CDIAL 14182) Toy animals made for the Pola festival especially celebrated by the Dhanoje Kunbis. (Bemrose, Colo. Derby - Russell, Robert Vane (1916). The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India: volume IV. Descriptive articles on the principal castes and tribes of the Central Provinces. London: Macmillan and Co., limited. p. 40). Oxen pulled Bronze chariot found at Daimabad in Maharshtra chandrashekharasandprints.wordpress.com Daimabad bronze chariot. c. 1500 BCE. 22X52X17.5 cm. "Magnetite is a mineral, ferrous-ferric oxide, one of the three common naturally occurring iron oxides (chemical formula Fe3O4) and a member of the spinel group. Magnetite is the most magnetic of all the naturally occurring minerals on Earth.[Harrison, R. J.; Dunin-Borkowski, RE; Putnis, A (2002). "Direct imaging of nanoscale magnetic interactions in minerals". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 99 (26): 16556–16561] Naturally magnetized pieces of magnetite, called lodestone, will attract small pieces of iron, and this was how ancient people first noticed the property of magnetism...Magnetite reacts with oxygen to produce hematite, and the mineral pair forms a buffer that can control oxygen fugacity."  "Magnetite is a mineral, one of the three common naturally occurring iron oxides (chemical formula Fe3O4) and a member of the spinel group. Magnetite is the most magnetic of all the naturally occurring minerals on Earth.[ Harrison, R. J.; Dunin-Borkowski, RE; Putnis, A (2002). "Direct imaging of nanoscale magnetic interactions in minerals". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 99 (26): 16556–16561. ] Naturally magnetized pieces of magnetite, called lodestone, will attract small pieces of iron, and this was how ancient people first noticed the property of magnetism."  http://www.pnas.org/content/99/26/16556.full.pdf loc.cit. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetite Magnetite and pyrite from Piedmont, Italy  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetite Magnetite is a common mineral, an important ore of iron, ferromagnetic, that is, it is a natural magnet strongly attracted to magnetic fields. Heavily striated crystals with growth layers come from Parachinar, Pakistan. http://www.minerals.net/mineral/magnetite.aspx "The process by which lodestone is created has long been an open question in geology. Only a small amount of the magnetite on Earth is found magnetized as lodestone. Ordinary magnetite is attracted to a magnetic field like iron and steel is, but does not tend to become magnetized itself; it has too low a magnetic coercivity (resistance to demagnetization) to stay magnetized for long...The leading theory suggests that lodestones are magnetized by the strong magnetic fields surrounding lightning bolts." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lodestone See: http://www.phy6.org/earthmag/lodeston.htm [quote]   Magnetite, a ferrimagnetic mineral with chemical formula Fe3O4, one of several iron oxides, is one of the more common meteor-wrongs. Magnetite displays a black exterior and magnetic properties.   magnetite Magnetite can be a found in a meteorite's crust. When a meteor enters the earth's atmosphere the rock's surface is ablated by ultra high temperatures. Before it hits the ground, the molten surface solidifies into a thin glassy coating, called fusion crust. Crystals of magnetite color the thin fusion crust black. (Magnetite streaks black - see photo below)   lodestone A piece of intensely magnetic magnetite was used as an early form of magnetic compass. Iron, steel and ordinary magnetite are attracted to a magnetic field, including the Earth's magnetic field. Only magnetite with a particular crystalline structure, lodestone, can act as a natural magnet and attract and magnetize iron. The name "magnet" comes from lodestones found in a place called Magnesia. [unquote] http://meteorite-identification.com/Hot%20Rocks/magnetite.html Ancient Blacksmiths: ukku pola (steel from magnetite)? Magnetite var. lodestone 5.0x4.5x3.5cm With nails and metal dust attached to it. Superb, mirror-like crystals of lustrous Magnetite covering one side of block of matrix. These Magnetite crystals are exceptionally sharp and well formed. 5 x 4 x 2 cm.A tool to use the magnetic qualities of iron is a lodestone (which is a natural magnetic iron oxide mineral). Such a tool could have enabled ancient blacksmiths to identify and distinguish a type if iron ore called ‘magnetite’ called in Meluhha: pola (which yields the Russian bulat steel) made from Latin wootz (Meluhha ukku)."In the Muslim world of the 9th-12th centuries CE, the production of fuladh, a Persian word, has been described by Al-Kindi, Al-Biruni and Al-Tarsusi, from narm-ahanand shaburqan, two other Persian words representing iron products obtained by direct reduction of the ore. Ahan means iron. Narm-ahan is a soft iron and shaburqan a harder one or able to be quench-hardened. Old nails and horse-shoes were also used as base for fuladh preparation. It must be noticed that, according to Hammer- Purgstall, there was no Arab word for steel, which explain the use of Persian words. Fuladh prepared by melting in small crucibles can be considered as a steel in our modem classification, due to its properties (hardness, quench hardened ability, etc.). The word fuladh means "the purified" as explained by Al-Kindi. This word can be found as puladh, for instance in Chardin (1711 AD) who called this product; poulad jauherder, acier onde, which means "watering steel", a characteristic of what was called Damascene steel in Europe." http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2014/02/identity-of-ancient-meluhha-blacksmiths.html Known to ancient Greeks, magnetite was so-called because it was found in the lands of the Magnetes (Magnesia) in Thessaly. Ancient Indians (Bharatam Janam) called it पोळ  [pōḷa] which gave the root for the famed crucible wootz steel called पोलाद [pōlāda] n ( or P) पोलादी 'steel'. पोलाद [ pōlāda ] n ( or P) Steel. पोलादी a Of steel. (Marathi) bulad 'steel, flint and steel for making fire' (Amharic); fUlAd 'steel' (Arabic)  The Marathi gloss pōlāda may be formed with pōḷa+hlād = magnetite ore + rejoice. [HLĀD ʻ rejoice ʼ: āhlādayati,āhlādayati ʻ refreshes, gladdens ʼ MBh. [āhlāda -- m. ʻ joy ʼ, Pk. alhāya -- m.: √hlād] H. āhlānā, aihl°, alhānā intr. ʻ to rejoice ʼ.(CDIAL 1549) प्रह्रा prahrā (ह्ला hlā) दः dḥ प्रह्रा (ह्ला) दः 1 Great joy, pleasure, delight, happi- ness. प्रह्रा (ह्ला) दन a. Gladdening, delighting; प्रह्लादनं ज्योतिरजन्यनेन R.13.4.  अग्निः agniḥ -प्रस्तरः [अग्निं प्रस्तृणाति अग्नेः प्रस्तरो वा] a flint, a stone producing fire.] pola ‘magnetite ore’ (Munda. Asuri) See: http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2014/02/ancient-blacksmiths.html  Three mineral ores: pola (magnetite), gota (laterite), bichi (hematite) -- all three Meluhha glosses -- are three varieties of minerals with sources for alloying metals. The importance of bichi (hematite) as a hieroglyph has been detailed.  See: http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2014/09/catalogs-of-pola-kuntha-gota-bichi.html   Catalogs of pola, kuṇṭha, goṭa, bichi native metalwork in Meluhha Indus script hieroglyphs  See: http://tinyurl.com/p3n28lf Hieroglyph: baṭa 'quail'; bhaṭa 'furnace' (G.); baṭa 'a kind of iron' (Gujarati.) Alternative: Hieroglyph: black drongo: పోలడు pōlaḍu rebus: पोलाद [ pōlāda ] n ( or P) Steel. पोलादी a Of steel. (Marathi) bulad 'steel, flint and steel for making fire' (Amharic); fUlAd 'steel' (Arabic) Slip painted cylindrical jar, Kulli. The earliest animal figurines from Harappa are Early Harappan (Ravi Phase, Period 1 and Kot Diji Phase, Period 2) zebu figurines. They are typically very small with joined legs and stylized humps. A few of these zebu figurines have holes through the humps that may have allowed them to be worn as amulets on a cord or a string. One Early Harappan zebu figurine was found with the remains of a copper alloy ring still in this hole. Approximate dimensions (W x H (L) x D) of the uppermost figurine: 1.2 x 3.3 x 2.8 cm. https://www.harappa.com/figurines/32.html  "Slide 34. Zebu figurine with painted designs from Harappa. Other animal and sometimes anthropomorphic figurines are decorated with black stripes and other patterns, and features such as eyes are also sometimes rendered in pigment. Figurines of cattle with and without humps are found at Indus sites, possibly indicating that multiple breeds of cattle were in use. Approximate dimensions (W x H(L) x D): 3.9 x 8.5 x 5.5 cm. (Photograph by Richard H. Meadow)."http://www.harappa.com/figurines/34.html After Figure 1. Major domestic cattle species: (a) Spanish Tudanca taurine and (b) Pullikulam zebu bull (photographs by Marleen Felius and Anno Fokkinga, 2008, 2005). After Fig. 7 Pictorial evidence of the origin and dispersal of zebu. (a) Harappa seal (National Museum, India, [70]), 5000–3500 BP; (b) detail of cylindrical chlorite vessel (Mesopotamia (mid-5th millennium BP, The British Museum, London); (c) detail of conic object from Tarut Island near the Eastern coast of the Arabian peninsula (Metropolitan Museum, NY) and (d) detail of a painting: inspection of cattle belonging to Nebamun, Thebes,ca. 3400 BP, The British Museum, London). http://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/6/4/705/htm Marleen Felius et al, 2014, On the history of cattle genetic resources, Diversity 2014, 6(4), 705-750 "Around 2000 years after the taurine domestication, zebu was domesticated in the Indus Valley at the edge of the Indian Desert. Fossil remains attributed to zebu have been found in Mehrgarh, a proto-Indus culture site in Baluchistan in southwest Pakistan and were dated at 8000 BP." "Bull seal, Harappa. The majestic zebu bull, with its heavy dewlap and wide curving horns is perhaps the most impressive motif found on the Indus seals. Generally carved on large seals with relatively short inscriptions, the zebu motif is found almost exclusively at the largest cities of Mohenjo-daro and Harappa. The rarity of zebu seals is curious because the humped bull is a recurring theme in many of the ritual and decorative arts of the Indus region, appearing on painted pottery and as figurines long before the rise of cities and continuing on into later historical times. The zebu bull may symbolize the leader of the herd, whose strength and virility protects the herd and ensures the procreation of the species or it stands for a sacrificial animal. When carved in stone, the zebu bull probably represents the most powerful clan or top officials of Mohenjo-daro and Harappa. Harappa Archaeological Research Project."http://www.harappa.com/indus/27.html "Slide 68. Wheeled zebu figurine from Harappa. A small subset of the figurines from Harappa originally had wheels. Of the many small terracotta wheels found at Harappa, at least some must have been intended for these wheeled objects. One style of wheeled figurine has lateral holes for the axles through the bottom of the torso. Approximate dimensions (W x H(L) x D): 5.9 x 6.2 x 8.7 cm. (Photograph by Richard H. Meadow)." http://www.harappa.com/figurines/68.html I suggest that the birds signified on the following two storage pots of Nausharo signify black drango birds. The characteristic feature of the characteristic outward-curving rectrices (feathers on the tail), the black drango is also called fork-tailed drongo. The Meluhha word for a black drango is pōlaḍu. The word is a phonetic reinforcing deterinant of the Meluhha word which signifies a zebu. The signifier Meluhha word for a zebu is: पोळ pōḷa.  Thus, both the hieroglyphs -- black drogon and zebu-- signify the word pōḷa read rebus: pōḷa 'magnetite, ferrite ore'. Large painted storage jar discovered in burned rooms at Nausharo, ca. 2600 to 2500 BCE. Cf. Fig. 2.18, J.M. Kenoyer, 1998, Cat. No. 8. http://www.guimet.fr/La-mission-archeologique-de-l,636  loc. cit. http://www.waa.ox.ac.uk/XDB/tours/indus6.asp  https://www.academia.edu/14548989/Bhirrana_to_Mehrgarh_and_beyond_in_the_civilization_contact_areas_from_8th_millennium_BCE Ceramic from Nausharo showing transition from Early to Mature Phase of Sarasvati Civilization (Image after Jarrige, J.F., 1989, Excavations at Nausharo 1987-88. Pakistan Archaeology 24: 21-67.) https://www.pinterest.com/pin/391531761327553771/ Leopards weight from Shahi-Tump (Baluchistan) made using cire perdue technique.  "The artefact was discovered in a grave, in the Kech valley, in Balochistan, southern part of present Pakistan. It belongs to the Shahi Tump - Makran civilisation (end of 4th millennium -- beginning of 3rd millennium BCe). Ht. 200 mm. weight: 13.5 kg. The shell has been manufactured by lost-wax foundry of a copper alloy (12.6%b, 2.6%As), then it has been filled up through lead (99.5%) foundry. The shell is engraved with figures of leopards hunting wild goats, made of polished fragments of shellfishes. No identification of the artefact's use has been given. (Scientific team: B. Mille, D. Bourgarit, R. Besenval, Musee Guimet, Paris)."  Mille, B., R. besenval, D. Bourgarit, Early lost-wax casting in Balochistan (Pakistan): the 'Leopards Weight' from Shahi-Tump in Persiens antike Pracht, Bergau-Handwerk-Archaologie, T. Stollner, R. Slotta, A. Vatandoust, A. ed., p. 274-80. Bouchum: Deutsches Bergbau Museum, 2004.  Mille B., D. Bourgarit, R. Besenval, 2005, Metallurgical study of the 'Leopards Weight' from Shahi-Tump (Pakistan) in South Asian Archaeology 2001, C. Jarrige, V. Lefevre, ed., p. 237-244. Paris: Editions Recherches sur les Civilisations, 2005. Bourgarit, D., N. Taher, B. Mille & J.-P. Mohen Copper Metallurgy in the Kutch (India) during the Indus Civilization: First Results from Dholavira in South Asian Archaeology 2001, C. Jarrige, V. Lefevre, ed., p. 27-34. Paris: Editions Recherches sur les Civilisations, 2005. Hieroglyph: leopard: kolha Rebus: kolhe 'smelter'. kul ‘tiger’ (Santali); kōlu id. (Te.) kōlupuli = Bengal tiger (Te.)Pk. kolhuya -- , kulha — m. ʻ jackal ʼ < *kōḍhu -- ; H.kolhā, °lā m. ʻ jackal ʼ, adj. ʻ crafty ʼ; G. kohlũ, °lũ n. ʻ jackal ʼ, M. kolhā, °lā m. krōṣṭŕ̊ ʻ crying ʼ BhP., m. ʻ jackal ʼ RV. = krṓṣṭu — m. Pāṇ. [√kruś] Pa. koṭṭhu -- , °uka — and kotthu -- , °uka — m. ʻ jackal ʼ, Pk. koṭṭhu — m.; Si. koṭa ʻ jackal ʼ, koṭiya ʻ leopard ʼ GS 42 (CDIAL 3615). कोल्हा [ kōlhā ] कोल्हें [ kōlhēṃ ] A jackal (Marathi) Rebus: kol ‘furnace, forge’ (Kuwi) kol ‘alloy of five metals, pañcaloha’ (Ta.)  Hieroglyph: kāṇḍa'water' Rebus: khāṇḍā'metalware, pots and pans, tools'  Hieroglyph: dhanga 'mountain range' Rebus: dhangar 'blacksmith' adar ḍangra ‘zebu or humped bull’; ḍangar ‘bull’ Rebus: adar ḍhangar 'native metal-smith'. Rebus: ḍangar ‘blacksmith’; aduru native metal (Kannada). Tu. ajirda karba very hard iron (DEDR 192). aduru =gaṇiyinda tegadu karagade iruva aduru = ore taken from the mine and not subjected to melting in a furnace (Ka. Siddhānti Subrahmaṇya śastri’s New interpretation of the Amarakośa, Bangalore, Vicaradarpana Press, 1872, p. 330) aduru ‘native metal’ (Kannada); ḍhangar ‘blacksmith’ (Hindi) Hieroglyph: nAga 'snake' Rebus; nAga 'lead' Hieroglyph: kolmo 'rice plant' Rebus: kolimi 'smithy, forge' Hieroglyph: kola ‘woman’ kuṛī f. ʻ girl’ Rebus: kol ‘working in iron’ Hieroglyph: poLa 'zebu' Rebus: poLa 'magnetite' dula 'pair' Rebus: dul 'cast metal' Hieroglyph: bichi 'scorpion' Rebus: bica 'sand stone ore';  meṛed-bica 'iron stone-ore' (Santali. Munda) Hieroglyph:  OP. koṭhārī f. ʻ crucible' Rebus: kuṭhārī 'granary, room' (Hindi) Hieroglyph: meDha 'polar star' Rebus: meD 'iron' (Ho. Munda) Indo-Europeans domesticated the cow, the bull and the horse. Root? gu̯au/-gu̯ou-: Sanskrit go-, Avestan gāu-, Tocharian keu /ko, Armenian kov, Lithuanian gùovs, German Kuh, Irish bó, all for 'cow', Albanian ka/kau, Greek βοῦς, 'ox, cow', Latin bōs, bovis, Croatian and Serbian vo, 'ox'. See discussions at http://new-indology.blogspot.in/ Lapis lazuli stamp seal. Behind the man, drummer, are a stream, a long-horned, bearded goat above a zebu. Mountain range with a line of over 15 notches and a circle on top register.  Bronze Age, about 2400-2000 BCE From the ancient Near East  British Museum. Height: 3.100 cm Thickness: 2.500 cm Width: 4.000 cm ME 1992-10-7,1 Room 52: Ancient Iran This stamp seal was originally almost square, but because of damage one corner is missing. Originally two figures faced each other. The one on the left has largely disappeared. On the right is a man with his legs folded beneath him. It is suggested that at the top are rain clouds and rain or a fenced enclosure. Behind the man are a long-horned goat above a zebu. This last animal is related in style to similar creatures depicted on seals from the Indus Valley civilization, which was thriving at this time. There were close connections between the Indus Valley civilization and eastern Iran. One of the prized materials that was traded across the region was lapis lazuli, the blue stone from which this seal is made. The Sar-i Sang mines in the region of Badakhshan in north-east Afghanistan were probably the source for all lapis lazuli used in the ancient Near East. From here it was carried across Iran, where several lapis working sites have been discovered, and on to Mesopotamia and Egypt. Another source for lapis lazuli exists in southern Pakistan (a region of the Indus Valley civilization) but it is unclear if they were mined at the time of this seal. D. Collon, 'Lapis lazuli from the east: a stamp seal in the British Museum', Ancient Civilizations from Scy, 5/1 (1998), pp. 31-39 http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/me/l/lapis_lazuli_stamp_seal.aspx See: http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2014/09/catalogs-of-pola-kuntha-gota-bichi.html The hieroglyph: mountain-range signifies: ḍāṅro 'blacksmith' (Nepali)(CDIAL 5524) dhangar, 'blacksmith' (Hindi) Or. dhāṅgaṛ ʻ young servant, herdsman, name of a Santal tribe ʼ, dhāṅgaṛā ʻ unmarried youth ʼ, °ṛī ʻ unmarried girl ʼ, dhāṅgarā ʻ youth, man ʼ; H. dhaṅgar m. ʻ herdsman ʼ, dhã̄gaṛ, °ar m. ʻ a non-- Aryan tribe in the Vindhyas, digger of wells and tanks ʼ (CDIAL 5524) S. ṭakuru m. ʻ mountain ʼ, ṭakirī f. ʻ hillock ʼ, ṭākara f. ʻ low hill ʼ, ṭākirū m. ʻ mountaineer ʼ; N. ṭākuro, °ri ʻ hill top ʼ K. ḍȧki f. ʻ hill, rising ground ʼ. -- Ext. -- r -- : K. ḍakürü f. ʻ hill on a road ʼ.  Ext. -- r -- : Pk. ḍaggara -- m. ʻ upper terrace of a house ʼ; M. ḍagar f. ʻ little hill, slope ʼ. Ku. ḍã̄g, ḍã̄k ʻ stony land ʼ; B. ḍāṅ ʻ heap ʼ, ḍāṅgā ʻ hill, dry upland ʼ; H. ḍã̄g f. ʻ mountain -- ridge ʼ; M. ḍã̄g m.n., ḍã̄gaṇ, °gāṇ, ḍãgāṇ n. ʻ hill -- tract ʼ. -- Ext. -- r -- : N. ḍaṅgur ʻ heap ʼ. M. ḍũg m. ʻ hill, pile ʼ, °gā m. ʻ eminence ʼ, °gī f. ʻ heap ʼ. -- Ext. -- r -- : Pk. ḍuṁgara -- m. ʻ mountain ʼ; Ku. ḍũgar, ḍũgrī; N. ḍuṅgar ʻ heap ʼ; Or. ḍuṅguri ʻ hillock ʼ, H. ḍū̃gar m., G. ḍũgar m., ḍũgrī f. S. ḍ̠ū̃garu m. ʻ hill ʼ, H. M. ḍõgar m. Pa. tuṅga -- ʻ high ʼ; Pk. tuṁga -- ʻ high ʼ, tuṁgĭ̄ya -- m. ʻ mountain ʼ; K. tŏng, tọ̆ngu m. ʻ peak ʼ, P. tuṅg f.; A. tuṅg ʻ importance ʼ; Si. tun̆gu ʻ lofty, mountain ʼ. -- Cf. uttuṅga -- ʻ lofty ʼ MBh. K. thọ̆ngu m. ʻ peak ʼ. H. dã̄g f. ʻ hill, precipice ʼ, dã̄gī ʻ belonging to hill country ʼ. S.kcch. ḍūṅghar m. ʻ hillock ʼ.(CDIAL 5423) Rebus:  Mth. ṭhākur ʻ blacksmith ʼ; N. ḍāṅro ʻ term of contempt for a blacksmith ʼ(Nepali)(CDIAL 5524) ṭhakkura m. ʻ idol, deity (cf. ḍhakkārī -- ), ʼ lex., ʻ title ʼ Rājat. [Dis- cussion with lit. by W. Wüst RM 3, 13 ff. Prob. orig. a tribal name EWA i 459, which Wüst considers nonAryan borrowing of śākvará -- : very doubtful] Pk. ṭhakkura -- m. ʻ Rajput, chief man of a village ʼ; Kho. (Lor.) takur ʻ barber ʼ (= ṭ° ← Ind.?), Sh. ṭhăkŭr m.; K. ṭhôkur m. ʻ idol ʼ ( ← Ind.?); S. ṭhakuru m. ʻ fakir, term of address between fathers of a husband and wife ʼ; P. ṭhākar m. ʻ landholder ʼ, ludh. ṭhaukar m. ʻ lord ʼ; Ku. ṭhākur m. ʻ master, title of a Rajput ʼ; N. ṭhākur ʻ term of address from slave to master ʼ (f. ṭhakurāni), ṭhakuri ʻ a clan of Chetris ʼ (f. ṭhakurni); A. ṭhākur ʻ a Brahman ʼ, ṭhākurānī ʻ goddess ʼ; B. ṭhākurāni, ṭhākrān, °run ʻ honoured lady, goddess ʼ; Or. ṭhākura ʻ term of address to a Brahman, god, idol ʼ, ṭhākurāṇī ʻ goddess ʼ; Bi. ṭhākur ʻ barber ʼ; Mth. ṭhākur ʻ blacksmith ʼ; Bhoj. Aw.lakh. ṭhākur ʻ lord, master ʼ; H. ṭhākur m. ʻ master, landlord, god, idol ʼ, ṭhākurāin, ṭhā̆kurānī f. ʻ mistress, goddess ʼ; G. ṭhākor, °kar m. ʻ member of a clan of Rajputs ʼ, ṭhakrāṇī f. ʻ his wife ʼ, ṭhākor ʻ god, idol ʼ; M. ṭhākur m. ʻ jungle tribe in North Konkan, family priest, god, idol ʼ; Si. mald. "tacourou"ʻ title added to names of noblemen ʼ (HJ 915) prob. ← Ind. Garh. ṭhākur ʻ master ʼ; A. ṭhākur also ʻ idol ʼ (CDIAL 5488) Two hieroglyphs on the lapis-lazuli stamp seal are: zebu and markhor. Hieroglyph: poLa 'zebu' Rebus: poLa 'magnetite' Hieroglyph: miṇḍāˊl ʻ markhor ʼ Rebus: meD 'iron' (Ho.Munda) Hieroglyph: Bi. mẽṛhwā ʻ a bullock with curved horns like a ram's ʼ; M. mẽḍhrū̃ n. ʻ sheep ʼ.(CDIAL 10311) mēṇḍha2 m. ʻ ram ʼ, °aka -- , mēṇḍa -- 4, miṇḍha -- 2, °aka -- , mēṭha -- 2,mēṇḍhra -- , mēḍhra -- 2, °aka -- m. lex. 2. *mēṇṭha- (mēṭha -- m. lex.). 3. *mējjha -- . [r-- forms (which are not attested in NIA.) are due to further sanskritization of a loan -- word prob. of Austro -- as. origin (EWA ii 682 with lit.) and perh. related to the group s.v. bhēḍra -- ] Pa. meṇḍa -- m. ʻ ram ʼ, °aka -- ʻ made of a ram's horn (e.g. a bow) ʼ; Pk. meḍḍha -- ,meṁḍha -- (°ḍhī -- f.), °ṁḍa -- , miṁḍha -- (°dhiā -- f.), °aga -- m. ʻ ram ʼ, Dm. Gaw. miṇKal.rumb. amŕn/aŕə ʻ sheep ʼ (a -- ?); Bshk. mināˊl ʻ ram ʼ; Tor. miṇḍ ʻ ram ʼ, miṇḍāˊl ʻ markhor ʼ; Chil. mindh*ll ʻ ram ʼ AO xviii 244 (dh!), Sv. yēṛo -- miṇ; Phal. miṇḍ, miṇ ʻ ram ʼ,miṇḍṓl m. ʻ yearling lamb, gimmer ʼ; P. mẽḍhā m., °ḍhī f., ludh. mīḍḍhā, mī˜ḍhā m.; N. meṛho,meṛo ʻ ram for sacrifice ʼ; A. mersāg ʻ ram ʼ ( -- sāg < *chāgya -- ?), B. meṛā m., °ṛi f., Or.meṇḍhā, °ḍā m., °ḍhi f.,H. meṛh, meṛhā, mẽḍhā m., G. mẽḍhɔ, M. mẽḍhā m., Si. mäḍayā.2. Pk. meṁṭhī -- f. ʻ sheep ʼ; H. meṭhā m. ʻ ram ʼ.3. H. mejhukā m. ʻ ram ʼ.(CDIAL 10310) <menDa>(A) {N} ``^sheep''. *Des.<meNDa>(GM) `sheep'. #21810<meD>(:)  <arij=meD>(Z),,<ari?=me?n>(A)  {N} ``^female ^kid''.  ^goat.  #3022.<kin=meD>(Z)  {N} ``^male ^goat, billy goat''.  |<kin> `prefix used in names of male animals'.  #17072. <auG kinme?n>(A)  {N} ``^nanny ^goat''.  |<auG> `mother'.  #3729.(Gorum) I suggest an alternative possibility that the gloss 'med' is an adaptation of the Meluhhan gloss vividly identified in Munda languages. meḍ ‘body’ Rebus: meḍ ‘iron’ (Ho.)   Santali glosses: Wilhelm von Hevesy wrote about the Finno-Ugric-Munda kinship, like "Munda-Magyar-Maori, an Indian link between the antipodes new tracks of Hungarian origins" and "Finnisch-Ugrisches aus Indien". (DRIEM, George van: Languages of the Himalayas: an ethnolinguistic handbook. 1997. p.161-162.) Sumerian-Ural-Altaic language affinities have been noted. Given the presence of Meluhha settlements in Sumer, some Meluhha glosses might have been adapted in these languages. One etyma cluster refers to 'iron' exemplified by meD (Ho.). The alternative suggestion for the origin of the gloss med 'copper' in Uralic languages may be explained by the word meD (Ho.) of Munda family of Meluhha language stream: Sa. <i>mE~R~hE~'d</i> `iron'.  ! <i>mE~RhE~d</i>(M). Ma. <i>mErhE'd</i> `iron'. Mu. <i>mERE'd</i> `iron'.   ~ <i>mE~R~E~'d</i> `iron'.  ! <i>mENhEd</i>(M). Ho <i>meD</i> `iron'. Bj. <i>merhd</i>(Hunter) `iron'. KW <i>mENhEd</i> @(V168,M080) http://www.ling.hawaii.edu/austroasiatic/AA/Munda/ETYM/Pinnow&Munda — Slavic glosses for 'copper' Мед [Med]Bulgarian Bakar Bosnian Медзь [medz']Belarusian Měď Czech Bakar Croatian KòperKashubian Бакар [Bakar]Macedonian Miedź Polish Медь [Med']Russian Meď Slovak BakerSlovenian Бакар [Bakar]Serbian Мідь [mid'] Ukrainian[unquote] http://www.vanderkrogt.net/elements/element.php?sym=Cu  Miedź, med' (Northern Slavic, Altaic) 'copper'.   One suggestion is that corruptions from the German "Schmied", "Geschmeide" = jewelry. Schmied, a smith (of tin, gold, silver, or other metal)(German) result in med ‘copper’.  In this hieroglyph multiplex on the lapis-lazuli stamp seal, there are three hieroglyph components: 1. roundish ball; 2. notches (over 15 short strokes down a line); 3. mountain range. Kur. goṭā any seed which forms inside a fruit or shell. Malt. goṭa a seed or berry(DEDR 069) N. goṭo ʻ piece ʼ, goṭi ʻ chess piece ʼ; A. goṭ ʻ a fruit, whole piece ʼ, °ṭā ʻ globular, solid ʼ, guṭi ʻ small ball, seed, kernel ʼ; B. goṭā ʻ seed, bean, whole ʼ; Or. goṭā ʻ whole, undivided ʼ, M. goṭā m. ʻ roundish stone ʼ (CDIAL 4271) <gOTa>(P)  {ADJ} ``^whole''.  {SX} ``^numeral ^intensive suffix''.  *Kh., Sa., Mu., Ho<goTA>,B.<goTa> `undivided'; Kh.<goThaG>(P), Sa.<goTAG>,~<gOTe'j>, Mu.<goTo>; Sad.<goT>, O., Bh.<goTa>; cf.Ju.<goTo> `piece', O.<goTa> `one'. %11811.  #11721. <goTa>(BD)  {NI} ``the ^whole''.  *@. #10971. (Munda etyma) Rebus: <gota>  {N} ``^stone''.  @3014. #10171. Note: The stone may be gota, laterite mineral ore stone. khoṭ m. ʻbase, alloyʼ (Punjabi) Rebus: koṭe ‘forging (metal)(Mu.) Rebus: goṭī f. ʻlump of silver' (G.) goṭi = silver (G.) koḍ ‘workshop’ (Gujarati). Rebus: P. goṭṭā ʻ gold or silver lace ʼ, H. goṭā m. ʻ edging of such ʼ (→ K. goṭa m. ʻ edging of gold braid ʼ, S. goṭo m. ʻ gold or silver lace ʼ); M. goṭ ʻ hem of a garment, metal wristlet ʼ(CDIAL 4271) Rebus: goṭa 'laterite'. Laterites are rusty soil types with iron oxides rich in iron and aluminium. They are formed in hot and wet tropical areas.  Laterites can be easily cut with a spade into regular-sized blocks. Hieroglyph: dhollu ‘drummer’ (Western Pahari) Rebus: dul  ‘cast metal’.  The 'drummer' hieroglyph thus announces a cast metal.  ḍhōla m. ʻ large drum ʼ Rudray. 2. *ḍhōlla -- . [Only OAw. definitely attests -- l -- ] 1. Gy. pal. daul ʻ drum ʼ, Paš. ḍūl (← Par. ḍuhūl IIFL iii 3, 65), Kho. (Lor.) dol, K. ḍōl m., kash. ḍhōl, L. P. Ku. N. A. B. ḍhol, OAw. ḍhora m., H. ḍhol m. -- Ext. -- kk -- : L. ḍholkī f. ʻ small drum ʼ, Ku. ḍholko, H. ḍholak f.2. Pk. ḍholla -- m., Or. ḍhola, Mth. Bhoj. Aw. lakh. Marw. G. M. ḍhol m.*ḍhōlayati ʻ makes fall ʼ see *ḍhulati. *ḍhōlla -- : S.kcch. ḍholkī f. ʻ small drum ʼ; WPah.kṭg. ḍhōˋl m. ʻ large drum ʼ, ḍhòlki f. ʻ small drum ʼ, ḍhòlkɔ m. ʻ drum ʼ; -- WPah.kṭg. ḍhòllu ʻ drummer ʼ.(CDIAL 5608) A Gold Rhyton with two tigers;  svastika incised on thigh of tiger; found in historical site of Gilanhttp://www.fouman.com/Y/Image/History/Gilan_Gold_Rhyton_Lion.jpg sattu (Tamil), satta, sattva (Kannada) jasth जसथ् ।रपु m. (sg. dat. jastas ज्तस), zinc, spelter; pewter; zasath ् ज़स््थ् ्or zasuth ज़सुथ ्। रप m. (sg. dat. zastas ु ज़्तस),् zinc, spelter, pewter (cf. Hindī jast). jastuvu; । रपू्भवः adj. (f. jastüvü), made of zinc or pewter.(Kashmiri). Hence the hieroglyph: svastika repeated five times. Five svastika are thus read: taṭṭal sattva Rebus: zinc (for) brass (or pewter). *ṭhaṭṭha1 ʻbrassʼ. [Onom. from noise of hammering brass?]N. ṭhaṭṭar ʻ an alloy of copper and bell metal ʼ. *ṭhaṭṭhakāra ʻ brass worker ʼ. 1.Pk. ṭhaṭṭhāra -- m., K. ṭhö̃ṭhur m., S. ṭhã̄ṭhāro m., P. ṭhaṭhiār, °rā m.2. P. ludh. ṭhaṭherā m., Ku. ṭhaṭhero m., N. ṭhaṭero, Bi. ṭhaṭherā, Mth. ṭhaṭheri, H.ṭhaṭherā m.(CDIAL 5491, 5493). The drummer hieroglyph is associated with svastika glyph on this tablet (har609) and also on h182A tablet of Harappa with an identical text. dhollu ‘drummer’ (Western Pahari) Rebus: dul ‘cast metal’. The 'drummer' hieroglyph thus announces a cast metal. The technical specifications of the cast metal are further described by other hieroglyphs on side B and on the text of inscription (the text is repeated on both sides of Harappa tablet 182). kola 'tiger' Rebus: kol 'alloy of five metals, pancaloha' (Tamil). ḍhol ‘drum’ (Gujarati.Marathi)(CDIAL 5608) Rebus: large stone; dul ‘to cast in a mould’. Kanac ‘corner’ Rebus: kancu ‘bronze’. dula 'pair' Rebus: dul 'cast metal'. kanka ‘Rim of jar’ (Santali); karṇaka  rim of jar’(Skt.) Rebus:karṇaka ‘scribe’ (Telugu); gaṇaka id. (Skt.) (Santali) Thus, the tablets denote blacksmith's alloy cast metal accounting including the use of alloying mineral zinc -- satthiya 'svastika' glyph. See: http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2014/12/ancient-near-east-meluhha-metalwork.html Roger Matthews, 2002, Zebu: harbingers of doom in Bronze Age western Asia? in: Antiquity 76 (2002) Number: 292: 438-446 https://www.scribd.com/doc/115702890/Ant-0760438 "The significance of zebu, or humped cattle as potential indicators of episodes of aridification in the Bronze Age of western Asia is explored through study of figurines and faunal remains from Mesopotamia, the Levant and Anatolia." After Fig. 3 in Roger Matthew: Zebu figurines from selected Bronze Age sites of western Asia. 1. Tepe Gawra, Iraq, after Speiser (1935: plate 77.5). 2. Tell Brak. Syria. see also Figure 4.3 Tell Brak, Syria, after McDonald (1997: 279, 20). 4. Tell Brak, Syria, after McDonald (1997: 279:22). 5. Tell Munbaqa, Syria, after Czichon & Werner (1998: Tafel 82: 456). 6. Meskono Emar, Syria, after Beyer (1982: 104, figure 6). 7. Geven Gedigi, Turkey, after Miller (1989: Abb 27:1) After Figs. 1 and 2 in Roger Matthew. Zebu at rest between jobs, rajasthan, India. Zebu hauling a plough, Rajasthan, India. (Photos Mike Wells, 1980, 1982). ""In the Ganges river area of north India large quantities of bones, putatively from Bos indicus, have been recovered from the Mesolithic site of Sarai-Nahar-Rai, dated to around 8000 BCE, and there is a suggestion that some of the bones are from domesticated zebu (Allchin & Allchin 1982: 77). More convincing evidednce comes from sites in Baluchistan, modern Pakistan, with morphologically attested domestication of zebu at the site of Mehrgarh by 6000 BCE, and at Rana Gundai in the 5th-4th millennia BCE." (Roger Matthew, opcit., pp.440-441) This remarkable study by Roger Matthews traces the migrations out of India into the Ancient Near East: “Uncertain early occurrences of zebu depictions in Mesopotamia include a highly dubious figurine from Arpachiyah near Mosul in north Iraq, of 5th-millennium date (Mallowan & Rose 1935: figure 48:14), depictions on seals from Nineveh of about 3000 BC (Zeuner 1963: 239), a clay tablet from Larsa with seal impression showing a zebu (Epstein 1971: 508), and a marble amulet from Ur in the form of a zebu (Hornblower 1927), both the Larsa and Ur items perhaps dating to around 3000 BC. At about the same time, late 4th millennium, representations of zebu are found as figurines and painted pottery motifs at Susa in southwest Iran (Epstein 1971: 508; Zeuner 1963: 239). These often questionable occurrences suggest that zebu may have been familiar beasts to some of the inhabitants of south Mesopotamia by 3000 BC, although their physical presence there has yet to be confirmed by the scant archaeozoological evidence. Significantly, zebu are not so far attested in any form, artistic rendering or faunal remains, in regions to the west or north of Mesopotamia before 2000 BCE. From 2500 BCE onwards there are increasing representations of zebu in the form of figurines and motifs on seals and painted pottery in the material culture of the Indus valley and beyond, at sites such as Mohenjo Daro and Harappa, as well as the Quetta-Pishin valley and the Makran coast of Baluchistan (Epstein & Mason 1984: 15; Zeuner 1963: 236). From here zebu probably reached Oman and the head of the Persian Gulf (Potts 1997: 257), and spread to the world-view of south Mesopotamia by the 3rd millennium BC. A stone bowl sherd, of mid 3rd-millennium date, from Tell Agrab in the Diyala region northeast of Baghdad, shows an impressive zebu bull (Zeuner 1963: 217), and a well-executed sketch of a zebu head and shoulder is preserved on a clay tablet of later 3rd-millennium date from Tell Asmar, also in the Diyala region (Frankfort 1934: figure 18). In Iranian Seistan zebu bones and figurines are attested in great quantities at the site of Shahr-i Sokhta in the period c. 2900-2500 BC (Ports 1997: 255), while later, questionable, examples occur at Anau in Turkmenistan (Pumpelly 1908: plate 47:4). As to north Mesopotamia, a well-shaped and painted example of a zebu bull from level IV at Tepe Gawra (FIGURE 3:1) dates probably to the mid 2nd millennium BC but may be earlier (Speiser 1935: plate 77:5). Also in north Mesopotamia, zebu are attested at Tell Brak in the form of figurines (FIGURES 3:2, 4) and bifurcate vertebrae (FIGURE 5) from levels dating to 1700-1600 BC (Matthews 1995: 98-9), as well as figurines from mid 2nd-millennium levels (McDonald 1997: 131) (FIGURES 3:3-4). Perhaps significantly, zebu are not depicted in the glyptic art of Brak in the 3rd millennium, a rich source of depictions of domesticated and wild animals (Matthews et al. 1994), nor are they depicted on the elaborately painted ceramics of highland Anatolia and the Caucasus of the early 2nd millennium which host depictions of many other animals (Ozfirat 2001). Approximately contemporary with the Brak zebu evidence, at around 1700 BC, is a fine example of a figurine from the nearby site of Chagar Bazar, sporting a painted representation of what may be a harness (Mallowan 1937: figure 10:30). From Beydar, to the northwest of Tell Brak, comes an ivory furniture inlay with zebu in relief, dated to 1400 BC (Bretschneider 2000: 65) and a plain zebu figurine comes from mid 2nd-millennium BC levels at Tall Hamad Aga in north Iraq (Spanos 1988: Abb 18:2). An early 2nd-millennium context at Ishchali in the Diyala region yielded a fine clay plaque depicting a bull zebu ridden by a man who grasps the animal's hump in one hand while inserting his knees under a simple belt around the its waist (Frankfort 1954: plate 59:c). [FIGURES 3-5 OMITTED] A fragmentary zebu figurine comes from late 2nd-millennium levels at Tell Sabi Abyad in northwest Mesopotamia (Akkermans 1993:31, figure 23:85). Large quantities of zebu figurines, varying in their degree of elaboration, have been found in Late Bronze Age deposits at Tell Munbaqa in north Syria (Machule et al. 1986; 1990; Czichon & Werner 1998: Taf 80-5) (FIGURE 3:5). There are also zebu figurines from the Late Bronze Age site of Meskene-Emar on the north Syrian Euphrates not far from Munbaqa (Beyer 1982: 104) (FIGURE 3:6), from mid 2nd-millennium BC period II at Umm el-Marra west of the Syrian Euphrates (Curvers & Schwartz 1997: figure 21) and from level VII of Alalakh in northwest Syria, dated to early/mid 2nd millennium (Woolley 1955: plate 57:a). Cylinder seals of 13th-century BC date from Upper Mesopotamia depict humped cattle pulling ploughs (Wiggermann 2000: figure 7) and there is a zebu pendant of 13th-century BC date from Assur on the Tigris in north-central Iraq (Boehmer 1972: 168, Abb 51). Zebu figurines appear in level 3A of Haradum on the Iraqi Euphrates, dated to the mid 17th century BC (Kepinski-Lecomte 1992: figure 159:6-7). On a Kassite seal from Mesopotamia, dated to c. 1500 BC, zebu are depicted drawing ploughs (Epstein 1971: 515). A study of cattle astragali from archaeological sites of western Asia has detected the gradual development of distinctive cattle breeds throughout the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC, followed by an episode of rapid change at the end of the 2nd millennium, that is at the end of the Late Bronze Age (Buitenhuis 1984: 216). Buitenhuis connects this episode with the large-scale introduction of zebu into western Asia at this time, leading to cross-breeding of taurine and zebu stock (Buitenhuis 1984: 216). As we have seen above, it is possible that zebu had already been introduced to Mesopotamia by the mid 3rd millennium BC, but it seems that their spread into Syria and the Levant did not occur until the mid-later 2nd millennium.” http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Zebu%3a+harbingers+of+doom+in+Bronze+Age+western+Asia%3f-a089075892 Banawali Seal Mohenjo-daro. Seal. steatite 2.8x2.8x1.3 cm Mohenjo-daro Seals m1118 and Kalibangan 032, glyphs used are: Zebu (bos taurus indicus), fish, four-strokes (allograph: arrow).ayo ‘fish’ (Mu.) + kaṇḍa ‘arrow’ (Skt.) ayaskāṇḍa ‘a quantity of iron, excellent  iron’ (Pāṇ.gaṇ) aya = iron (G.); ayah, ayas = metal (Skt.) gaṆḌa, ‘four’ (Santali); Rebus: kaṇḍ ‘fire-altar’, ‘furnace’), arrow read rebus in mleccha (Meluhhan) as a reference to a guild of artisans working with ayaskāṇḍa ‘excellent quantity of iron’ (Pāṇini) is consistent with the primacy of economic activities which resulted in the invention of a writing system, now referred to as Indus Writing. khũṭro = entire bull; khũṭ= bra_hman.i bull (G.) khuṇṭiyo = an uncastrated bull (Kathiawad. G.lex.) khũ_ṭaḍum a bullock (used in Jhālwāḍ)(G.) kuṇṭai = bull (Ta.lex.) cf. khũ_dhi hump on the back; khuĩ_dhũ hump-backed (G.)(CDIAL 3902).  Rebus: kūṭa a house, dwelling (Skt.lex.) khũṭ = a community, sect, society, division, clique, schism, stock; khũṭren peṛa kanako = they belong to the same stock (Santali) Allograph: काण्डः kāṇḍḥ ण्डम् ṇḍam The portion of a plant from one knot to another. काण्डात्काण्ड- त्प्ररोहन्ती Mahānār.4.3. A stem, stock, branch; लीलोत्खातमृणालकाण्डकवलच्छेदे U.3.16; Amaru.95; Ms. 1.46,48, Māl.3.34.  కాండము [ kāṇḍamu ] kānḍamu. [Skt.] n. Water. నీళ్లు (Telugu) kaṇṭhá -- : (b) ʻ water -- channel ʼ: Paš. kaṭāˊ ʻ irrigation channel ʼ, Shum. xãṭṭä. (CDIAL 14349). lokhãḍ ‘overflowing pot’ Rebus:  ʻtools, iron, ironwareʼ (Gujarati) काण्ड an arrow MBh. xiii , 265 Hit. (Monier-Williams, p. 269) Rebus: काण्ड abundance; a multitude , heap , quantity (ifc.) Pa1n2. 4-2 , 51 Ka1s3. h1953B and A. Two sides of a seal: One side showed a zebu with 'fish' and 'four strokes' glyphs. The other had a five-glyph inscription including the 'fish' and 'arrow'  Indus Script decipherment of hieroglyph multiplex as hypertext:  pola 'magnetite' PLUS ayaskāṇḍa अयस्--काण्ड m. n. "a quantity of iron " or " excellent iron". Hieroglyph: kōḍ, kōḍu horn:  Ta. kōṭu (in cpds. kōṭṭu-) horn, tusk, branch of tree, cluster, bunch, coil of hair, line, diagram, bank of stream or pool; kuvaṭu branch of a tree; kōṭṭāṉ, kōṭṭuvāṉ rock horned-owl (cf. 1657 Ta. kuṭiñai). Ko. ko·ṛ (obl. ko·ṭ-) horns (one horn is kob), half of hair on each side of parting, side in game, log, section of bamboo used as fuel, line marked out. To.kw&idieresisside;ṛ (obl. kw&idieresisside;ṭ-) horn, branch, path across stream in thicket. Ka. kōḍu horn, tusk, branch of a tree; kōr̤ horn. Tu. kōḍů, kōḍu horn. Te. kōḍu rivulet, branch of a river. Pa. kōḍ (pl. kōḍul) horn. Ga. (Oll.) kōr (pl. kōrgul) id. Go. (Tr.) kōr (obl. kōt-, pl. kōhk) horn of cattle or wild animals, branch of a tree; (W. Ph. A. Ch.) kōr (pl.kōhk), (S.) kōr (pl. kōhku), (Ma.) kōr̥u (pl. kōẖku) horn; (M.) kohk branch (Voc. 980); (LuS.) kogoo a horn. Kui kōju (pl. kōska) horn, antler. (DEDR 2200).  Rebus:    koḍ 'workshop' Ma. koṭṭil cowhouse, shed, workshop, house. (DEDR 2058) Hieroglyphs: पोळ [ pōḷa ] m A bull dedicated to the gods पोळी [ pōḷī ] dewlap.  Hieroglyph: aya 'fish'  Rebus: aya 'iron' (Gujarati) ayas 'metal' (Rigveda) Hieroglyph 1: काण्डः kāṇḍḥ ण्डम् ṇḍam An arrow. मनो दृष्टिगतं कृत्वा ततः काण्डं विसर्जयेत् Dhanur.3; Mb.5.155.7. -कारः (-रिन्) a maker of arrows कुसीदवृत्तयः काण्डकारिणश्चाहि- तुण्डिकाः Śiva. B.31.22. -स्पृष्टः one who lives by arms, a warrior, soldier. काण्डवत् m. An archer.(Samskritam. Apte) Hieroglyph 2: गण्डकः gaṇḍakḥ [गण्ड स्वार्थे क] A coin of the value of four cowries.A mode of reckoning by fours. (Samskritam. Apte) gaṇḍa -- m. ʻ four' (Munda) गंडा[ gaṇḍā ] m An aggregate of four (cowries or pice). (Marathi) <ganDa>(P)  {NUM} ``^four''.  Syn. <cari>(LS4), <hunja-mi>(D).  *Sa., Mu.<ganDa> `id.', H.<gA~Da> `a group of four cowries'.  %10591.  #10511.<ganDa-mi>(KM)  {NUM} ``^four''.  |<-mi> `one'.  %10600.  #10520. Ju<ganDa>(P)  {NUM} ``^four''.  gaṇḍaka m. ʻ a coin worth four cowries ʼ lex., ʻ method of counting by fours ʼ W. [← Mu. Przyluski RoczOrj iv 234]S. g̠aṇḍho m. ʻ four in counting ʼ; P. gaṇḍā m. ʻ four cowries ʼ; B. Or. H. gaṇḍā m. ʻ a group of four, four cowries ʼ; M. gaṇḍā m. ʻ aggregate of four cowries or pice ʼ.(CDIAL 4001) Rebus: गण्ड [p=344,1] " the chief " , best , excellent (only in comp. ; cf. -ग्राम , -मूर्ख , -शिला , &c ) L.a hero (cf. गण्डीर) L. (Monier-Williams. Samskritam) आखण्डिः ākhaṇḍiḥ आखण्डिः m. N. of an artisan.-Comp.-शाला The workshop of the artisan. (Samskritam. Apte) Hierolypy multiplex read rebus together: अयस्--काण्ड [p= 85,1]  m. n. " a quantity of iron " or " excellent iron " , (g. कस्का*दि q.v.) (Monier-Williams) अयस् a. [इ-गतौ-असुन्] Going, moving; nimble. n. (-यः) 1 Iron (एति चलति अयस्कान्तसंनिकर्षं इति तथात्वम्; नायसोल्लिख्यते रत्नम् Śukra 4.169. अभितप्तमयो$पि मार्दवं भजते कैव कथा शरीरिषु R.8.43. -2 Steel. -3 Gold. -4 A metal in general. -5 An iron instrument; यदयोनिधनं याति सो$स्य धर्मः सनातनः Mb.6.17.11. -काण्डः 1 an iron-arrow. -2 excellent iron. -3 a large quantity of iron. (Samskritam. Apte) 1. pola 'magnetite' पोळ [ pōḷa ] m A bull dedicated to the gods, marked with a trident and discus, and set at large. पोळी [ pōḷī ] dewlap. Rebus: पोळें [ pōḷēṃ ], पोळी [ pōḷī ] The cake-form portion of a honeycomb.(Marathi) पोळी [ pōḷī ] dewlap. Rebus: Russian gloss, bulat is cognate pola 'magnetite' iron in Asuri (Meluhha). Magnetite is the most magnetic of all the naturally occurring igneous and metamorphic rocks with black or brownish-black with a metallic luster. These magnetite ore stones could have been identified as pola iron by Meluhha speakers. Kannada gloss pola meaning 'point of the compass' may link with the characteristic of magnetite iron used to create a compass.pŏlāduwu made of steel; pŏlād प्वलाद् or phōlād फोलाद्  मृदुलोहविशेषः ] m. steel (Gr.M.; Rām. 431, 635, phōlād). pŏlödi  pōlödi  phōlödi लोहविशेषमयः adj. c.g. of steel, steel (Kashmiri) urukku what is melted, fused metal, steel.(Malayalam); ukk 'steel' (Telugu)(DEDR 661) This is cognate with famed 'wootz'steel. "Polad, Faulad" for steel in late Indian languages is traceable to Pokkhalavat, Polahvad. Pokkhalavat is the name of Pushkalavati, capital of Gandhara famed for iron and steel products. Allograph: पोळें [ pōḷēṃ ] ‘honeycomb’ (shown as a pictorial motif on Lothal Seal 51). Pictorial motif on Seal Lothal 51 is a honeycomb. Lothal 51 pola, ‘magnetite’  is denoted by pōḷī, ‘dewlap, honeycomb’ hieroglyphs. polo, pwālo ʻ beehive ʼ (Nepali); polo id. (Ku.)(CDIAL 8398) M. poḷ m. ʻ bull dedicated to the gods ʼ; Si. pollā ʻ young of an animal ʼ. 4. Pk. pōāla -- m. ʻ child, bull ʼ; A. powāli ʻ young of animal or bird ʼ(CDIAL 8399)Wootz was imported into the Middle East from India. (Jeffrey Wadsworth and Oleg D. Sherby (1980). "On the Bulat – Damascus Steel Revisited". Prog. Mater. Sci. 25 (1): 35–68) "The name булат is a Russian transliteration of the Persian  word پولاد (transliterated pulad), meaning steel.  Close-up of an 18th-century Iranian crucible-forged Damascus steel sword. The sword was made of wootz steel, a process said to have started in 300 BCE. [K. Kris Hirst Damascus Steel. Nanotechnology and SwordMaking. Archaeology.about.com (2010-06-10)]  [quote]Russian metallurgist Pavel Petrovich Anosov (see Bulat steel) was able to reproduce ancient Wootz steel with almost all its properties and the steel he created was essentially identical to traditional Wootz. He documented four different methods of producing Wootz steel that exhibited traditional patterns. He died before he could fully document and publish his research. Dr. Oleg Sherby and Dr. Jeff Wadsworth and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have all done research, attempting to create steels with similar characteristics to Wootz, but without success. J.D Verhoeven and Al Pendray reconstructed methods of production, proved the role of impurities of ore in the pattern creation, and reproduced Wootz steel with patterns microscopically and visually identical to one of the ancient blade patterns. There are other smiths who are now consistently producing Wootz steel blades identical to the old patterns One must remember while looking at reproduction efforts that Wootz was made over nearly a 2000 year period (the oldest sword samples date to around 200 AD) and that the methods of production of ingots, the ingredients, and the methods of forging varied from one area to the next. Some Wootz blades displayed a pattern, some did not. Heat treating was quite different as was forging, and there were many different patterns which were created by the various smiths who spanned from China to Scandinavia. It is easy to say that Wootz/Pulad/Bulat/Hindwani is one pattern and one method with one blade characteristic, but that is not a correct representation of the blades that we have or the accounts of witnessed methods from antiquity. Not all of the secrets of Wootz have been discovered, but it has essentially been recreated by Anosov, Pendray and many smiths in the 20th century. Research still continues however. [unquote]  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wootz_steel Magnetite is the most magnetic of all the naturally occurring igneous and metamorphic rocks with black or brownish-black with a metallic luster.  These magnetite ore stones could have been identified as pola iron by Meluhha speakers. Ancient Blacksmiths: ukku pola (steel from magnetite) ~~ wootz bulat?  The word wootz (Michael Faraday, as quoted by Peter Day, The Philosopher's Tree, p. 108) may have been a mistranscription of wook, an anglicised version of urukku (உருக்கு) (ഉരുക്കു), the word for melting in Tamil  and  Malayalam  or urukke, the word for steel in Kannada (ಉರ್‍ಕು, ಉಕ್ಕು),Telugu (ఉక్కు) and many other Dravidian languages." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wootz_steel What could be the source of the word bulat (Russian)? If the sword was forged from wootz (ukku -- Kannada, Telugu), is it possible that the word bulat was adapted from pola 'magnetite' iron in Asuri (Meluhha) language?  King Puru and Alexander the Great. ca. 330 BCE. Painting in the guesthouse of the largest R&D steel laboratory in the world, the Steel Authority of India, Ranchi. "After King Puru was defeated by Alexander the Great in battle, the King gave, as a token of respect, his sword to Alexander, and behind the King his aide is carrying an additional gift, a gold container within which is a cake of Indian wootz. At the time, this steel was more prized than gold. In a more recent period, the Russian poet, Alexander Pushkin immortalized 'bulat' with a similar comparison when he wrote in 1830 the following poem: All is mine, said gold;all is mine said bulat; all I can buy said gold, all I will take, said bulat. The exact procedures used by the ancient blacksmiths in making the surface markings on genuine Damascus steel swords (it is termed 'genuine' because it is made from a single ultrahigh carbon composition casting) have been the source of much speculation." Two Damascus swords and surface The word wootz (Michael Faraday, as quoted by Peter Day, The Philosopher's Tree, p. 108) may have been a mistranscription of wook, an anglicised version of urukku (உருக்கு) (ഉരുക്കു), the word for melting in Tamil  and  Malayalam  or urukke, the word for steel in Kannada (ಉರ್‍ಕು, ಉಕ್ಕು),Telugu (ఉక్కు) and many other Dravidian languages." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wootz_steel పొల [ pola ] or పొలసు pola. పొలుసు [ polusu ][Telugu] A scale of a fish. చేపమీది పొలుసు. Tu. poḍasů scales of fish. Te. pola, polasu, polusu id. Kui plōkosi id. (DEDR 4480). పొలుపు [ polupu ] or పొల్పు polupu. [Telugu] Firmness,స్థైర్యము. "పొలుపుమీరిన నెలవంకిబొమలు జూచి, రమణదళుకొత్తు బింబాధరంబుజూచి." Rukmang. i. 158 Rebus: Ka. pola object of sight, direction, point of the compass. Te. polamu track, trace; polamari one who knows a clue; polakuva trace, track; pulugu mark or sign, trace, track, clue; ? pulapoḍucu to gaze, stare. (DEDR 4344). The Kannada gloss pola meaning 'point of the compass' may link with the characteristic of magnetite iron used to create a compass. bichi (hematite) Hieroglyph: scorpion: <bichi>(B)  {NA} ``^scorpion''.  #3521. Kh<bichi>(B)  {NA} ``^scorpion''.vŕ̊ścika m. (vr̥ścana -- m. lex.) ʻ scorpion ʼ RV., ʻ cater- pillar covered with bristles ʼ lex. [Variety of form for ʻ scorpion ʼ in MIA. and NIA. due to taboo? <-> √vraśc?] Pa. vicchika -- m. ʻ scorpion ʼ, Pk. vicchia -- , viṁchia -- m., Sh.koh. bičh m. (< *vr̥ści -- ?), Ku. bichī, A. bisā (also ʻ hairy caterpillar ʼ: -- ī replaced by m. ending -- ā), B. Or. bichā, Mth. bīch, Bhoj. Aw.lakh. bīchī, H. poet. bīchī f., bīchā m., G. vīchī, vĩchī m.; -- *vicchuma -- : Paš.lauṛ. uċúm, dar. učum, S. vichū̃ m., (with greater deformation) L.mult. vaṭhũhã, khet.vaṭṭhũha; -- Pk. vicchua -- , viṁchua -- m., L. vichū m., awāṇ. vicchū, P. bicchū m., Or. (Sambhalpur) bichu, Mth. bīchu, H. bicchū, bīchū m., G. vīchu m.; -- Pk. viccu -- , °ua -- ,viṁcua -- m., K. byucu m. (← Ind.), P.bhaṭ. biccū, WPah.bhal. biċċū m., cur. biccū, bhiḍ. biċċoṭū n. ʻ young scorpion ʼ, M. vīċũ, vĩċū m. (vĩċḍā m. ʻ large scorpion ʼ), vĩċvī, °ċvīṇ, °ċīṇf., Ko. viccu, viṁcu, iṁcu. -- N. bacchiũ ʻ large hornet ʼ? (Scarcely < *vapsi -- ~ *vaspi -- ).Garh. bicchū, °chī ʻ scorpion ʼ, A. also bichā (phonet. -- s -- ) (CDIAL 12081) Rebus: bichi 'hematite' Tu. bīḍu dross, alloy of iron. Te. bīḍu iron filings or dust.(DEDR 4218) bica  'stone ore' as in: meṛed -bica = 'iron stone ore', in contrast to bali-bica , 'iron sand ore' (Munda). Seal impession from Ur showing a squatting female. L. Legrain, 1936, Ur excavations, Vol. 3, Archaic Seal Impressions. [cf. Nausharo seal with two scorpions flanking a similar glyph with legs apart – also looks like a frog]. kuṭhi ‘pudendum muliebre’ (Mu.) khoḍu m. ‘vulva’ (CDIAL 3947). Rebus: kuṭhi ‘smelter furnace’ (Mu.) khŏḍ m. ‘pit’, khö̆ḍü f. ‘small pit’ (Kashmiri. CDIAL 3947), Rahman-dheri seal. Obverse: Two scorpions. Two holes. One T glyph. One frog in the middle. Reverse: two rams. 1.mūxā  ‘frog’. Rebus: mũh ‘(copper) ingot’ (Santali) Allograph: mũhe ‘face’ (Santali) 2.bicha ‘scorpion’ (Assamese) Rebus: bica ‘stone ore’ (Mu.) 3.tagaru ‘ram’ (Tulu) Rebus: tagarm ‘tin’ (Kota). damgar ‘merchant’ (Akk.) 4.T-glyph may denote a fire altar like the two fire-altars shown on Warrka vase below two animals: antelope and tiger. kand ‘fire-altar’ (Santali) 5.Two holes may denote ingots. dula ‘pair’ Rebus: dul ‘cast’ (Santali) kola ‘woman’ Rebus: kol ‘working in iron’ kuṛī f. ʻ girl’ Rebus: kuṭhi ‘smelter’  Brass-worker catalog of implements and repertoire:There are five hieroglyphs on the cylinder seal (Figure 270): ‘dishevelled hair’, ‘pudendum muliebre’, ‘lizard’, ‘scorpion’, ‘woman’. The accent is on the sting of the scorpion: koṭṭu (koṭṭi-) to sting (as a scorpion, wasp) (Tamil) Rebus: Pk. koṭṭaga -- m. ʻ carpenter ʼ, koṭṭila -- , °illa -- m. ʻ mallet ʼ. (DEDR 3236). koṭṭu-k-kaṉṉār  brass-workers. the woman is shown with disheveled hair. A lizard is also shown in the field together with a scorpion (bica). <raca>(D)  {ADJ} ``^dishevelled'' (Munda) rasāṇẽ n. ʻglowing embersʼ (Marathi). rabca ‘dishevelled’ Rebus: రాచrāca (adj.) Pertaining to a stone (ore) (bica). The squatting woman on the Ur cylinder seal impression may be showing dishevelled hair providing for rebus reading: <rabca?>(D)  {ADJ} ``with ^dishevelled ^hair''.  Rebus:రాచ (adj.) Pertaining to a stone. bicha, bichā ‘scorpion’ (Assamese) Rebus: bica ‘stone ore’ (Mu.) sambr.o bica = gold ore (Mundarica)  Thus, the reading of the Ur cylinder seal impression may depict: meṛed-bica‘iron stone-ore’ kuṭhi ‘smelter, furnace’. kuṭire bica duljad.ko talkena, ‘they were feeding the furnace with ore’. (Santali) This use of bica in the context of feeding a smelter clearly defines bica as ‘stone ore, mineral’, in general. kuṭhi  ‘vagina’; rebus: kuṭhi  ‘smelting furnace bichā 'scorpion' (Assamese). Rebus: bica 'stone ore' as in meṛed-bica = iron stone ore, in contrast to bali-bica, iron sand ore (Mu.lex.) dul 'pair, likeness' Rebus: dul 'cast metal' (Santali) Thus the hieroglyphs connote a smelter for smelting and casting metal stone ore. Gyphic: ‘copulation’: kamḍa, khamḍa 'copulation' (Santali) Rebus: kammaṭi a coiner (Ka.); kampaṭṭamcoinage, coin, mint (Ta.) kammaṭa = mint, gold furnace (Te.) Vikalpa: kaṇḍa ‘stone (ore)’. Glyph: vagina: kuṭhi ‘vagina’; rebus: kuṭhi ‘smelting furnace’. The descriptive glyphics indicates that the smelting furnace is for stone (ore). This is distinquished from sand ore. Glyph: ‘crocodile’: karā ‘crocodile’. Rebus: khar ‘blacksmith’. kāru a wild crocodile or alligator (Te.) Rebus: kāruvu ‘artisan’  kuṭhi = pubes. kola ‘foetus’ [Glyph of a foetus emerging from pudendum muliebre on a Harappa tablet.] kuṭhi = the pubes (lower down than paṇḍe) (Santali) kuṭhi = the womb, the female sexual organ; sorrege kuṭhi menaktaea, tale tale gidrakoa lit. her womb is near, she gets children continually (H. koṭhī, the womb) (Santali.Bodding) kōṣṭha = anyone of the large viscera (MBh.); koṭṭha = stomach (Pali.Pkt.); kuṭṭha (Pkt.); koṭhī heart, breast (L.); koṭṭhā, koṭhā belly (P.); koṭho (G.); koṭhā (M.)(CDIAL 3545). kottha pertaining to the belly (Pkt.); kothā corpulent (Or.)(CDIAL 3510). koṭho [Skt. koṣṭha inner part] the stomach, the belly (Gujarat)  kūti = pudendum muliebre (Ta.); posteriors, membrum muliebre (Ma.); ku.0y anus, region of buttocks in general (To.); kūdi = anus, posteriors, membrum muliebre (Tu.)(DEDR 188). kūṭu = hip (Tu.); kuṭa = thigh (Pe.); kuṭe id. (Mand.); kūṭi hip (Kui)(DEDR 1885). gūde prolapsus of the anus (Ka.Tu.); gūda, gudda id. (Te.)(DEDR 1891). kuṭi, kuṭhi, kuṭa, kuṭha a tree (Kaus'.); kuḍa tree (Pkt.); kuṛā tree; kaṛek tree, oak (Pas;.)(CDIAL 3228).kuṭha, kuṭa (Ka.), kudal (Go.) kudar. (Go.)  kuṭhāra, kuṭha, kuṭaka = a tree (Sanskrit) kut., kurun: = stump of a tree (Bond.a); khuṭ = id. (Or.) kuṭamu = a tree (Telugu)           Rebus: kuṭhi ‘a furnace for smelting iron ore to smelt iron’; kolheko kuṭhieda koles smelt iron (Santali) kuṭhi, kuṭi (Or.; Sad. koṭhi) (1) the smelting furnace of the blacksmith; kuṭire bica duljad.ko talkena, they were feeding the furnace with ore; (2) the name of ēkuṭi has been given to the fire which, in lac factories, warms the water bath for softening the lac so that it can be spread into sheets; to make a smelting furnace; kuṭhi-o of a smelting furnace, to be made; the smelting furnace of the blacksmith is made of mud, cone-shaped, 2’ 6” dia. At the base and 1’ 6” at the top. The hole in the centre, into which the mixture of charcoal and iron ore is poured, is about 6” to 7” in dia. At the base it has two holes, a smaller one into which the nozzle of the bellow is inserted, as seen in fig. 1, and a larger one on the opposite side through which the molten iron flows out into a cavity (Mundari) kuṭhi = a factory; lil kuṭhi = an indigo factory (koṭhi - Hindi) (Santali.Bodding)  kuṭhi = an earthen furnace for smelting iron; make do., smelt iron; kolheko do kuṭhi benaokate baliko dhukana, the Kolhes build an earthen furnace and smelt iron-ore, blowing the bellows; tehen:ko kuṭhi yet kana, they are working (or building) the furnace to-day (H. koṭhī ) (Santali. Bodding)  kuṭṭhita = hot, sweltering; molten (of tamba, cp. uttatta)(Pali.lex.) uttatta (ut + tapta) = heated, of metals: molten, refined; shining, splendid, pure (Pali.lex.) kuṭṭakam, kuṭṭukam  = cauldron (Ma.); kuṭṭuva = big copper pot for heating water (Kod.)(DEDR 1668). gudgā to blaze; gud.va flame (Man.d); gudva, gūdūvwa, guduwa id. (Kuwi)(DEDR 1715). dāntar-kuṭha = fireplace (Sv.); kōti wooden vessel for mixing yeast (Sh.); kōlhāhouse with mud roof and walls, granary (P.); kuṭhī factory (A.); koṭhā brick-built house (B.); kuṭhī bank, granary (B.); koṭho jar in which indigo is stored, warehouse (G.); koṭhī lare earthen jar, factory (G.); kuṭhīgranary, factory (M.)(CDIAL 3546). koṭho = a warehouse; a revenue office, in which dues are paid and collected; koṭhī a store-room; a factory (Gujarat) koḍ = the place where artisans work (Gujarati)  bichi , ‘hematite’ is denoted by hieroglyph bicha ‘scorpion’ (Assamese) Rebus: bica ‘stone ore’ (Santali). A Meluhha gloss for hard stone ore or iron stone is mẽṛhẽt, meḍ ‘iron’ (Mu.Ho.) which is denoted by the hieroglyph, 'markhor'.  Meluhha glosses are annexed which indicate association with cire perdue (or lost wax) method of casting metals using beeswax, particularly in the glosses for miedź, med'  'copper' in Northern Slavic and Altaic languages and in Meluhha denoting both 'copper' and 'honey', beeswax'. Meluhha trade transactions along the Tin Road may explain the presence of Meluhha glosses in northern Europe. Chanhudaro 23a miṇḍāl ‘markhor’ (Tōrwālī) meḍho a ram, a sheep (Gujarati)(CDIAL 10120) Rebus: mẽṛhẽt, meḍ ‘iron’ (Mu.Ho.)  Wilhelm von Hevesy wrote about the Finno-Ugric-Munda kinship, like "Munda-Magyar-Maori, an Indian link between the antipodes new tracks of Hungarian origins" and "Finnisch-Ugrisches aus Indien". (DRIEM, George van: Languages of the Himalayas: an ethnolinguistic handbook. 1997. p.161-162.) Sumerian-Ural-Altaic language affinities have been noted. Given the presence of Meluhha settlements in Sumer, some Meluhha glosses might have been adapted in these languages. One etyma cluster refers to 'iron' exemplified by meD (Ho.). The alternative suggestion for the origin of the gloss med 'copper' in Uralic languages may be explained by the word meD (Ho.) of Munda family of Meluhha language stream: Sa. <i>mE~R~hE~'d</i> `iron'.  ! <i>mE~RhE~d</i>(M). Ma. <i>mErhE'd</i> `iron'. Mu. <i>mERE'd</i> `iron'.   ~ <i>mE~R~E~'d</i> `iron'.  ! <i>mENhEd</i>(M). Ho <i>meD</i> `iron'. Bj. <i>merhd</i>(Hunter) `iron'. KW <i>mENhEd</i> @(V168,M080) http://www.ling.hawaii.edu/austroasiatic/AA/Munda/ETYM/Pinnow&Munda — Slavic glosses for 'copper' Мед [Med]Bulgarian Bakar Bosnian Медзь [medz']Belarusian Měď Czech Bakar Croatian KòperKashubian Бакар [Bakar]Macedonian Miedź Polish Медь [Med']Russian Meď Slovak BakerSlovenian Бакар [Bakar]Serbian Мідь [mid'] Ukrainian[unquote] http://www.vanderkrogt.net/elements/element.php?sym=Cu  Miedź, med' (Northern Slavic, Altaic) 'copper'.   One suggestion is that corruptions from the German "Schmied", "Geschmeide" = jewelry. Schmied, a smith (of tin, gold, silver, or other metal)(German) result in med ‘copper’. A cylinder seal with zebu and lion, Sibri {Jarrige) See: http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2012/12/bull-and-horse-migrations-bos-indicus.html Hieroglyphs on Sibri cylinder seal Hieroglyph: kola 'tiger' Rebus: kol 'working in iron' kolle 'blacksmith' kolhe 'smelters' kolimi 'smithy, forge' kole.l 'smithy, temple' Slip painted terracotta jar. Kulli.  http://store.barakatgallery.com/product/kulli-slip-painted-terracotta-jar/ One of the finest ancient Indus painted jars ever found, excavated at Chanhu-daro during the 1935-36 season led by Ernest MacKay. JM Kenoyer describes it as a "large storage jar with red slip and black painted motifs, including peacocks, vegetation and the famous intersecting-circle design. Such vessels were probably used as marriage gifts or for other ritual occasions, and the motifs undoubtedly represent auspicious blessings on the owner". Photo Credit: Harappa.com Area excavated by Hargreaves is called HR Area; area excavated by K. N. Dikshit is called DK Area; area excavated by Madhu Swarup Vats is called VS Area.  In the temple (kole.l) area of Mohenjo-daro, Ivory Indus Script cylinder seals were found. See:  Definition of kole.l 'smithy, forge, temple' from 12 Indus Script inscriptions found in and layout of House 1 (with several rooms) HR Area, Mohenjo-daro http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2016/06/definition-of-kolel-smithy-forge-temple.html  for a report onkole.l 'smithy' found in HR Area House 1. This house had several rooms on the upper storey with two clear entry and exit stairways. The 19 Indus Script inscriptions on ivory rods, plaques and cubes of Mohenjo-daro and Harappa are presented in this monographs with their decipherment as metalwork catalogues. 530 and 531 ivory rods are shaped like a meDga 'stake' rebus: medha 'yajna' (yupa) with caSAla (as described in Satapatha Brahmana and Taittiriya Samhita) for a Soma yaga. John Marshall wrote: "Seals of this group [cylinder seals, although Mackay above is not sure they are true cylinder seals]], if indeed they are seals, are very rarely found at Mohenjo-daro, only five specimen being obtained in all. They are all made of ivory and differ from the cylinder seals of other countries in being very long and thing; nor are they perforated for suspension on a cord. It is possible that these so-called seals are not true seals at all. They incised characters upon them might conceivably be identification marks for a game or something similar. On the other hand, they are certainly suitable for use a seals and in this account they are included in this chapter For the sake of clearness the actual seal is shown side by side with each impression. No 529 (Pl. CXIV, HR 5515). Ivory. 2.7 inches long by 0.25 in. in diameter. Double groove at one end for attachment of cord. The other end is decorated with three parallel grooves. Level, 4 feet below surface. Central Courtyard (30), House LIII, Block 7, HR Area. No 530 (Pl. CXIV, HR 4985). Ivory. 2.05 inches long by 0.25 in. in diameter. Double groove at one end for a cord; the other end is broken. Level 3 feet below surface. Central Courtyard (30), House LIII, Block 7, HR Area. No 531 (Pl. CXIV, DK 2666). Ivory. Now 2.05 inches long by 0.3 in. in diameter. Its polish shows that it has been much used. About one-half of the seal is covered with an inscription, deeply and roughly incised and bordered by two deep cut lines. One end of the seal is shaped into a conical head with a deep groove possibly intended for a cord. The seal is not bored; nor is it perfectly round. Level, 4 feet below surface. Street between Blocks 1 and 2, Section B, DK Area. No 532 (Pl. CXIV, VS 875). Ivory. Now 2 inches long by 0.3 in. in diameter. One end is broken and a small piece is missing. The seal tapers slightly towards its complete end. Five deeply incised characters occupy a space of about two-thirds of the circumference of the seal. Level, 12 feet below surface. Found in front of Room 70, House XXVII, VS Area. No 533 (Pl. CXIV, VS 958). Ivory. 2.75 inches long by 0.3 in. in diameter. Decorated at 0-.5 in. from each end with a deeply incised cross-hatched border. Towards one end of the intervening space are two deeply incised characters This seal is not perfectly round. Level, 10 feet below surface of the ground. From Room 69, House XXVIII, VS Area. (John Marshall, Mohenjo-daro and the Indus Civilization, p. 371 The 5 ivory rod inscriptions (529 to 533 Marshall) are flipped left horizontally and presnted with rebus readings: Ivory inscription 1 kuTi 'water carrier' rebus: kuThi 'smelter' dula 'two' rebus: dul 'metal casting' PLUS karNika 'spread legs' rebus: karNI 'Supercargo' meD 'body' rebus: meD 'iron' med 'copper' (Slavic) baTa 'rimless pot' rebus: bhaTa 'furnace' gaNDa 'four' rebus: kaNDa 'implements'. Thus the message is: Smelter, metalcater, Supercargo working with iron/copper implements and furnace. Ivory inscription 2 khaNDa 'divisions'; rebus: kaNDa 'implements' dhAv 'strand' dhAv 'string' rebus: dhAvaD 'smelter' dhaTo 'claws of crab' rebus: dhatu 'minerals'. Thus the message is: Smelter of minerals, (maker of metal) implements.' Ivory inscription 3 dula 'two' rebus: dul 'metal casting' khareḍo = a currycomb (G.) Rebus: kharādī ' turner' (G.) kamaTha 'bow and arrow' rebus: kammaTa 'mint, coiner, coinage' ayo, aya 'fish' rebus: aya 'iron' ayas 'metal' khANDA 'notch' rebus: kaNDa 'implements' PLUS  khareḍo = a currycomb (G.) Rebus: kharādī ' turner' (G.) muh 'ingot'.Thus, the message is: Turner of metal castings, mins-master-coiner, iron (metal) implements, ingots and metal (alloys) turner. Ivory inscription 4  (529 Marshall Ivory rod) khareḍo = a currycomb (G.) Rebus: kharādī ' turner' (G.) karNaka, kanka 'rim of jar' rebus: karNI 'Supercargo' karNaka 'scribe, account' karã̄ 'wristlets, bangles' rebus: khAr 'blacksmith' sal 'splinter' rebus: sal 'workshop' khANDA 'notch' rebus: kaNDa 'implements' Fish-fin: ayo, aya 'fish' rebus: aya 'iron' ayas 'metal' PLUS khambhaṛā ʻfinʼ rebus: kammaTa 'mint, coiner, coinage'. Thus, the message is: Blacksmith, Turner, Supercargo implements workshop, mint-master/coiner. (529 and 530 ivory rods have identical inscriptions; 530 has an additional hieroglyph: three linear strokes) Ivory inscription 5 (530 Marshall Ivory rod) khareḍo = a currycomb (G.) Rebus: kharādī ' turner' (G.) karNaka, kanka 'rim of jar' rebus: karNI 'Supercargo' karNaka 'scribe, engraver, account' karã̄ 'wristlets, bangles' rebus: khAr 'blacksmith' sal 'splinter' rebus: sal 'workshop' khANDA 'notch' rebus: kaNDa 'implements' Fish-fin: ayo, aya 'fish' rebus: aya 'iron' ayas 'metal' PLUS khambhaṛā ʻfinʼ rebus: kammaTa 'mint, coiner, coinage'. kolom 'three' rebus: kolimi 'smithy, forge'. Thus, the message is: Blacksmith, Turner, Supercargo (engraver) implements workshop, mint-master/coiner, (working in) smithy/forge.. Ivory inscription 6 Inscribed rod with double bands of hatching at each end, Mohenjo-daro. Seven script signs right to left. Traces of vermillion fill all the lines.  m1650 Ivory stick Hypertext 3505 daTo 'claws of crab' rebus: dhatu 'mineral' kanac 'corner' rebus: kancu 'bronze' gaNDA 'four' rebus: kaNDa 'implements' PLUS kolom 'three' rebus: kolimi 'smithy, forge' dula 'two' rebus: dul 'metal casting' dula 'two' rebus: dul 'metal casting' PLUS baTa 'rimless pot' rebus: bhaTa 'furnace'  karNaka, kanka 'rim of jar' rebus: karNI 'Supercargo' karNaka 'scribe, account'  khareḍo = a currycomb (G.) Rebus: kharādī ' turner' (G.)Thus, the message is: Supercargo, (worker in) minerals, bronze implements, smithy/forge, metal caster, Metals turner (alloys) using furnace Ivory inscription 7 Pict-141 Geometrical pattern  Hypertext 2942 karNika 'spread legs' rebus: karNI 'Supercargo' meD 'body' rebus: meD 'iron' med 'copper' (Slavic) PLUS khANDA 'notch' rebus: kaNDa 'implements' sal 'splinter' rebus: sal 'workshop' khaNDa 'divisions'; rebus: kaNDa 'implements'. Tus, the message is: Supercargo (working in) iron/copper implements workshop. Ivory inscription 8 Pict 142 geometrical pattern Hypertext 2941 Ivory or bone rod geometrical pattern followed by inscription koDa 'one' rebus: koD 'workshop'  dula 'two' rebus: dul 'metal casting' dula 'two' rebus: dul 'metal casting' PLUS baTa 'rimless pot' rebus: bhaTa 'furnace'  karNaka, kanka 'rim of jar' rebus: karNI 'Supercargo' karNaka 'scribe, account'  khareḍo = a currycomb (G.) Rebus: kharādī ' turner' (G.). Thus, the message is: Turner, Supercargo in metal casting workshop and (working with) furnace Ivory inscription 9 Hypertext 2943 Hypertext 2943 is a duplication of the Hypertext 2941: koDa 'one' rebus: koD 'workshop'  dula 'two' rebus: dul 'metal casting' dula 'two' rebus: dul 'metal casting' PLUS baTa 'rimless pot' rebus: bhaTa 'furnace'  karNI 'Supercargo' karNaka 'scribe, account'  khareḍo = a currycomb (G.) Rebus: kharādī ' turner' (G.). Thus, the message is: Turner, Superargo in metal casting workshop and (working with) furnace. Ivory inscription 10 Pict 143 Geometrical pattern Hypertext 2948 gaNDa 'four' rebus: kaNDa 'implements' ranku 'liquid measure' rebus: ranku 'tin' (thus, tin implements) kuTi 'water carrier' rebus: kuThi 'smelter' PLUS karNI 'Supercargo' karNaka 'scribe, account'  khareḍo = a currycomb (G.) Rebus: kharādī ' turner' (G.). (thus, Supercargo, engraver working with smelter) khareḍo = a currycomb (G.) Rebus: kharādī ' turner' (G.) Thus, the message is: Supercargo (working with smelter) Tin work and Turner (of metal alloys) working with furnace and engraving. Ivory inscription 11 Hypertext 2944 Ivory or bone rod Phal. tērc̣hi ʻ adze ʼ (with "intrusive" r).Rebus: takṣa in cmpd. ʻ cutting ʼ, m. ʻ carpenter ʼ VarBr̥S PLUS kolom 'three' rebus: kolimi 'smithy, forge' (Thus, carpenter working with smithy/forge). muH 'ingot' PLUS kolmo 'rice plant' rebus: kolimi 'smithy, forge' (Thus smithy/forge ingots) kuTi 'water carrier' rebus: kuThi 'smelter' PLUS karNI 'Supercargo' karNaka 'scribe, account' Thus the message is: Carpenter working with smithy/forge, ingots for smithy and Supercargo working with smelter and engraving. Ivory inscription 12 Hypertext 2945 Ivory or bone rod gaNDa 'four' rebus: kaNDa 'implements' kolmo 'rice plant' rebus: kolimi 'smithy, forge' Thus, the message is: (Maker of) implements in smithy/forge. Ivory inscription 13  Ivory rod, ivory plaques with dotted circles. Mohenjo-daro (Musee National De Arts Asiatiques, Guimet, 1988-1989, , Les cites oubliees de l’Indus Archeologie du Pakistan.] dhātu 'layer, strand'; dhāv 'strand, string' Rebus: dhāu, dhātu 'ore'. dATu 'cross' rebus: dhatu 'mineral'. Thus, the message signified by dotted circles and X hieroglyph refers to dhā̆vaḍ priest of 'iron-smelters'. The aquatic duck shown atop an ivory rod is:  karaṇḍa 'duck' (Sanskrit) karaṛa 'a very large aquatic bird' (Sindhi) Rebus: करडा [karaḍā] Hard from alloy--iron, silver &c. (Marathi) Thus, the metalworker (smelter) works with hard alloys (using carburization process). Three dotted circles: kolom 'three' rebus: kolimi 'smithy, forge'. Thus working with minerals and hard alloys for smithy, forge. Ivory inscription 14 m1652 Ivory stick sal 'splinter' rebus: sal 'workshop' PLUS daTo 'claws of crab' rebus: dhatu 'mineral' ayo, aya 'fish' rebus: aya 'iron' ayas 'metal' koDa 'one' rebus: koD 'workshop' dula 'two' rebus: dul 'metal casting'. Thus the message is: workshop for minerals, metals and metalcaster. Ivory inscription 15    m1651 Ivory stick A, D, F  Hypertext 2947 Dotted circle hieroglyphs at the ends of the rod: dhātu 'layer, strand'; dhāv 'strand, string' Rebus: dhāu, dhātu 'ore'.(smelter) dATu 'cross' rebus: dhatu 'mineral'. Fish-fin: ayo, aya 'fish' rebus: aya 'iron' ayas 'metal' PLUS khambhaṛā ʻfinʼ rebus: kammaTa 'mint, coiner, coinage'.muh 'ingot' PLUS khANDA 'notch' rebus: kaNDa 'implements' (Thus, ingot implements) koḍa 'sluice'; Rebus: koḍ 'artisan's workshop (Kuwi) karNaka, kanka 'rim of jar' rebus: karNI 'Supercargo' karNaka 'scribe, account' khareḍo = a currycomb (G.) Rebus: kharādī ' turner' (G.). thus the message is: Working with dhatu (minerals), mint (coiner), ingot implements workshop, Supercargo (scribe, account), Turner (alloys) of metal, Smelter Ivory inscription 16 Hypertext 2940 Ivory or bone rod dula 'two' rebus: dul 'metal casting' arA 'spokes' rebus: Ara 'brass' eraka 'nave of wheel' rebus: eraka 'molten cast, copper'.kamaTha 'bow and arrow' rebus: kammaTa 'mint, coiner, coinage' karNaka, kanka 'rim of jar' rebus: karNI 'Supercargo' karNaka 'scribe, account' khareḍo = a currycomb (G.) Rebus: kharādī ' turner' (G.). Thus, the message is: Supercargo (scribe, account), Turner (of alloys) of metal, mint-master, working with metal casting. Ivory inscription 17 m1653 ivory plaqueHypertext 1905 bhaTa 'warrior' rebus: bhaTa 'furnace' kuṭila 'bent' CDIAL 3230) Rebus:kuṭila, katthīl = bronze (8 parts copper and 2 parts tin).Thus, a bronze furnace worker. Ivory inscription 18.  m1654 Ivory cube with dotted circles Dotted circle hieroglyphs on each side of the cube (one dotted circle surrounded by 7 dotted circles): dhātu 'layer, strand'; dhāv 'strand, string' Rebus: dhāu, dhātu 'ore'.(smelter). Ivory inscription 19 Ivory is also used to record an inscription in Harappa: h101 Ivory stick Hypertext 4561 dhātu 'layer, strand'; dhāv 'strand, string' Rebus: dhāu, dhātu 'ore'.(smelter) koDa 'one' rebus: koD 'workshop' khANDA 'notch' rebus: kaNDa 'implements'. Thus, Smelter (ores) and implements workshop. Traditions of smelters, metallurgists Massive iron based artifacts such as the Delhi iron pillar testify to the level of metallurgical skills mastered by Indians. The processes such as rapid cooling, carbon alloying, quenching, tempering, hardening and forge welding were known to them. Large lead baths were being used to achieve uniform heating of a bundle of wrought iron bars to the forging temperature. India is endowed with rich iron deposits and hence iron ore mining was being carried out in different parts of India for more than two thousand years. According to Dharmapal there were several important centres of iron ore mining, smelting and manufacture spread over from Kumaon-Garwhal to Assam, Hyderabad, Karnataka, Orissa, Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh. Vibha Tripathi has referred to the documented evidence about the flourishing iron and steel industry in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Wages for workers were paid in kind. For example ordinary workers received 2-3% of the produce. The persons in charge of smelting house and forging house on the other hand received six and eight percent of the produce respectively.  Professor Balasubramaniam (Bala), a well known metallurgist from IIT Kanpur, in his book Marvels of Indian Iron Throughthe Ages, has documented the marvelous creations of the Indian craftsmen, the massive iron pillars, beams and cannons produced in different parts of India by forge welding the lumps of heated iron. The most famous example of the status of Indian technological excellence in the past is the magnificent Delhi iron pillar weighing seven tons, which remains an object of technological curiosity even today. The fact that these massive iron objects have not corroded even after more than two thousand years has also been explained in terms of contemporary scientific understanding by Bala in this book. Furthermore, the book also contains a section on the world renowned Wootz steel technology invented by Indians. Forge-welded and non-corroding iron pillars and beams As illustrated by Bala in the book, Indian artisans in the early days had not found a way to attain a temperature of 1540 degrees centigrade (the temperature at which iron melts) and hence they could not cast iron (as they had done for copper, brass and bronze, for example by the famous lost wax process invented in India). Hence they practiced forge welding. The lumps of iron (containing traces of slag) were heated and fused together by a process known as forge welding. This process to produce iron objects of a large diameter and weighing several tons is very well illustrated by Bala in the book. Documentary evidence is provided to substantiate the way these pillars, beams and cannons were manufactured and transported. The famous iron pillar in Delhi was set up by the iron smiths in India in the Gupta period in a place called Udaygiri near Vidisha and Sanchi around 400 CE. It was later moved to Delhi by Iltumish in 1233 CE. The excellent corrosion resistance of the iron pillar is attributed to the presence of phosphorous (using high phosphorous containing iron ores) in the reduced iron. Similar technology was used to produce an even longer pillar (13 meters) lying in three broken pieces in front of the Lal Masjid in Dhar, situated near Indore in Madhya Pradesh. Dhar was the capital of Malwa founded by King Bhoja (1010 -1053 CE). Archaeological study indicates that the Dhar pillar was also erected during the Gupta period. Another famous iron pillar at the Mookambika temple in Kodachari hill, located in a town near Mangalore, also belongs to the same era. The iron beams lying in the Surya temple at Konark are of even larger dimensions. These iron beams were used to support the roof stones of the famous temples at Bhubaneswar as well as Puri. In fact non-corroding iron beams were being used extensively in building temples in Orissa dating back to the sixth and thirteenth centuries CE. Forge-welded iron cannons of India According to Bala, the forge welded cannons truly represent the mastery of iron ore mining, extraction and manufacturing technology of Indian blacksmiths. As opposed to cast iron cannon technology developed in Europe, Indians practiced forge welding technology and produced large cannons from direct reduced wrought iron. Bala has described in detail the technology as well as the history of some of the most massive forge-welded iron cannons in the world which are scattered all over the Indian subcontinent– Thanjavur, Dhaka, Murshidabad, Bishnupur, Jhansi, Assam, Tripura, Gulbarga, Bijapur, Bidar, Golconda, Hyderabad, and many Deccan forts. The cannon technology was a crucial element in the rise and fall of several dynasties in India such as the Mughals, Marathas, Sikhs and Rajputs. It is certain that the latest technologies prevalent in Europe were also known to Indians. For example when the British defeated Tipu Sultan in 1799, they were astonished by the quality of his cannon. Nine hundred and twenty seven cannon were captured after the fall of Srirangapatnam in 1799. European colonizers used superior cast iron cannons and also systematically destroyed the forge-welded cannons from the Indian forts, according to Bala.  Agarias, a tribe in Madhya Pradesh, are traditional iron smelters The above-mentioned examples illustrate the level of technological maturity achieved by Indian artisans and suggest the existence of a flourishing industry capable of producing iron and steel in hundreds of tons. It may be interesting to note that the British rated Indian iron highly and used it in preference to the iron produced by their own industry in making the famous “tubular bridge” in early nineteenth century across the Menai Straits in UK. It has also been recorded that 50 tons of Indian steel were used in the construction of the famous London Bridge in UK. Wootz Steel One of the greatest technological achievements to originate from the Indian subcontinent is Deccan Wootz Steel, often referred to as “the wonder material of the orient”. The world famous Damascus swords were made of Wootz steel and these were considered to be the most prized possessions and gift items (certainly more precious than gold and silver) by the aristocracy. There is no evidence to show that any of the nations of antiquity besides the Indians were acquainted with the art of making steel. The word Wootz is a distortion of the Kannada-Telugu word Ukku, for steel.  Asur tribesmen from Bihar are experts in iron smelting Quintus Curtis records for example that a present of steel cakes was made to Alexander of Macedonia by Porus after his defeat in 326 BCE. Sir Robert Hadfield, a metallurgist, has reported on the possibility of the use of the chisels made of Indian steel and Indian craftsmen in the construction of the massive Egyptian pyramids.  Massive forge welded cannon, Bhavani Shankar, at Rani Lakshmi Bai's fort in Jhansi Wootz steel is an iron carbon alloy containing 1 to 1.8% carbon produced by the crucible melting process invented in India. The basic process, even though not fully understood, consisted of heating direct reduced iron with other ingredients including charcoal contained in a closed clay crucible. The crucibles containing steel were carefully cooled so that the metal solidified at the bottom of the crucible. The Wootz steel cake was of high quality. That the cooling of the crucible was crucial was well known to Indian metallurgists of that era since different ways of cooling in the furnace itself, in dry sand heaps, in moist clay, or by quenching with water are all well documented. Carburization of iron to controlled levels of carbon is thus the key to manufacturing Wootz steel. This technology was mastered by Indians quite early in the history of civilization, as early as 810 BCE. Studies indicate that the crucibles excavated in Tamilnadu date back to 250 BCE. The blades made of Wootz steel showed an intricate wavy pattern on the surface. A judicious combination of high strength and excellent formability in steels to be able to make sharp blades remains a technological challenge to this day. In fact the rigorous research conducted to understand and master the Wootz steel technology in Europe laid the foundations of modern metallurgy. Decline of Indian iron and steel industry in Pre-British era Both Vibha Tripathi and Balasubramaniam also discuss the possible reasons of the decline of the iron and steel industry in India. Tripathi has a separate section in her book where she brings out the possible reasons of the decline and death of the indigenous iron and steel industry in India with the advent of the British colonialists. It is interesting that the steel plants which were commissioned in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century in India were based on imported European technology and had no connection with traditional Indian technology perfected over centuries. According to Vibha Tripathi “With industrialization and imperial designs of foreign rule a decline set in…….. The iron industry could not withstand the onslaught of the colonial forces working against its interests in a planned way. Once the blast furnaces came into existence in Britain, production started at a much cheaper rate…It could hardly compete with the cheap British pig iron being imported. …. The laws enforcing non-felling of trees in the forest deprived the charcoal based indigenous iron industry of its very basic raw material. It made production of iron impossible. The powerful lobby in Britain succeeded.” The colonizers succeeded in enslaving the Indian sub-continent in every sense of the word by systematically destroying the manufacturing capacity of India. Both the authors also ascribe the decline to the reluctance of master craftsmen to document the technological secrets and to share the knowledge with others except with their favored apprentices. Hence some of the technologies could not be developed further and declined with the decline of the fortunes of the select group of families who knew the process secrets. Tripathi and Bala passionately plead for supporting research into and revival of the ancient Indian method of making high strength, non-corroding, crucible steel and converting them to sharp cutting objects requiring high levels of formability. It is hoped that research on these topics by Indian professionals will unravel not only the technological mysteries of steel making but also the socio-economic and political circumstances which led to the decline of the Indian manufacturing industry. This analysis of the historical facts may also equip us to compete today in a world facing challenges of technology denial by big powers to those who need it. Both the books have high production values with good visuals, and the series editor Dr D P Agrawal, Infinity Foundation and Rupa Books need to be complimented for providing such valuable books on the history of Indian science and technology. (Dr Pradip is a well known Metallurgist and Material Scientist and a Fellow of Indian National Academy of Engineering, Pune http://www.medhajournal.com/articles/science/786-rise-and-fall-of-ancient-indias-iron-and-steel-metallurgy.html Ramachandra Rao, 1997, Iron and steel heritage of India -- contributions from the National Metallurgical Laboratory, in: Ranganathan, S. (ed.), ATM 97, Iron & Steel heritage of India, Jamshedpur, pp. 95-108 http://www.docstoc.com/docs/document-preview.aspx?doc_id=159598633 Iron and steel heritage of India -- contributions from the National Metallurgical Laboratory (P. Ramachandra Rao, 1997)  Srinivasan, S. and S. Ranganathan, 1997, Wootz steel: an advanced material of the ancient world, in: Ranganathan, S. (ed.), Iron & Steel heritage of India, ATM 97, Jamshedpur, pp. 69-82. http://www.docstoc.com/docs/document-preview.aspx?doc_id=159598806 wootzsteel  Juleff, G., S. Srinivasan & S. Ranganathan, 2011, Pioneering metallurgy. The origins of iron and steel making in the southern Indian subcontinent, Telangana Field Survey, Interim Report 2011, Bengaluru, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Indian Inst. of Science. http://freepdfdb.org/pdf/the-origins-of-iron-and-steel-making-in-the-southern-indian-40180761.html  Zinc and Brass in Archaeological Perspective J. S. KHARAKWAL1 AND L. K. GURJAR2 1JRN Rajasthan Vidyapeeth, Udaipur, 2Hindustan Zinc Limited, Udaipur Abstract Brass has a much longer history than zinc. There has been a bit of confusion about the early beginning of zinc as several claims are made out side of India. Both literary as well as archaeological records reveal that production of pure zinc had begun in the second half of the first millennium BC, though production on commercial scale begun in the early Medieval times. This paper attempts to examine the archaeological record and literary evidence to understand the actual beginning of brass and zinc in India. Introduction Zinc (Zn) is a non ferrous base metal, which is generally found in bluish-white, yellow, brown or in black colour. Its chief and important minerals are sphalerite or zinc blende, smithsonite, calamine, zincite, willemite and franklinite. As it boils at around 900° C, which is lower than the temperature it can be smelted at, therefore it is difficult to smelt this metal. Hence zinc technology was mastered later than that of copper and iron. For pure zinc production, therefore distillation technology was developed, in which India has the distinction of being the first. Zinc is used for galvanising iron and steel, brass making, alloying, manufacture of white pigment in chemicals and medicines. But in ancient times it was mainly used for brass making. In fact brass has a much longer history than zinc. Brass can be produced either by smelting copper ores containing zinc or copper and zinc ore in reduced condition or by mixing copper and zinc metals. Early evidence of zinc has been claimed from several parts of Europe and Middle East e.g., Switzerland, Greece, Cyprus and Palestine. But all these claims, except for the evidence of the sheet of zinc from the Athenian Agora (300 BC) are doubtful (Craddock et al., 1998: IS). Recent studies have shown that such small percentages of zinc may occur due to accidental use of copper ore associated with zinc or its ore. Brasses containing up to 25 percent zinc have been reported from the fifth and third millennium BC contexts from China, but it seems that they did not play any role in the development of zinc production technology in the Far East. It is generally held that the Chinese started using zinc and brass from the last quarter of the third century BC when the Han Dynasty flourished in China. Craddock and Zhou have suggested that zinc was introduced in China through Buddhism around 2000 years ago. However, Weirong and Xiangxi (1994: 16-17) inform that the earliest literary record about brass mentioned as tutty is known from the Buddhist literature belonging to the Tan dynasty (619-917 AD). Brass (thou-shih) was not a common commodity in the early centuries of the Christian Era at least prior to 3rd century AD in China. Bowman et al. (1989) have analysed 550 coins ranging from 3rd century BC (Zhao dynasty) to the late 19th century (Ch'ing dynasty). They have found that the percentage of zinc suddenly increased by 20% or even up to 28% in brasses of the early 17th century AD. It is also supported by the well known textual evidence of T'ien Kung K'ai Wu, written in 1637 (Sung and Sun 1966). It is the first definite evidence of metallic zinc in China, which also mentions details of alloys used for coins. Weirong (1993) has examined ancient Chinese literature and archaeological record and claims that metallic zinc was not used in China prior to the 16th century AD. As far as India is concerned the firm evidence of zinc smelting is known only from Rajasthan. The antiquity of mining various types of ores in Rajasthan goes back to Bronze Age (mid-fourth millennium BC) as the evidence of Ganeshwar-Jodhpura cultural complex in north Rajasthan and Ahar culture in southern Rajasthan would indicate (Agrawal and Kharakwal, 2003; Misra et al. 1995; Shinde et al. 2001-02). Both these cultural complexes have yielded over 5000 copper-bronze objects (Hooja and Kumar, 1995) ranging from 4th to 1st millennium BC. Apart from these, the Mesolithic site of Bagor in Bhilwara district also yielded a few copper arrowheads (Misra, 1973). There are large number of ancient copper, iron, lead working and smelting sites across Rajasthan in the Aravallis, indicating a long tradition of metallurgy. Besides metal tools, a variety of pottery, beads of semi precious stones, terracotta, paste and other antiquarian material is known from such early settlements. These early farmers were practicing diverse crafts using pyrotechnologies. It appears that large scale production of different metals e.g., copper at Singhana, Toda Dariba, Banera, Suras, Bhagal, Kotri, lead-silver at Ajmer, Agucha and Dariba, zinc at Zawar and iron at Dokan, Iswal, Karanpur, Loharia, Parsola, Bigod, Jhikari-Amargarh, belonging to the medieval times (Kharakwal, 2005) was the result of such long experience of metal technology involving pyrotechniques. In fact the Aravallis are a polymetallic zone like Anatolia. This paper is an attempt to present an overview of the archaeometallurgical researches on zinc and the position of zinc and brass in archaeological perspective in India. Zawar: The Oldest Production Center of Zinc Zawar (24°21'N; 73°43'E) is located on the bank of the River Tiri, about 38 km south of Udaipur town in the Aravalli hills in Rajasthan (Fig. 1). It is the only known ancient zinc smelting site in India (Craddock et al., 1985). The entire valley of Tiri at Zawar is marked by immense heaps of slag and retorts, which indicate a long tradition of zinc smelting at Zawar. On some slag-mounds are found remains of houses made of used retorts (Fig. 2) and stones, perhaps belonging to the smelters/smiths.  https://www.academia.edu/12078559/M._Vidale_R._Micheli_The_Function_of_a_Chlorite_Hand-Bag_of_the_Halil_Rud_Civilization_as_Inferred_from_its_Wear_Traces https://www.harappa.com/sites/default/files/pdf/Vidale%20%26%20Frenez%20_%20Konar%20Sandal%20seal.pdf http://poj.peeters-leuven.be/content.php?url=article&id=3053516 Vidale, Massimo, 2015, Searching for mythological themes on the 'jiroft' chlorite artefacts https://earthistheaim2.wordpress.com/2012/07/18/part-4-the-indo-european-chapter-27-the-marhashi/ http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0009/000944/094466e.pdf http://lukashevichus.info/knigi/mcintosh_ancient_indus_valley.pdf Mirror: http://tinyurl.com/o75bok6 Decipherment of Harappa zebu figurine with oval spots Slide 33. Early Harappan zebu figurine with incised spots from Harappa. Some of the Early Harappan zebu figurines were decorated. One example has incised oval spots. It is also stained a deep red, an extreme example of the types of stains often found on figurines that are usually found in trash and waste deposits. Approximate dimensions (W x H(L) x D): 1.8 x 4.6 x 3.5 cm. (Photograph by Richard H. Meadow) http://www.harappa.com/figurines/33.html The oval spots are shaped like the copper ingots shown on this photograh of Maysar, c. 2200 BCE: Maysar c.2200 BCE Packed copper ingots INGOTS mūhā mẽṛhẽt = iron smelted by the Kolhes and formed into an equilateral lump a little pointed at each of four ends (Santali) Decipherment of the Harappa figurine on Slide 33:  पोळ [pōḷa], 'zebu' Rebus: magnetite, citizen.(See: http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2015/08/zebu-archaeometallurgy-legacy-of-india.html)  mūhā mẽṛhẽt = iron smelted by the Kolhes and formed into an equilateral lump a little pointed at each of four ends (Santali)  खोट (p. 212) [ khōṭa ] f A mass of metal (unwrought or of old metal melted down); an ingot or wedge. (Marathi) The figurine signifies ingots of  पोळ [pōḷa], ‘magnetite’. This is a metalwork catalogue message in Indus Script Corpora. Mirror: http://tinyurl.com/pb2xnhj Thanks to Holly Pittman, DT Potts, Massimo Vidale and Dennys Frenez, who have described the cylinder seals of 3rd millennium BCE from Abu Dhabi (Arabia) and Konar Sandal (Iran), Indus Script hieroglyph multiplexes deployed are identified as rebus-metonymy layered cipher cataloguing metalwork -- in Prakritam. This is mlecchita vikalpa, meluhha cipher. See: http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2015/08/bhirrana-to-mehrgarh-and-beyond-in.html "The hypothesis which is validated in historical chronology of peoples’ movements in Eurasia is that Meluhha artisans and merchants of Sarasvati-Sindhu Civilization moved to spread the archaeometallurgical initiatives of alloying. They had invented a unique writing system with hieroglyph multiplexes as signifiers to compile metalwork catalogues." This is consistent with the evidence of Baudhāyana Śrauta Sūtra  18.44:397.9 sqq which records: Ayu migrated eastwards. His (people) are the Kuru-Pancalas and the Kasi-Videhas.  This is the Ayava (migration). Amavasumigrated westwards. His (people) are the Ghandhari, Parsu and Aratta.  This is the Amavasu (migration).  See:  https://www.academia.edu/14548989/Bhirrana_to_Mehrgarh_and_beyond_in_the_civilization_contact_areas_from_8th_millennium_BCE 1. Abu Dhabi cylinder seal: Metalwork catalog, smelter Pittman and Potts, The earliest cylinder seal in the Arabian Peninsula, Arab. arch. epig. 2009: 20: 109-121 (2009) "A cylinder seal of Late Uruk (late fourth millennium BC) type from Abu Dhabi is presented and analysed. Comparisons with excavated finds from elsewhere in the Near East are discussed. An inventory of cylinder seals from sites in the UAE and the Sultanate of Oman shows that cylinder seal use,while not unknown in the region, was never very great. The ways in which the seal may have arrived at its eventual place of discovery are described and the significance of the seal is assessed...Because a number of examples (Fig. 7) were found at the single-period site of Jamdat Nasr in southern Iraq where, early in the excavation, E.J.H. Mackay found over a dozen seals associated with tablets and sealings, this type was originally associated with the ‘Jamdat Nasr’ horizon (c.3100–2900 BCE) in Mesopotamia. Roger Matthews has suggested that because there were two unfinished seals within the group discovered by Mackay, the Jamdat Nasr examples may have comefrom a seal workshop (Matthews 2002: 17)...The scene consists of two females with pigtails facing each other. Each of themis seated on a low platform, extending both arms, bent upward at the elbow, towards a spider-like figure. Behind the right-facing female (in the impres-sion) is a headless quadruped oriented vertically with its legs bent inwards, accompanied on the left by a second spider-like figure... It has been speculated by many scholars that Mesopotamian contact withsouth-eastern Arabia at this time was stimulated bya desire to acquire copper, and that objects such asthe Jamdat Nasr style jars found in the U.A.E. andOman may have been exchanged for copper ingots(e.g. Potts 1990b: 89–92). If the Abu Dhabi seal wasnot transported to its final resting place thousands of years after its manufacture, it may well have beenamongst a range of goods brought by traders fromsouthern Mesopotamia desirous of obtaining copperto take back to their homeland. Seasonal migration between the mountainous interior and the coast has been well documented for the earlier fifth-millennium BCE population of BHS 18 at Jabal Buhais in the interior of Sharjah. The excavators ‘consider BHS 18a ‘‘base camp’’ where the nomadic population spentthe spring part of its yearly cycle before moving tothe Hajar Mountains in summer and to coastal sitesin winter’. Despite the forbidding nature of the desert of western Abu Dhabi, this kind of movement could well account forthe deposition of a cylinder seal in such a sandy environment, far from the sites where other evidence of contact between Mesopotamia and the communities of south-eastern Arabia c.3000 BC has been found." https://www.academia.edu/1996505/Pittman_and_Potts_2009_The_earliest_cylinder_seal_in_the_Arabian_Peninsula Photograph of a modern impression of the seal from Abu Dhabi. Drawing of the scene on the seal from Abu Dhabi (H. Pittman). Exterior surface of the cylinder seal from Abu Dhabi, showingthe drilled and engraved form of a spider-like creature. Hieroglyph: kuṛī f. ʻ girl, daughter ʼ: kola 'woman' (Nahali. Assamese) *kuḍa1 ʻ boy, son ʼ, °ḍī ʻ girl, daughter ʼ. [Prob. ← Mu. (Sant. Muṇḍari koṛa ʻ boy ʼ, kuṛi ʻ girl ʼ, Ho koa, kui, Kūrkū kōn, kōnjē); or ← Drav. (Tam. kur̤a ʻ young ʼ, Kan. koḍa ʻ youth ʼ) T. Burrow BSOAS xii 373. Prob. separate from RV. kŕ̊tā -- ʻ girl ʼ H. W. Bailey TPS 1955, 65. -- Cf. kuḍáti ʻ acts like a child ʼ Dhātup.] NiDoc. kuḍ'aǵa ʻ boy ʼ, kuḍ'i ʻ girl ʼ; Ash. kūˊṛə ʻ child, foetus ʼ, istrimalī -- kuṛäˊ ʻ girl ʼ; Kt. kŕū, kuŕuk ʻ young of animals ʼ; Pr. kyúru ʻ young of animals, child ʼ, kyurú ʻ boy ʼ, kurīˊ ʻ colt, calf ʼ; Dm. kúŕa ʻ child ʼ, Shum. kuṛ; Kal. kūŕ*lk ʻ young of animals ʼ; Phal. kuṛĭ̄ ʻ woman, wife ʼ; K. kūrü f. ʻ young girl ʼ, kash. kōṛī, ram. kuṛhī; L. kuṛā m. ʻ bridegroom ʼ, kuṛī f. ʻ girl, virgin, bride ʼ, awāṇ. kuṛī f. ʻ woman ʼ; P. kuṛī f. ʻ girl, daughter ʼ, P. bhaṭ.WPah. khaś. kuṛi, cur. kuḷī, cam. kǒḷā ʻ boy ʼ, kuṛī ʻ girl ʼ; -- B. ã̄ṭ -- kuṛā ʻ childless ʼ (ã̄ṭa ʻ tight ʼ)? -- X pṓta -- 1: WPah. bhad. kō ʻ son ʼ, kūī ʻ daughter ʼ, bhal. ko m., koi f., pāḍ. kuā, kōī, paṅ. koā, kūī. (CDIAL 3245) Hieroglyph: spider: kōlika m. ʻ weaver ʼ Yaśast., kaulika -- Pañcat. [EWA i 273 ← *kōḍika -- (in Tam. kōṭikar ʻ weaver ʼ) ~ Mu. word for ʻ spider ʼ in Pk. mak -- kōḍā -- s.v. markaṭa -- ] Pk. kōlia -- m. ʻ weaver, spider ʼ; S. korī m. ʻ weaver ʼ, koriaṛo m. ʻ spider ʼ; Ku. koli ʻ weaver ʼ, Or. (Sambhalpur) kuli, H. kolī, kolhī m. ʻ Hindu weaver ʼ; G. koḷī m. ʻ a partic. Śūdra caste ʼ; M. koḷī m. ʻ a caste of watercarriers, a sort of spider ʼ; -- G. karoḷiyɔ, karāliyɔ m. ʻ spider ʼ is in form the same as karoḷiyɔ ʻ potter ʼ < kaulālá -- .WPah.kṭg. koḷi m. ʻ low -- caste man ʼ, koḷəṇ, kc. koḷiṇ f. ʻ his wife ʼ(CDIAL 3535) Rebus: kolhe 'smelter'; Ta. kol working in iron, blacksmith; kollaṉ blacksmith.  Ma. kollan  blacksmith, artificer. Ko. kole·l smithy, temple in Kota village. To. kwala·l Kota smithy. Ka. kolime, kolume, kulame, kulime, kulume, kulme fire-pit, furnace; (Bell.; U.P.U.) konimi blacksmith (Gowda) kolla id. Koḍ. kollë blacksmith. Te. kolimi furnace.  Go. (SR.)  kollusānā to mend implements; (Ph.) kolstānā, kulsānā to forge; (Tr.) kōlstānā to repair (of ploughshares); (SR.) kolmi smithy (Voc. 948). Kuwi (F.) kolhali to forge. (DEDR 2133) P. kolhār m. ʻ oil factory ʼ; Bi. kolhuār ʻ sugarcane mill and boiling house ʼ.(CDIAL 3537) 2. Konar Sandal white marble cylinder seal: metalwork repertoire catalogue Massimo Vidale and Dennys Frenez, 2015, Indus components in the iconography of a white marble cylinder seal from Konar Sandal South (Kerman, Iran) in: South Asian Studies Vol. 31, No. 1, pp.144-154 "This paper presents a detailed analysis of the iconography carved on a cylinder seal found in a metallurgical sitewithin the archaeological complex of Konar Sandal South, near Jiroft, in the Halil river valley of the Kerman province, south-eastern Iran. This seal is made of a whitish marble and  even if heavily worn by use it retainstraces of different animal figures. These animals represent the translation into local style of a rare but characteristic iconography found in the seal production of the Indus Civilization. The merging into a single seal of different animals, some of which clearly belong to the standard animal series of the Indus seals, might have provided theowner with a special authority that allowed him/her to hold different administrative functions. Moreover, the discovery at Konar Sandal South of a cylinder seal bearing an Indus-related iconography might further testify to the direct interest of Indus merchants and probably craftsmen in trade exchanges with a major early urban site in south-eastern Iran."https://www.academia.edu/11850285/Indus_Components_in_the_Iconography_of_a_White_Marble_Cylinder_Seal_from_Konar_Sandal_South_Kerman_Iran_  Photographs of the cylinder seal in white marble found at Konar Sandal South in the excavation of Trench IX. Courtesy of Halil  Rud Archaeological Project Drawing of the animals carved on the cylinder seal found at Konar Sandal South. "The cylinder seal published by Pittman is 23.97 mm long and has a maximum diameter at the base of 12.42mm. It is made of whitish marble with pale brown shadows...This seal has a zebu depicted in front of a small round object...The main subject of this seal and its iconographic arrangement are clearly Indus, but the engraving technique based on drill-holes links it to the copper seal from Konar Sandal South and with other stamp seals found in Oman, further stressing the intense cultural interactions that occurred between Eastern Arabia, Iran and the Indus Valley during the second half of the third millennium BCE...The second creature is an Indus unicorn...Image 3.3...probably belong to the head of an Indus buffalo...Image 3.4...may represent the long ears of a large, evidently disproportionate, hare or rabbit...Image 3.5...(maybe) a markhor wild goat (Capra folconeri) or a blackbuck antelope (Antilope cervicapra)...Considered all together, these animals may symbolize something more than a simple list or procession, representing instead the physical disembodiment of a concept represented on two similar Indus whirl-like images on stamp seals...In general, the Halil Rud animal imagery more directly linked to the iconography of the Indus civilization suggests a precise knowledge of very important eastern symbols, but also a strategic will of subverting their original implications, adapting them to the local style and tradition. More likely, the cylinder seal found at Konar Sandal South bears the linear translation of a similar rotatory template...The uncommon iconographies with multiple animal heads present in Indus seals production are still a mystery, but the most reasonable addumption is that animals and fantastic creatures represented different identities, social roles, and/or social segment of the developing universe...The white marble cylinder seal on study was found inthe excavation of Trench IX, a large trench (15 x 20 m)dug in a low mound  c. 500 m south-east of Konar Sandal South. In the same area, eight furnaces built onceramic jars operated on massive mud-bricks platforms.As stated by the excavator: Close to the furnaces, clear evidence of craft activitywas found including nearly five kilos of copper slag,fragments of ingots, and open molds. In addition, a number of copper and bronze objects and tools suchas chisels, stone vessels in marble, and steatite/chlorite,microlithic tools, and a large number of clay objects possibly connected with pyrotechnical activities havealso been recovered. It was evidently a neighbourhood occupied by a com-munity specialized in roasting and smelting copper ores and casting various types of artefacts in moulds and thorough lost-wax processes...The presence of a cylinder sealbearing a distinctive even if rare – Indus iconographysupports the hypothesis of a specific interest and actualfrequentation of Indus merchants and craftsmen, or of families maintaining formal ties with the Indus communities, in the copper ore deposits of the Kerman-Halilriver region. (Note: Originally put forward in S. Ashtana, 'Harappans interest in Kirman', Man and Environment, 3 (1979), 55-60. See also S. Ashtana, 'Harappan trade in metals and minerals: a regional approach, in Harappan civilization: a recent perspective, ed. by GL Possehl, 2nd edn, New Delhi, Oxford & IBH, 1993, pp. 271-86)." Hieroglyph: पोळ (p. 534) [ pōḷa ] m A bull dedicated to the gods, marked with a trident and discus, and set at large (Marathi) Rebus: pōḷa 'magnetite' (metal) Hieroglyph: koḍiyum ‘young bull’ (G.) koḍ ’horn’ (Kuwi) koṭiyum ‘rings on neck; a wooden circle put round the neck of an animal’ (Gujarati.) खोंडा [khōṇḍā] m A कांबळा of which one end is formed into a cowl or hood (Marathi). kõdā ‘to turn in a lathe’(B.)खोंड (p. 216) [ khōṇḍa ] m A young bull, a bullcalf. कोंडवाड [ kōṇḍavāḍa ] n f C (कोंडणें & वाडा) A pen or fold for cattle. Rebus: কুঁদ (p. 0238) [ kun̐da ] n a (turner's) lathe kundAr 'workshop of metals turner (mixer of metals to create alloys) or artisan working in a smithy/forge' -- 'a brass-worker, engraver, turner'.  कोंद kōnda ‘engraver, lapidary setting or infixing gems’ (Marathi) kũdār ‘turner, brass-worker’(Bengali) খোদকার [ khōdakāra ] n an engraver; a carver (Oriya).  Hieroglyph: combined animals: सांगड (p. 840) [ sāṅgaḍa f A body formed of two or more (fruits, animals, men) linked or joined together. (Marathi) Hieroglyph multiplex normally shown in front of the one-horned young bull: sãghāṛɔ 'lathe' (Gujarati. Desi). Rebus: sanghāṭa 'collection, binding together, alloying'.   Rebus: Vajra Sanghāta 'binding together': Mixture of 8 lead, 2 bell-metal, 1 iron rust constitute adamantine glue. Vajra sanghāta 'alloying, binding together': Mixture of 8 lead, 2 bell-metal, 1 iron rust constitute adamantine glue. The context is clearly metallic mixing practised on a fire-altar, a furnace/smelter. Hieroglyph: sãghāṛɔ 'lathe' (Gujarati. Desi) sangaḍa ‘lathe’ (Marathi) Rebus: जांगड [jāngaḍ] ‘a tally of products delivered into the warehouse ‘for approval’ (Marathi). Rebus: koḍ ’artisan’s workshop’ (Kuwi) cf. खोट [ khōṭa ] f A mass of metal (unwrought or of old metal melted down); an ingot or wedge.(Marathi) sãgaḍ, sãghāṛɔ, sangāṭh  (part of turner's apparatus, lathe, collection of materials) in languages (Marathi, Gujarati, Kashmiri)  Hieroglyph: Ku. N. rã̄go ʻ buffalo bull ʼ(CDIAL 10559). Rebus: ranku 'tin' (Santali) Hieroglyph: miṇḍāl markhor (Tor.wali) meḍho a ram, a sheep (G.)(CDIAL 10120) mēṇḍha2 m. ʻ ram ʼ, °aka -- , mēṇḍa -- 4, miṇḍha -- 2, °aka -- , mēṭha -- 2, mēṇḍhra -- , mēḍhra -- 2, °aka -- m. lex. 2. *mēṇṭha- (mēṭha -- m. lex.). 3. *mējjha -- . [r -- forms (which are not attested in NIA.) are due to further sanskritization of a loan -- word prob. of Austro -- as. origin (EWA ii 682 with lit.) and perh. related to the group s.v. bhēḍra -- ] 1. Pa. meṇḍa -- m. ʻ ram ʼ, °aka -- ʻ made of a ram's horn (e.g. a bow) ʼ; Pk. meḍḍha -- , meṁḍha -- (°ḍhī -- f.), °ṁḍa -- , miṁḍha -- (°dhiā -- f.), °aga -- m. ʻ ram ʼ, Dm. Gaw. miṇ Kal.rumb. amŕn/aŕə ʻ sheep ʼ (a -- ?); Bshk. mināˊl ʻ ram ʼ; Tor. miṇḍ ʻ ram ʼ, miṇḍāˊl ʻ markhor ʼ; Chil. mindh*ll ʻ ram ʼ AO xviii 244 (dh!), Sv. yēṛo -- miṇ; Phal. miṇḍ, miṇ ʻ ram ʼ, miṇḍṓl m. ʻ yearling lamb, gimmer ʼ; P. mẽḍhā m.,°ḍhī f., ludh. mīḍḍhā, mī˜ḍhā m.; N. meṛho, meṛo ʻ ram for sacrifice ʼ; A. mersāg ʻ ram ʼ ( -- sāg < *chāgya -- ?), B. meṛā m., °ṛi f., Or. meṇḍhā, °ḍā m., °ḍhi f., H. meṛh, meṛhā, mẽḍhā m., G. mẽḍhɔ, M.mẽḍhā m., Si. mäḍayā. 2. Pk. meṁṭhī -- f. ʻ sheep ʼ; H. meṭhā m. ʻ ram ʼ.3. H. mejhukā m. ʻ ram ʼ. A. also mer (phonet. mer) ʻ ram ʼ (CDIAL 10310) Rebus: meḍh ‘helper of merchant’ (Gujarati) meḍ iron (Ho.) meṛed-bica = iron stone ore, in contrast to bali-bica, iron sand ore (Munda) Hieroglyph: goat: Ka. mēke she-goat; mē the bleating of sheep or goats. Te. mē̃ka, mēka goat. Kol. me·ke id. Nk. mēke id. Pa. mēva, (S.) mēya she-goat. Ga. (Oll.) mēge, (S.) mēge goat. Go. (M) mekā, (Ko.) mēkaid. ? Kur. mēxnā (mīxyas) to call, call after loudly, hail. Malt. méqe to bleat. [Te. mr̤ēka (so correct) is of unknown meaning. Br. mēḻẖ is without etymology; see MBE 1980a.] / Cf. Skt. (lex.) meka- goat. (DEDR 5087) Rebus: milakkhu 'copper' (Pali) [quote] The Indus Valley sites display a highly sophisticated technology of copper and bronze metalworking, even in the earliest excavated levels of the major cities (Lamberg-Karlovsky 1967). Issues with the integrity of the stratigraphy of early excavations of these major Indus sites makes it harder for present-day archaeologists to track the different developmental stages of the civilization's metallurgy though. However, based upon the wide array of metal artifacts found in these early deposits, it is suggested that these advanced metallurgical skills were known to the inhabitants of the Indus Valley before city constructions began and possibly originated in previous cultures to the west from which the Indus people progressed from.  A large variety of bronze and  copper artifacts have been recovered from all Indus sites. The most common types are flat axes, chisels, fishhooks, bracelets, arrowheads, spearheads, knives, razors, mirrors, and saws.  Examples of types of tools and metal works (Lamberg-Karlovsky 1967) Indus metal working used many kinds of manufacturing processes. For example, from the artifact types mentioned above- flat axes and mirrors were made by open-mold casting; thick knives and chisels were hammered from rods of bronze or copper; and razors, saws, and arrow and spear heads were chiseled from thinly hammered sheets of copper. Unfortunately, little is known about the means of production used by the Indus metal workers because very little remains of tools or architecture required to perform such a craft. The only two examples for possible metallurgy workshops in the whole of the Indus Valley were discovered at Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa. In a large building close to the Great Bath at Mohenjo-Daro a brick lined pit was discovered with an incredible amount of copper ore that archaeologists have interpreted as a smelting pit  and possibly a casting site. The whole building is thought to have housed the city's metal workers. Also, the only furnace construction found in the region was discovered in the city of Harappa and was constructed to have been powered by large effective bellows positioned above the furnace (Lamberg-Karlovsky 1967). [unquote] http://eidaughertyclassblog.blogspot.in/2013/11/indus-valley-civilization-and.html Harappa.com | A new paper by Denys Frenez and Massimo... A new paper by Denys Frenez and Massimo Vidale examines a curious artifact of the newly emerging Halil Rud civilization in Southeastern Iran contemporary with Harappan civilization that includes hallmarks of Indus iconography with notable twists. Translated Symbols. Reminiscences in a Carved Chlorite Artefact of the Halil Rud Civilization shows how much we are slowly beginning to learn about how Indus symbolism and belief systems intersected with the wider Near Eastern region, and suggest that there is so much to still be learned as future artifacts come to light. Two of the most and imaginative – and careful – archaeologists working on the region today offer another fascinating meditation on an object with multiple ramifications, while addressing the complexities of working with yet another looted object that is escaping the kind of analysis and study it deserves. Also summarizes what we know about the so-called Halil Rud civilization, which many suspect was the Marhashi/Parhashum civilization referred to in ancient texts but whose physical location seems to only have become apparent after the floods of 2001 in the Jiroft valley led to the exposure of thousands of ancient graves. Read the article at https://www.harappa.com/…/translated-symbols-indus-reminisc… Read the full story at: www.facebook.com Chakravarthi and Kiran Chowdary. June 21, 2016 ·  A new paper by Denys Frenez and Massimo Vidale examines a curious artifact of the newly emerging Halil Rud civilization in Southeastern Iran contemporary with Harappan civilization that includes hallmarks of Indus iconography with notable twists. Translated Symbols. Reminiscences in a Carved Chlorite Artefact of the Halil Rud Civilization shows how much we are slowly beginning to learn about how Indus symbolism and belief systems intersected with the wider Near Eastern region, and suggest that there is so much to still be learned as future artifacts come to light. Two of the most and imaginative – and careful – archaeologists working on the region today offer another fascinating meditation on an object with multiple ramifications, while addressing the complexities of working with yet another looted object that is escaping the kind of analysis and study it deserves. Also summarizes what we know about the so-called Halil Rud civilization, which many suspect was the Marhashi/Parhashum civilization referred to in ancient texts but whose physical location seems to only have become apparent after the floods of 2001 in the Jiroft valley led to the exposure of thousands of ancient graves. https://www.facebook.com/AncientIndus/posts/10154303189264846 http://iran.leadstories.com/1291727-harappacom-a-new-paper-by-denys-frenez-and-massimo.html The Indus Civilization Through a Halil Rud Civilization Object June 21st, 2016 1. Carved chlorite plaque of the Halil Rud civilization inspired to the Indus unicorn motif (size not available) 2. Major sites of the Indus Civilization and other contemporaneous sites with commercial relations with the Indus Valley 3. Main types of chlorite carved containers and other artifacts of the Halil Rud Civilization (courtesy Y. Madjidzadeh) 4. Indus unicorn motif represented on stamp seals and amulets in steatite; b) Indus ritual 'filter' or 'standard' represented on stamp seals in steatite, miniature tablets and figurines in terracotta and ivory (courtesy A. Parpola and Harappa Archaeological Research Project) [quote] A new paper by Denys Frenez and Massimo Vidale examines a curious artifact of the newly emerging Halil Rud civilization in Southeastern Iran contemporary with Harappan civilization that includes hallmarks of Indus iconography with notable twists. Translated Symbols. Reminiscences in a Carved Chlorite Artefact of the Halil Rud Civilization shows how much we are slowly beginning to learn about how Indus symbolism and belief systems intersected with the wider Near Eastern region, and suggest that there is so much to still be learned as future artifacts come to light. Two of the most and imaginative – and careful – archaeologists working on the region today offer another fascinating meditation on an object with multiple ramifications, while addressing the complexities of working with yet another looted object that is escaping the kind of analysis and study it deserves. Also summarizes what we know about the so-called Halil Rud civilization, which many suspect was the Marhashi/Parhashum civilization referred to in ancient texts but whose physical location seems to only have become apparent after the floods of 2001 in the Jiroft valley led to the exposure of thousands of ancient graves. Article [unquote] https://www.harappa.com/blog/indus-civilization-through-halil-rud-civilization-object Translated symbols.Indus Reminiscences in a carved Chlorite Artefact of the Halil Rud Civilization Autores: Massimo Vidale Dennys Frenez Localización: Rivista di Archeologia, ISSN 0392-0895, Nº. 38, 2014, págs. 7-18 Idioma: italiano Resumen The paper presents an exceptional artefact of the Halil Rud or Marhashi Civilization, a stone plaque (apparently made of chlorite) carefully carved with figures originally inlaid with semiprecious materials. This sculpture is the result of a unique process of selection and transformation of some specific motifs of the Indus Civilization. The iconography includes a standing female zebu attacked on the hump by a beast of prey, while its calf suckles from below. In front of the animals stands a large pedestalled cup. The general scene, including the female zebu and the pedestalled cup, is a literal citation of the basic compositional model of the famous unicorn represented along with the so-called ritual filter on the steatite stamp seals of the Indus Civilization. On the other hand, it shows an impressive series of inversions respect to the Indus prototype, possibly due to the ‘translation’ of the original system of values by the means of local symbols. Halil Rud Civilization: Shahdad Shahdad Halil-Rud Civilization تمدن هلیل رود- شهداد Ever since the excavations of Ali Hakemi at the site of Shahdad at the edge of the Dasht-I Lut, we have understood that the Bronze Age communities of the Iranian plateau played a central role in the greater ancient world system of exchange that connected all of the Middle East during the 3rd millennium BC. When published in comprehensive form, Hakimi’s results, combined with Tal-I Iblis and Yahya, allowed us to begin to sketch picture of long distance interaction that began with the arrival of the proto- Elamites into the region around 3000 BC and intensified for a millennium before it faded in response to environmental challenges. With additional data coming from the recent excavation at the sites of Konar Sandal South and North in the Halil River Valley, we can now begin to construct a picture of interaction that puts the region of Kerman as a central nexus of interaction in all directions. (Pittman 2011) Prehistoric Shahdad was a major Bronze Age centre discovered at the edge of the Dasht-e-Lut in 1968. From that point up until the early 1970s, the late professor ALI HAKEMI of the Archaeological Institute of Iran supervised intensive excavations at Shahdad over seven consecutive seasons, revealing extensive evidence for a sophisticated civilization using a range of elite artifacts, elaborate metalwork technology, complex burial practices and archaic pictographs. In many ways, the late 1960s and 1970s were a truly pioneering period for the archaeology of southeast Iran, and work at sites like Shahdad, Tal-e Iblis, and Tepe Yahya revolutionized our understanding of Iran in the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC. Since the publication of the monumental volume “SHAHDAD - Archaeological Excavations of a Bronze Age Center in Iran” by ISMEO in 1997, there have been several major books published on the archaeology of southeast Iran, and extensive new excavations at several mound sites, including Konar Sandal at Jiroft in the Halil Rud plain. Five Linear Elamite texts inscribed on metal vessels (W, X, Y, Z and A’) have been recently ‘published’. Through their comparison with the susian Linear Elamite documents corpus, they permit to identify several graphical variants for the same sign. This consideration about graphical variations in Linear Elamite writing gives a better understanding of the only inscription (S) found up to now in Shahdad. Then will be particularly examined the sign probably used to note down the sound in, for which ‘occidental’ variations (in Susa and Marv Dasht plain), different from ‘oriental’ ones (in Shahdad and Konar Sandal), have been identified. ( Desset, 2011) We sampled a small collection of copper working indicators (slag, crucibles, kiln linings, possibly ore fragments) from 4th and 3rd millennium BCE settlement areas of Shahdad. These finds were investigate by the means of XRD, SEM and metallographic analysis, providing preliminary information on the type of metallurgical processes carried out in the site and their changes in time.( Vidale, 2011) Southeast of Iran especially Kerman region has played an important role during the fourth and third millennium BC due to its rich Mines. The most important metallurgical analysis is Hakemi’s work, which have been carried out on Shahdad samples. He has analyzed these samples through AAS, EDAX, SEM and XRFS. Results of his analyses show that high percentage of the coppers in the Shahdad objects testify that craftsmen of Shahdad had not alloyed copper and tin during the 4th and 3rd millennium BC; however a few samples showed that they might have been aware to alloy copper and tin. ( Mortazavi, 2011) The finds of objects made of a special type of coralline limestone are distributed over a vast area that extends from the Persian Gulf and the eastern Iranian Plateau to Mesopotamia. While two manufacturing areas of this stone have been recently identified at Shahdad (see the related paper of Vidale, Desset, Pignatti and Conti), a group of such objects found in excavations at Tello (ancient Girsu) and bearing dedicatory inscriptions of rulers of the so-called Second Dynasty of Lagash, or of high-ranking officials in their service, attest to trade relationships between the independent city-state of Lagash and the East (possibly the area of Shahdad) throughout several generations. These objects are also remarkable in that they represent a unique class of prestige goods and votive artefacts: indeed, in Mesopotamia, they are almost exclusively found at Lagash and for a relatively short period of time. An argument is presented that the ancient name of the stone of which they were made was pirig-gùnu, "spotted lion," that is "leopard spotted stone" - a name that recalls one of the animal symbols par excellence in the Iranian art of the third millennium BC. (Marchesi, 2011) Between 1967 and 1970 three sites in Eastern Iran, Shahdad, Shahr-i Sokhta, Tepe Yahya, contributed to open a new perspective on the emergence of civilization in the Ancient Orient filling the geographic gap between the Near East and the Indian Subcontinent, proving that political complexity and economic wealth had been equally shared by the all agricultural heartlands east of Mesopotamia. While trade circuits and exchange networks did connect desert highlands and alluvial floodplains in a mosaic of polities culturally linked in spite of the autarchic structure of their economies. (Tosi, 2011) https://www.facebook.com/pg/Jiroft.Ancient.Civilization/photos/?tab=album&album_id=504061502983973 HALIL RUD, river in the Jiroft and Kahnuj dis-tricts of Kerman Province in southeastern Iran, which stretches a total length of 390 km at an average gradi-ent of 0.8 percent. It originates at an elevation of about 3,300 m, from the Hazār mountains in the borough of Sar-Mašk about 96 km northwest of Jiroft. At first it flows in a southwestern direction into the borough of Bahr-Āsmān, where it is joined by Rudār and Rābar, after which it runs south along the foothills of Bahr-Āsmān to the village of Bani-Suḵta, where its waters are mixed with those of Šaṣt-Fič and Gordān. After this point, it flows instead in a southeastern direction, reaching the Jiroft Dam at its junction with Narāb. It then continues towards the village of Sezāb, beyond which it enters the central borough of the city of Jiroft, where it is joined by Rud-Šur-e-Jiroft. Next, it separates the boroughs of Moḥammad-ābād and Ḵātun-ābād from each other, and flows through the boroughs of Ḥosayn-ābād, Dowsāri, and Ganj-ābād, where a number of small, seasonal rivers merge with it. Halil Rud then enters the borough of Rudbār, in the district of Kahnuj, on its way to its final destination, namely the Jāzmuriān depression in the heart of Baluchistan, at a point 119 km to the south of Kahnuj. Halil Rud’s annual precipitation is 260 mm. With a basin area of 23,150 km2 and an average annual discharge of 215 m3, it is the most important river in the whole of Kerman Province, where it makes possible the remarkable agricultural prosperity of the fertile plain of Jiroft. Bibliography: Masʿud Kayhān, Comprehensive Geography of Iran I, Tehran, 1931. N. Amiri-Nežād, “Vižagihā-ye ṭabiʿi-e ḥawża-ye āb-ḵiz-e Halil rud” (Physical characteristics of the Halil-Rud Basin), M.Sc. Thesis, Šāhed-Behešti University, 1373 Š./1994. ʿAbbās Jaʿfari, Gitā-šenāsi-e Irān II (Rudhā wa rud-nāma), Tehran, 1997, p. 480. (M. H. Ganji) Originally Published: December 15, 2003 Last Updated: March 1, 2012 This article is available in print. Vol. XI, Fasc. 6, p. 587 http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/halil-rud http://www.arasartgallery.com/jiroft.html http://www.iranicaonline.org/img/v14f6/jiroft_ii-fig1.jpg Lapis lazuli pin head of the Halil Rud civilisation (Iran, 3rd millennium BCE)http://exorientelux.org/in-gratitude/ Jiroft Is Lost Link Of Chain Of Civilization: Majidzadeh Mehr News ^ | 1-12-2007  Posted on 14/01/2007, 04:45:01 by blam Jiroft is lost link of chain of civilization: Majidzadeh TEHRAN, Jan. 12 (MNA) -- Iranian archaeologist Yusef Majidzadeh believes that Jiroft is the lost link of the chain of civilization and says it has such a significant civilization that he would be proud to be named an honorary citizen of the ancient site. In a seminar entitled “Jiroft, the Cradle of Oriental Civilization” held in Kerman on Thursday, he said, “The history of civilization in Jiroft dates back to 2700 BC and the third millennium civilization is the lost link of the chain of civilization which archaeologists have long sought. “We do not deny the Mesopotamian civilization, but we believe that the Jiroft civilization is of equal importance to the Mesopotamian. The only difference is that the Mesopotamian civilization had cultural continuity while the Jiroft civilization suffered from ups and downs for natural reasons. Thus it emerged in a certain period and was buried at a later time.” Located next to the Halil-Rud River in the southern province of Kerman, Jiroft came into the spotlight nearly five years ago when reports of extensive illegal excavations and plundering of the priceless historical items of the area by local people surfaced. Since 2002, five excavation seasons have been carried out at the Jiroft site under the supervision of Professor Majidzadeh, leading to the discovery of a ziggurat made of more than four million mud bricks dating back to about 2200 BC. Many ancient ruins and interesting artifacts have been excavated by archaeologists at the Jiroft ancient site, which is known as the “archeologists’ lost heaven”. After the numerous unique discoveries in the region, Majidzadeh declared Jiroft to be the cradle of art. Many scholars questioned the theory due to the fact that no writings had yet been discovered at the site, but shortly afterwards his team discovered inscriptions at Konar-Sandal Ziggurat, which caused experts to reconsider their views on Jiroft. During the seminar, Majidzadeh elaborated on the latest theories about ancient Jiroft while showing slides of a number of artifacts discovered in the region. “The artifacts show that the region had advanced industries and art. The bas-reliefs and engravings on the artifacts show that the region had at least a 500-year history of art before the objects were created,” Majidzadeh said. He has held regular programs to educate the local people on the importance of ancient Jiroft in order to discourage illegal excavations and smuggling of artifacts from the region. “Almost all of the people who once were the smugglers of these artifacts are now helping teams of archaeologists working in the region,” Majidzadeh explained. Last December, he suggested that archaeologists use the term Proto-Iranian instead of Proto-Elamite for the pre-cuneiform script in use at several sites. He argued that the inscriptions recently discovered at Konar-Sandal and at some other ancient sites in Iran are older than the oldest inscriptions, like Inshushinak, found at Elamite sites. What Was Jiroft? “...I took the pick in my hand and started to help dig out what turned out to be a remarkably well-preserved stamp-seal impression,” Madjidzadeh recalls, now back at his home in the Mediterranean port city of Nice, France." Painstakingly extracting the five-centimeter- (2"-) long rectangle from the trench wall’s packed clay, the archeologist turned it to the sunlight. Amid faintly inscribed lines and images of human and animal figures, he was amazed to discover what appeared to be an unfamiliar form of writing. To Madjidzadeh, the seal impression came as his first evidence that this ancient city’s society was literate." “To be able to say that Jiroft was a historic civilization, not a prehistoric one, is a great advance,” he says. “Finding writing on that seal impression brought tears to my eyes. Never mind that we can’t read it—that’ll come later.” "...Gray-bearded, easy-going and energetic in his mid-60’s, Madjidzadeh is feeling the glow of vindication. A few years after Iran’s 1979 revolution, he was dismissed as chairman of the department of archeology at Tehran University. After years of self-imposed exile in Nice with his French-born wife, he returned during the intellectual thaw that followed the 1997 election of President Mohammad Khatami." The discovery of the Jiroft site came by accident. In 2000, flash floods along the Halil River swept the topsoil off thousands of previously unknown tombs. Seyyed Mohammad Beheshti, deputy head of Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO), asked Madjidzadeh to begin excavations because of the archeologist’s long-standing bullishness on Jiroft’s significance." "As the author of a three-volume history of Mesopotamia and a leading Iranian authority on the third millennium BC, Madjidzadeh has long hypothesized that Jiroft is the legendary land of Aratta, a “lost” Bronze Age kingdom of renown. It’s a quest that he began as a doctoral candidate at the University of Chicago, when in 1976 he published an article proposing that Aratta, which reputedly exported its magnificent crafts to Mesopotamia, was located somewhere in southeastern Iran." "According to texts dating from around 2100 BC, Aratta was a gaily decorated capital with a citadel whose battlements were fashioned of green lapis lazuli and its lofty towers of bright red brick. Aratta’s artistic production was so highly regarded that about 2500 BC the Sumerian king Enmerkar sent a message to the ruler of Aratta requesting that artisans and architects be dispatched to his capital, Uruk, to build a temple to honor Inanna, the goddess of fertility and war. Enmerkar addressed his letter to Inanna: “Oh sister mine, make Aratta, for Uruk’s sake, skillfully work gold and silver for me! (Make them cut for me) translucent lapis lazuli in blocks, (Make them prepare for me) electrum and translucent lapis!” prayed the Sumerian ruler."  http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1767236/posts Sommaire   ▪ Localisation ▪ Définition ▪ Historique des découvertes ▪ Polémiques ▪ Bibliographie Roche sculptée servant de poids, trouvée à Jiroft - IIIe millénaire - Museum Azerbaïdjan - Tabriz Vase trouvé dans la région de Jiroft, mais peut-être de culture Warahshe Localisation    Jiroft (ou Dschiroft ou Sabzāwārān ou Sabzewaran ou Sabzevārān ou Sabzevārān-e Jiroft ou Sabzvārān, en Persan :جيرفت, Romanisé Jiroft), est une ville de la province de Kerman, à 230 Km de cette dernière, au Sud-est de l'Iran. Elle est située dans la vallée du Halil Rud à la périphérie Sud de la chaîne de montagne, Barez Jebal. Elle est entourée de deux rivières. C'est aujourd'hui l'un des endroits les plus chauds de l'Iran et du monde. Le nom Jiroft est récemment devenu célèbre dans le milieu de l'archéologie, par les découvertes qui ont été faites dans la région, depuis 2001–2002, de vestiges d'une ancienne cité-royaume enterrée près de la ville actuelle de Jiroft.     Le site principal est situé à environ 2 km de la ville et se compose de deux collines (Entre 13 et 21 m), appelées Konar Sandal A et B. Ces découvertes ont amené à la théorie qui propose que les ruines appartiennent à une culture propre à cette région que les spécialistes nomment : La civilisation de Jiroft et qui serait un lien entre la civilisation de l'Indus et les anciens Sumériens au IIIe millénaire av.J.C. Cette hypothèse n'est pas universellement acceptée (Voir ci-dessous).    Ce qui est sûr c'est qu'il est évident qu'elle semble parfaitement intégrée pour les échanges commerciaux. En particulier du fait de sa position géographique centrale. À l'Est, une route devait partir vers le Balouchistan (ou Baloutchistan) et la vallée de l'Indus. À l'Ouest, une autre devait mener vers l'Élam et dans son prolongement à la Mésopotamie. Au Nord-est, on devait gagner facilement la route du lapis-lazuli qui traversait la chaine de montagne de l'Hindou Kouch et la ville de Mundigak, puis la Bactriane. Au Sud, l'accès aux côtes du golfe Persique était tout aussi aisé. Les habitants de la région pouvaient donc ainsi facilement exporter leurs productions en échange de divers produits manquant ce qui dut faciliter leur expansion. Vase trouvé dans la région de Jiroft Définition    La "culture de Jiroft", au niveau archéologique, est datée du Bronze ancien, soit vers la fin du IIIe millénaire av.J.C. L'hypothèse est basée sur une collection d'artefacts qui ont été mis au jour dans la région de la ville actuelle de Jiroft. Principalement des objets en chlorite, comme des vases, mais aussi des sceaux-cylindriques qui nous apportent le témoignage de l'existence d'une organisation administrative évoluée. Le site principal de cette civilisation semble avoir été Konar Sandal (découvert en 2001), près de la rivière Halil Rud. Mais d'autres sites sont aujourd'hui proposés pour être rattachés à cette civilisation, comme : Espiedej, Iblis "Le Diable", Shahdad (ou Khabīs), Shahr-i Sokhteh (ou Shahr-e Sukhteh, ou Shahr-e Sūkhté, ou Shahr-i Shōkhta - "Ville brûlée"), sur les rives du fleuve Helmand, découverte en 1967, Tepe Bampur et Tépé Yahya découverte également en 1967.    La proposition de regroupement de ces sites comme une civilisation indépendante de l'Âge de Bronze, avec sa propre architecture et son propre langage est faite par de nombreux spécialistes, dont Yousef Majidzadeh, Chef de l'équipe de fouilles archéologiques à Jiroft. Son interprétation reste délicate car elle change considérablement notre vision de l'histoire antique de cette partie du monde. Les archéologues proposent de la situer géographiquement comme le lien entre l'Élam à l'Ouest et la civilisation de l'Indus à l'Est.    Il faut noter que certains spécialistes émettent des réserves pour cataloguer Jiroft comme une civilisation à part entière, avançant l'hypothèse qu'elle serait peut-être les restes du royaume d'Aratta, riche cité du Plateau Iranien, aux ressources importantes, avec laquelle les Rois d'Ourouk furent souvent en conflit. Cela dit cette dernière n'a jamais été localisée avec précision. Ce qui permet aux deux thèses de se rejoindre, c'est que ceux qui ont tenté de la localiser la situe soit à : Tell-e Malyan (ou Tall-i Malyan ou Tepe Malyan ou Anshan), ou à Shahr-i Sokhteh, ou depuis le début des années 2000, dans la région de Jiroft. Le pays d'Aratta a aussi parfois été identifié à l'Ourartou.    Une autre hypothèse, proposée entre autres, par : Daniel T. Potts et Piotr Steinkeller, voit en Konar Sandal l'obscure cité-État de Warahshe (ou Marhashi, ou Marhaši, ou Marhasi, ou Barahshe, ou Barhasi, ou Purushum, ou Parhasi), qui se développa entre 2500 et 1900 av.J.C à l'Est de l'Élam, sur le plateau Iranien, mais qui n'a pas encore été localisée avec précision. En fonction des spécialistes elle est située soit dans le Zagros occidental, soit plus à l'Est, entre l'Élam et la vallée de l'Indus (Meluhha dans les textes  Mésopotamiens).  Vue des excavations à Jiroft Historique des découvertes et excavations      Beaucoup d'artefacts associés à Jiroft, qui sont aujourd'hui en notre possession, ont en fait été redécouvert. C'est au début des années 2000, que des spécialistes remarquent que le marché parallèle des antiquités (Voire même l'officiel dans certaines salles des ventes !) est inondé d'objets préhistoriques, datés de l'Âge de Bronze et à qui l'on pouvait certifier une origine orientale. Comme le précise à l'époque Éric Fouache et Damien Garçon, géoarchéologues à l'université de Paris XII, qui faisaient des recherches dans la région de la vallée de l'Halil Rud. Leur iconographie semblait connue, mais avec toutefois beaucoup de singularité, ce qui ne permettait pas une affirmation de la région où ils avaient été créés.    Charge est alors confiée aux autorités locales de remonter la filière afin d'intercepter les fraudeurs. Ce qui sera fait fin 2001 grâce au service des douanes Iranien. Les objets provenaient de la région de Kerman, où des fouilles illicites étaient menées par les habitants sur les rivages du fleuve Halil et cinq nécropoles étaient atteintes. Les villageois vivant dans un état de pauvreté important y avait vu là une source de revenus non négligeables.    Les douanes avertirent alors l'armée qui mit fin définitivement aux pillages en 2002. Cependant, comme souvent dans ce pays, la répression va être démesurée, puisque pour la première fois des pillards vont être condamnés à mort. Puis les autorités décident, afin que les méfaits ne se reproduisent plus, de sensibiliser la population sur le fait que tous ces objets appartenaient au patrimoine national et, en parallèle, elles mettent en place un programme éducatif. Leurs actions seront récompensées (Peut-être aussi la peur des conséquences) puisque l'on assista à la restitution spontanée de quelques artéfacts. Roche sculptée servant de poids, trouvée à Jiroft - IIIe millénaire - Museum Azerbaïdjan - Tabriz    Il faut reconnaitre aux pillards une certaine méthodologie dans leurs fouilles. Afin de s'assurer le meilleur rendement ils avaient organisé le site en parcelles carrées de 6 m x 6 m. En 2001, l'expertise des pièces récupérées et les fouilles officielles sont confiées à Youssef Madjidzadeh, archéologue Iranien (Vivant en France depuis 1984), spécialiste de l'Âge de Bronze. Son équipe va étudier une superficie de plus de 2 km². Dans le même temps Youssef Madjidzadeh fait procéder à des recherches géophysiques, qui sont confiées au Français Éric Fouache, sur le site principal de Konar Sandal.    Celles-ci révèlent des anomalies sous la surface qui permettent de découvrir les vestiges d'une ville datant du IIIe millénaire av.J.C et estimée à une surface d'environ 6 km². Selon Éric Fouache au moins dix périodes archéologiques et historiques, qui appartiennent à des civilisations différentes, peuvent être détectés dans la région. Les traces de ces civilisations sont détectables jusqu'à 11 m sous la surface.    Devant l'importance des sites, plusieurs dizaines de nécropoles similaires à celles déjà pillées et deux grands tertres étaient identifiés, l'équipe archéologique Iranienne en place va être aidée par des spécialistes venant d'autres pays, comme Holly Pittman de l'université de Pennsylvanie. Parmi toutes les pièces reprises et mises au jour on trouve principalement des objets funéraires, datés aussi du IIIe millénaire, comme : Des vases, des poteries, des têtes et statuette représentant des humains ou des animaux en marbre et en chlorite, des statuettes et des figurines en bronze, des récipients en céramique et des objets et bijoux en lapis-lazuli. Dans un premier temps, ces artefacts sont reconnus comme appartenant à un style, dit interculturel, de la Mésopotamie et du plateau Iranien, connus depuis 1960 dans la proximité Tepe Yahya.    Les fouilles archéologiques à Jiroft ont également conduit à la découverte de divers objets datant du IVe millénaire. Les premières fouilles réalisées dans la région de Kerman furent menées par Sir Aurel Stein en 1930. Les campagnes archéologiques les plus remarquables faites dans la province furent réalisées en 1966 (Tal-i-Iblis), par une équipe dirigée par le Professeur Joseph Caldwell du Illinois State Museum et en 1967 (vallée de Tepe Yahya Sogan, Dolatabad) par Lamberg-Karlovsky de l'Université de Harvard.  Bracelet trouvé à Jiroft Polémiques    Très vite la majorité des spécialistes arrivent à la conclusion que ce style interculturel n'en est peut-être pas un et que l'on a peut-être à faire là à une civilisation à part entière qu'ils nomment civilisation de Jiroft. Il faut noter que cette hypothèse n'est pas universellement acceptée. Par exemple, l'archéologue Oscar White Muscarella, du Metropolitan Museum of Art, avance que les rapports scientifiques montrent que la stratigraphie du site serait un prolongement de la culture de Tal-i-Iblis, connue sous le nom de période Ali Abad datant du IVe millénaire. La culture de Tal-i-Iblis fut révélée par l'archéologue Américain, Joseph R.Caldwell. Toutefois, Muscarella reconnaît néanmoins l'importance du site. Pour d'autres, il s'agit seulement d'une des cultures, parmi d'autres, qui s'épanouissaient alors sur le Plateau Iranien, comme la civilisation proto-Élamite.    Ce qui est sûr c'est que ces sites sont d'une importance majeure, qui révolutionne nos connaissances sur les civilisations originelles de la région. Il faut ajouter à cela une découverte récente qui viendrait conforter la thèse d'une "civilisation de Jiroft". Une tablette a été mise au jour à Konar Sandal. Dans un premier temps ses découvreurs l'ont identifié comme écrite en Élamite linéaire, ce qui indiquerait des liens avec cette civilisation. Mais Youssef Madjidzadeh prétend que les inscriptions sont dans un script inconnu auparavant, certes proche de l'Élamite linéaire, daté du XXIIe siècle av.J.C environ.    L'annonce de cette découverte fut accueillie avec scepticisme. Andrew Lawler, qui se réfère à Jacob Dahl, spécialiste dans les textes anciens à l'Université libre de Berlin, dit : "Aucun spécialiste au monde ne devrait prendre en considération cette théorie qui est un faux."À l'inverse Piotr Steinkeller, professeur d'Assyriologie au Département des langues et civilisations proche-orientales de l'Université de Harvard, déclare lui "L'inscription découverte à Jiroft n'a aucune relation avec les scripts des manuscrits Élamites... elle appartient à une civilisation orientale". Le débat aujourd'hui reste ouvert, car il resterait néanmoins à établir comment la civilisation de Jiroft se situe par rapport à la civilisation proto-Élamite voisine.    Pour d'autres détails voir : Civilisation Jiroft  (www.Persianwonders) Bibliographie    Pour d'autres détails sur la civilisation de Jiroft voir les ouvrages de : Éric Fouache, Youssef Madjidzadeh, Damien Garçon, Dominique Rousset et Guy Sénéchal : - La vallée de l'Halil Roud (région de Jiroft, Iran) : Étude géoarchéologique, méthodologie et résultats préliminaires, pp : 107-122, Paléorient 31, N°2, 2005. Andrew Lawler : - Ancient writing or modern fakery ?, pp : 588-589, Science New York Then Washington 317, N° 5838, August 2007. Maḥmūd Riz̤ā Māhirī : - The early civilizations of Kerman, Markaz-i Kirmānshināsī, Kerman, 2000-2001. Yousef Majidzadeh : - The early prehistoric cultures of the central plateau of Iran : An archeological history of its development during the fifth and fourth millennia B.C, University of Chicago, Chicago, 1976. - Jiroft : The earliest oriental civilization, Organization of the Ministry of Culture ans Islamic Guidance, Téhéran, 2003-2004. Yousef Majidzadeh et Jean Perrot : - Découvertes récentes à Jiroft (Sud du plateau Iranien), Comptes-rendus des séances de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, volume 147, N°3, Persée, Janvier 2003. - Récentes découvertes à Jiroft (Iran) : Résultats de la campagne de fouilles 2004, Comptes-rendus des séances de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, volume 148, N°3, 2004. Oscar White Muscarella : - Jiroft and “Jiroft-Aratta”: A review article of Yousef Madjidzadeh, Jiroft : The earliest oriental civilization, pp : 173-198, Bulletin of the Asia Institute 15, 2005. Harding Ozihel : - Jiroft : Kerman, Tehran, Iran, Halil River, Jiroft culture, Frac Press, Beau Bassin, Mauritius, 2011. Jean Perrot : - Jiroft : Fabuleuse découverte en Iran, Faton, Dijon, 2003. Holly Pittman : - Art of the Bronze Age : Southeastern Iran, western central Asia, and the Indus valley, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1984. Daniel T.Potts : - Mesopotamian civilization : The material foundations, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, 1997. - The archaeology of Elam : Formation and transformation of an ancient Iranian state, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, New York, Janvier 1999. Daniel T.Potts, Holly Pittman, Philip L.Kohl et Clifford C.Lamberg-Karlovsky : - Excavations at Tepe Yahya, Iran, 1967-1975 : The third millennium, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, 2001. http://antikforever.com/Perse/Divers/jiroft.htm https://www.scribd.com/document/341155109/Translated-symbols-Indus-reminiscences-in-a-carved-chlorite-artefact-of-the-Halil-Rud-Civiliszation-Frenez-and-Vidale-2015 https://www.harappa.com/sites/default/files/pdf/Frenez%20and%20Vidale%202015%20-%20Translated%20symbols.pdf Saturday, 30 July 2016 The first image is given in a recent paper by D. Frenez and M. Vidale, two brilliant archaeologists specialized in the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age from Oman to Western India. The plaque does not come from their excavations but from the Barakat Gallery website. So it has no context, but the style is typical of the art of the so-called Jiroft culture of the Halil Rud valley, recently discovered.  A civilization, as is remarked in the article, rich in contacts with the Indus valley, being contemporary with the Mature Harappan period. These contacts are shown also by this figure, because the figure of a bovine in front of a cup-like container recalls the unicorn seals, like the one shown above (cf. this post). There are also Indus seals with a zebu bull, but without a container. The Jiroft figure thus is not identifiable with any of the two Harappan models, and it reveals a strong originality in the presence of more than one animal: below the zebu, we have a suckling calf, which shows that the zebu is a cow and not a bull as in the Harappan iconography, and above, there is a small animal apparently attacking the hump of the cow. The authors propose many identifications for this animal, and the most convincing seem those about Canidae like wolf, jackal or hyena, because of the pointed muzzle. This dramatisation of the scene, so different from the static isolation of Indus animals on the seals, apparently expresses a feature of Jiroft imagery and worldview: the opposition of two animals as symbols of two opposing principles, as is remarked in the entry of the Encyclopedia Iranica about the iconography of chlorite artefacts from the Jiroft culture:   Two opposing principles arise from the Jiroft imagery: one is negative, with the scorpion and the snake, symbols of suffering and death; the other is positive, with the cheetah and the eagle engaged on the side of man against the reptile. It is clearly not feasible to propose an interpretation of the Jiroft iconography before one can integrate it in the culture it stems from. It, however, seems possible to suggest the idea of a dualistic mode of thinking geared to human pursuits. This particular orientation bears the mark of the strongly contrasted natural environment of the Iranian-Indian plateau. Without falling into geographic determinism, account has to be taken of the extremely particular conditions that prevail in this vast region set against the Zagros Mountain range and turned toward the East and Central Asia. The landscapes may have left their mark on the life of the population, its language, writing, culture, and religion since the dawn of history. It is obvious that this dualism alludes to the historical Zoroastrian worldview, seen as a continuation of a very ancient pattern of thought. And Zoroastrian mythology and ritual might help us to interpret our plaque. Already in the Avesta, the figure of the cow (gav) and the 'soul of the cow' (Geuš Urvan) enjoy an important position. In the later and more detailed Pahlavi literature, Gāw ī Ēwdād is the 'sole-created cow/bull', first animal to live on earth, and killed by the Evil Spirit (Ahriman). On the other hand, the Evil Spirit is closely associated with the wolf, created by him in 15 species (wolf, black wolf, tiger, lion, panther, cheetah, hyena, jackal, etc., see here). So, we can have here a representation of the cosmic fight between the evil and good forces acting in the Zoroastrian world. But then, why the cup? It is not an object found on Harappan seals. According to the authors, "This cup closely resembles ceramic forms of similar general classes, well known in the repertories of the Halil river valley, Sistan and Kandahar in the second half of the 3rd millennium BC. Moreover, it also remind[s] the carved chlorite cups of the Halil Rud Civilization." If we look at the Zoroastrian ritual implements, there is one that reminds the cup of our plaque: the Hawan, the mortar used to press the sacred Haoma (Ephedra) twigs. Here there is a nice picture of it and here is a drawing from the Zoroastrian Heritage site: Interestingly, Bartholomae says that the havana- (Hawan) today is made of copper, but before it was made of stone, like the chlorite cups. But going back to the comparison with the Harappan unicorn seals, the object in front of the unicorn has been interpreted as a Soma strainer, particularly by Mahadevan, a very good identification in my opinion. So, we can suppose that the authors of the Jiroft plaque were aware of the common Soma/Haoma cult but chose to put the mortar instead of the strainer (that is also among the Zoroastrian implements, see above), maybe because they found it more important, or maybe simply because it was easier to be represented by their technique and material. In this context, the cow can be associated also with the milk that was mixed with the Haoma extract. I do not suggest that the Halil Rud civilization was already Zoroastrian (Zarathustra should be placed at least in the 2nd mill. BC), but that it had similar rituals connected with the ancestral Indo-Iranian *sauma- cult, and a similar (typically Iranian) dualistic worldview and imagery where the cow could be a symbol of the beneficent side of reality, always threatened by the maleficent, demoniac side, symbolised by the wolf.   Posted by Giacomo Benedetti at 14:33  https://www.scribd.com/document/341164404/Searching-for-mythological-themes-on-the-jiroft-chlorite-artefacts-Massimo-Vidale-2015 https://www.scribd.com/document/341155915/konar-sandal-marble-cylinder-seal-massimo-vidale-dennys-frenex-2015  http://new-indology.blogspot.in/2016/07/jiroft-culture-and-harappa-iconographic.html Translated symbols: Indus reminiscences in a carved chlorite artefact of the Halil Rud Civiliszation (Frene... by Srini Kalyanaraman on Scribd Konar sandal marble cylinder seal (Massimo Vidale & Dennys Frenex, 2015) by Srini Kalyanaraman on Scribd Searching for mythological themes on the 'jiroft' chlorite artefacts (Massimo Vidale, 2015) by Srini Kalyanaraman on Scribd https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG8W3tmJ-U0 (2:51) Published on Aug 12, 2008 Video from a 2007 visit to the Jiroft Museum, which has the best collection of Bronze Age material from the archaeological site. The site, Konar Sandal B,is also shown.

Only example of a zebu cow and calf PLUS black drongo as Indus Script hypertext

August 25, 2017, 5:53 pm

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See: Jiroft Indus Script hypertexts evidence Meluhha interactions for metalwork trade & creation of wealth 

Ceci n'est pas une pipe. Ceci n'est pas une zébu vacha (zebu cow). It is rebus for pōḷa 'zebu'  vatsatará m. ʻ young bull or goat before weaning or copulation ʼ, °rīˊ -- f. TS. [vatsá -- 1] Pa. vacchatara -- m. ʻ weaned calf ʼ, °rī -- f.; Pk. vacchadara -- m., °rī -- f., vacchayara -- m. ʻ calf ʼ, Dm. baċhár m., Bshk. baċḗr (< vatsatarīˊ -- ); Phal. baċhāˊr m. ʻ calf 1 -- 2 years old ʼ; Sh. băċhar m. ʻ calf ʼ, băċhăréi f., (Lor.) b*lċər m. ʻ 3 -- year old calf ʼ, b*lsəro m. ʻ yearling calf ʼ; S. vachero m. ʻ colt ʼ, L.awāṇ. vacherā, P. vachḗrā, ba° m., WPah.bhal. bachéro m., bhiḍ. bacherɔṭu n. ʻ tiny foal ʼ; Ku.gng. bacher ʻ calf ʼ; Or. bācharā, bach° ʻ young of animal (esp. of horse) ʼ, bācharī ʻ calf ʼ; H. bacherā m. ʻ colt, calf ʼ, bacheṛā m. (< *bacherṛā? -- → N. bacheṛo ʻ colt ʼ, Bi. bacheṛā); G. vacherɔ m., °rī f. ʻ foal ʼ; OG. vācharaḍaüṁ n. ʻ calf ʼ, G. vācharṛũ n., °ṛī f.Addenda: vatsatará -- [With apravītā trihāyaṇī vatsatarī ʻ unimpregnated 3 year old heifer ʼ, garbhiṇī vatsatarī ʻ heifer which has calved once ʼ cf. Ir. Seistanī gastar ʻ cow expecting calf ʼ, gástar ʻ 3 year old colt ʼ GM 12.5.69]WPah.kṭg. (kc.) bəċhérɔ m. ʻ colt ʼ, bhal. bachero m. ʻ tiny foal ʼ.(CDIAL 11241) Rebus pōḷa ‘magnetite ore, ferrite ore’ śrivatsa ‘wealth’. 

https://tinyurl.com/y9ta74um The following image of a plaque discussed by Massimo Vidale and in this link is the only example of a zebu cow and calf PLUS black drongo, as Indus Script hypertexts. Both the zebu cow and the zebu calf are shown with black drongo's perched on their backs.

This is a remarkable example of an artist presenting a legacy from mother to child of a civilizational heritage. This is the standard of Indus Script Corpora, Meluhha scribes, metalworkers, artisans and seafaring merchants.

S. Kalyanaraman
Sarasvati Research Center August 26, 2017

A tribute to Flinders Petrie. Indus Script inscriptions are accounting records of metalwork of Tin-Bronze Revolution, 4th millennium BCE

August 25, 2017, 11:20 pm

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https://tinyurl.com/y8umxbmz

This is a note on one of the earliest attempts of decipherment of Indus Script by a famed Egyptologist, Flinders Petrie. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flinders_Petrie

I pay this tribute to Flinders Petrie who made an insightful comment that Egyptian hieroglyphs may yield a clue to the form and function of Indus Script. 

He is proved right. 

The decipherment of about 8000 inscriptions of Indus Script identify each 'sign' and 'pictorial motif' as hypertext composed of hieroglyphs. Each hieroglyph is read rebus in the spoken form Meluhha language of Sarasvati-Sindhu Civilization. Just as the hieroglyph tradition of Egypt found its echoes in Ancient Near East, Indus Script hypertext tradition also found its echoes in Ancient Near East and in Ancient Far East. The inscriptions in Indus Script hypertexts are a documentary, accounting records of wealth-producing activities of metalworkers and seafaring merchants of Sarasvati-Sindhu civilization. These functionaries of artisan guilds were the intermediaries between Ancient Far East and Ancient Near East, participating in the Tin-Bronze Revolution of 4th millennium BCE.

A renowned Etyptologist Flinders Petrie proposed (Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie, 1932, 'Mohenjo-daro', in: Ancient Egypt and the East, Macmillan and Company, ii, p. 34) an Indus decipherment on the basis of the supposed similarity of its pictographic principles to those of Egyptian hieroglyphs. A succinct narrative of Petrie's decipherment is provided by Andrew Robinson (Andrew Robinson, 2015, The Indus--lost civilizations,Reaktion Books, p.147). This narrative is excerpted below:

S. Kalyanaraman

Sarasvati Research Center

August 26, 2017

Purohit points finger at Congress president -- Sandhya Jain

August 25, 2017, 11:20 pm

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Purohit points finger at Congress president

Lt. Col. Purohit wrote to PM Modi on May 31, 2014, detailing how the Malegaon blast was planned

By Sandhya Jain -

 

August 26, 2017

Lt. Col. Purohit, after he was released from prison on Aug 21, 2017

Lt. Col. Prasad Shrikant Purohit, released after nearly nine years in jail when the Supreme Court granted him bail on August 21, hinted in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon after he assumed office, that the sitting president of a major political party was behind the conspiracy that saw him decoyed from his posting at Pachmarhi, MP, to Mumbai, where the Anti Terror Squad (ATS) made an illegal civilian arrest of a serving Army officer. Purohit suggests the conspiracy was masterminded by more powerful forces than the Maharashtra ATS… Purohit has hinted at having uncovered dark secrets while taking an 18-month Arabic course at Pachmarhi, MP, while continuing to gather intelligence as an officer of the Military Intelligence, and pleaded for an in-depth investigation of the same. Purohit is one of the country’s leading experts on the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), and renowned for his work in counter-terrorism and counter-intelligence in Kashmir and Maharashtra. In fact, his very success provoked his ruination at the hands of as yet unidentified forces.

Writing from judicial custody in Taloja Central Prison in Navi Mumbai (PSP/55224/Official Corres/14, dated May 31, 2014), Purohit, an accused in the Malegaon 2008 bomb blast case, claims that the entire case against him was fabricated and stage-managed by the Maharashtra ATS, for reasons best known to them and their policy makers [read political masters]. His appeals in this regard to the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, Defence Minister A.K. Antony, and even the then President of India, fell on deaf ears.

Purohit suggests the conspiracy was masterminded by more powerful forces than the Maharashtra ATS, and states that he had drawn Dr. Manmohan Singh’s attention to “the attempts of politicizing the case by the president incumbent of the National Congress Party”; the word Congress was subsequently cut and deleted for ‘Political’ Party in pencil. The letter is written in ink. Purohit makes a dig at Singh’s “ventriloquism” in the matter!

Explaining the case, Purohit says a bomb blast took place in Malegaon town of Maharashtra on September 29, 2008, in which seven persons died and many were injured. At the time, Purohit was in distant Pachmarhi.

Informed sources claim Purohit had uncovered and aborted at least seven terror attacks in the country and had advance knowledge of the forthcoming attack on November 2008, which possibly led to his downfall.

On October 24, 2008,, Col. R.K. Srivastava arrived at Pachmarhi from Army Headquarters with instructions to facilitate Purohit’s interaction with ATS Maharashtra Police. Srivastava also had instructions to bring Purohit to Delhi to meet with Military Intelligence-20. Purohit says Srivastava did not convey any of these messages to him, and in fact treated him shabbily from the start.

On October 29, 2008, the Adjutant of the Army Education Corps and Training Centre (AEC) gave Purohit his movement order (without which he could not leave his duty station), which directed him to report to Director MI-20 at Army Hqrs. Srivastava asked him to leave his mobile phone with the Adjutant. Purohit’s family believed he was going to Delhi.

At the Bhopal Airport, however, Col. Srivastava forced him to board a flight to Mumbai, under a false movement order, and he had no means of communicating with his family. it is notable that an Army Court of Inquiry in 2009 upheld Purohit’s claim of abduction, kidnapping and illegal detention by Col. Srivastava. Various witnesses (Lt. Col. G.C. Mohanta, then Adjutant of AEC; Brigadier Rajkumar, then DDG MI, and others) confirmed that Purohit was moved on a false movement order.

On reaching Mumbai on the night of October 29, 2008, he was taken in a white Sumo to a civilian bungalow at Khandala, on the Mumbai-Pune highway. He remained here until November 4, 2008, in the illegal custody of ATS officers who subjected him to unspeakable mental and physical torture. Depraved threats were made against the women members of his family. The worst offenders included then ATS chief, Hemant Karkare (d. Mumbai 2008), then Addl. DG Police, Parambir Singh, inspector Arun Khanvilkar (since dismissed from service in another matter), and then Asst. CP, Mohan Kulkarni (since retd).

Aparna Purohit’s attempts to locate her husband in this period failed, as the AEC Adjutant, Lt. Col. G.C. Mohanta, was totally in the dark, having given a movement order for Delhi.

On November 5, 2008, Lt. Col. Purohit was handed over to the Mumbai ATS, an action that was illegal and based on this illegal series of events. He became Accused No. 9 in the Malegaon 2008 bomb blast case.

Tracing events prior to his taking the Arabic course at Pachmarhi, Lt. Col. Purohit served as an intelligence officer with the Southern Command Liaison Unit, Pune, at Devlali, Nasik. One of his registered intelligence sources, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, was made Accused No. 11 in the Malegaon case. The ATS claimed to have arrested him on November 20, 2008, and recorded that the house provided to him in the cantonment area was searched under panchanama on November 25, 2008, where traces of the RDX allegedly used in the Malegaon blast were recovered. The charge sheet stated that the bomb was assembled at Chaturvedi’s house.

This theory exploded during the Army’s Court of Inquiry, when two independent witnesses, Major Pravin Khanzade (Witness 1) and Subedar (then) Keshav K. Pawar (Witness 2) revealed that on November 3, 2008 (two days before Purohit’s arrest and 17 days before Chaturvedi’s arrest), the two of them had caught an ATS Asst. police inspector, Shekhar Bagade, planting evidence at Chaturvedi’s house. On being caught, he had pleaded with them not to report his presence there. But Major Khanzade reported the incident to all his seniors in Devlali and to Hqrs. Southern Command, Pune. The statements of Khanzade and Pawar figure on page 330 (July 8, 2009,) and page 426 (July 27, 2009,) of the official record of the Court of Inquiry.

Clearly, the ATS officers who fabricated the evidence against Chaturvedi prior to the arrest of Purohit and Chaturvedi could not have planned for the written testimony of Major Khanzade to his superiors! With this explosive evidence available to it in 2009, the Army authorities clearly realized they were sitting on a very deep-rooted conspiracy that went back to highly influential persons in Lutyens Delhi. They seem to have decided that their best course was to preserve the evidence for a better day – a wise move.

The ATS managed to compromise some of Purohit’s carefully crafted intelligence network. Three of his registered intelligence operators were made co-accused in the case and four were made witnesses against him.

It is fairly obvious that only a mole(s) inside the Pune Military Intelligence unit could leak the names of Purohit’s registered sources to the ATS. It seems likely that the registered assets of other serving military intelligence officers may also have been compromised in this period – not only in Maharashtra but other States as well. The Government of India and Hqrs. of all Services need to make subtle inquiries in this regard.

In March-April 2011, the case was handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which too, failed to file a charge sheet (till date).

Purohit ends his missive urging the Prime Minister to ensure the release of all innocents in the case, not just himself. Calling himself an old war horse that responds to one call of the bugle, he prays for the “singular honor” of serving “my most revered and beloved motherland”.

This letter brought tears to the eyes of even veteran soldiers with whom it was shared. It is incumbent upon the Government to give the soldier back his honor and the accolades that are his legitimate due.

The investigations must begin with the first attack on Hindu sacred spaces outside Jammu and Kashmir – Akshardham, Ahmedabad, September 2002 – and the creation of the ‘Hindu Terror’ narrative under the auspices of the Sonia-Gandhi led United Progressive Alliance.

Above all, statutory action must be taken against Col. R.K. Srivastava, and the surviving members of the Mumbai ATS – Addl. DG Police, Parambir Singh, inspector Arun Khanvilkar and Asst. CP, Mohan Kulkarni. Hemant Karkare’s disgraceful conduct also needs to be put on record.

Note:
1. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.

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Sandhya Jain Sandhya Jain is a writer of political and contemporary affairs. A post graduate in Political Science from the University of Delhi, she is a student of the myriad facets of Indian civilisation. Her published works include Adi Deo Arya Devata. A Panoramic View of Tribal-Hindu Cultural Interface, Rupa, 2004; and Evangelical Intrusions. Tripura: A Case Study, Rupa, 2009. She has contributed to other publications, including a chapter on Jain Dharma in “Why I am a Believer: Personal Reflections on Nine World Religions,” ed. Arvind Sharma, Penguin India, 2009.

1. Extraordinary and well-authenticated narrative, Sandhya ji. Jeevema s’aradah s’atam, may you live a hundred autumns,

   Reply
2. It is about time legal action must be taken against the president of congress party now without delay. Also against other members of the party mentioned herewith in the report.

https://www.pgurus.com/purohit-points-finger-at-congress-president/#comment-11164

Hindu Human Rights Report 2017

August 26, 2017, 12:33 am

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Indus Script hypertexts and Egyptian hieroglyphs compared

August 26, 2017, 3:13 am

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https://tinyurl.com/y8lsprv3

“The Indus inscriptions resemble the Egyptian hieroglyphs far more than they do the Sumerian linear and cuneiform system. And secondly, the presence of detached accents in the Indus Script is a feature which distinguishes it from any of these systems.”( John Marshall, 1931, Mohenjo-daro and the Indus civilization: being an official account of archaeological excavations at Mohenjo-Daro carried out by the government of India between the years 1922 and 1927, Volume 1, p.424) Flinders Petrie noted the pictographic quality of some Indus signs, on the model of Egyptian hieroglyphs and went on to suggest that the seals belonged to officials and contained their titles, with intimations of administrative functions. 

These two insights of John Marshall and Flinders Petrie are validated as the following comparisons of Egyptian hieroglyphs and Indus Script hypertexts demonstrate.

An example of Egyptian hieroglyphs is provided by the cartouche to signify the name of an emperor.

The form and function of Egyptian hieroglyphs are explained by the following example of hieroglyphs on a palette.

On one side of this palette, Narmer is depicted wearing the war crown of Upper Egypt and the red wicker crown of Lower Egypt which signifies that Lower Egypt fell to him. On another side, two hieroglyphs, top-down, show 'cuttle fish' PLUS 'awl'. The copic words to signify these hieroglyphs are: N'r PLUS M'r. Together, the hieroglyphs combine to yield the name of the King: Nar-Mer.

The form and function of Indus Script hypertexts follow a similar rebus equivalence to signify the message.

m1429C One side of a prism tablet hieroglyphs of hypertext signified are: ayo 'fish' (Mu.); rebus: aya '(alloyed) metal' (R̥gveda); aya 'iron' (Gujarati) kāru a wild crocodile  rebus: khār 'blacksmith'. together, the word ayakhār signifies 'iron-blacksmith'.

The hieroglyph noted by Flinders Petrie as a signifier of agent of wakil is: rim-of-jar.

Daimabad seal.

The hypertext reading is: kanka, karṇaka कर्णक [p= 257,2] m. (ifc. f(आ).) a prominence or handle or projection on the side or sides (of a vessel &c ) (Monier-Williams) rebus: karṇika कर्णिक [p= 257,2] m. a steersman W.; karṇī 'supercargo, i.e., a representative of the ship's owner on board a merchant ship, responsible for overseeing the cargo and its sale.'  కరణము (p. 250) karaṇamu karaṇamu. [Skt.] n. A village clerk, a writer, an accountant. వాడు కూత కరణముగాని వ్రాతకరణముకాడు he has talents for speaking but not for writing. స్థలకరణము the registrar of a district. కరణము (p. 250) karaṇamu karaṇamu. [Skt.] n. A village clerk, a writer, an accountant. వాడు కూత కరణముగాని వ్రాతకరణముకాడు he has talents for speaking but not for writing. స్థలకరణము the registrar of a district. (Telugu).

Using the examples cited by Flinders Petrie, some hypertexts including this hieroglyph can be read:

See: A tribute to Flinders Petrie. Indus Script inscriptions are accounting records of metalwork of Tin-Bronze Revolution, 4th millennium BCE https://tinyurl.com/y8umxbmz

karaṇaka'accountant'kolmo 'rice plant' rebus: kolimi 'smithy, forge'ranku'liquid measure' rebus: ranku'tin'. Thus, the message is: accountant (scribe) of smithy/forge (working with) tin.

karaṇaka 'accountant' dula 'two' rebus: dul 'metal casting' khaṇḍa 'division' rebus:  kaṇḍa 'implements'. Thus, the message is accountant (scribe) of cast metal implements. Note: The inset of three short linear strokes in the rim of jar hieroglyph yields a component of hypertext: kolom 'three' rebus: kolimi 'smithy, forge'. Thus, the hypertext in this composite hieroglyph signifies accountant (scribe) of smithy/forge.

Thus, while the Egyptian hieroglyphs use the rebus method to derive rebus 'phonemes', the Indus Script hypertexts use the rebus words signified by hieroglyph components of the hypertexts.

The principle of forming hypertexts by combining hieroglyphs is extended not only to 'signs' of the script but also to 'pictorial motifs' as demonstrated by the crocodile PLUS fish and the following composite animal.

Hieroglyph components identified by Dennys Frenez.

The remarkable distinguishing feature of Indus Script hypertexts is that they signify account ledgers of wealth-producing metalwork by artisans of the Sarasvati_Sindhu civilization, who were Meluhha speakers which is the spoken, vernacular version of Proto-Indo-Aryan, Prakrtam or Pali words or word forms of languages of Bhāratīya sprachbund (speech union), ancient spoken forms of present-day Bhāratīya languages.

S. Kalyanaraman

Sarasvati Research Center

August 26, 2017

Bhāratīya Itihāsa, significance of 1. Kondana caves, 2. Indus Script hypertext of खोंड khōṇḍa 'young bull'

August 27, 2017, 7:53 am

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Bhāratīya Itihāsa, significance of 1. Kondana caves, 2. Indus Script hypertext of खोंड khōṇḍa 'A young bull, a bullcalf'; rebus kundaṇa, 'fine gold' (Kannada), sāṅgāḍī 'part of turner's apparatus to hold a turned object steady' rebus: sangatarāśū'stone cutter' (Telugu)

Indus Script hypertexts of  khōṇḍa, 'young bull', kunda,'lathe' signify accounting ledgers of kammaṭa, 'mint work', wealth in treasury, treasure, kundaṇa, 'fine gold' (Kannada) accumulated in kóṭṭhi ’temple treasury’. Part of the apparatus of kundār ‘turner’, is सांगाडी sāṅgāḍī which steadies the turned/drilled object. This  sāṅgāḍī signifies rebus: 1. jangaḍiyo ‘military guard who accompanies treasure into the treasury’ and 2. sãgaṛh 'fortification', S سنګر sangar, s.m. (2nd) A breastwork of stones, etc., erected to close a pass or road; lines, entrenchments. Pl. سنګرونه sangarūnah. See باره (Pashto) sanghāḍo (Gujarati) cutting stone, gilding (Gujarati); sangatarāśū = stone cutter (Telugu) This sangatarāśū of Sarasvati-Sindhu civilization had the competence to drill through long carnelian beads.

Source: https://www.harappa.com/blog/carnelian-beads

"Indus beadmakers have the distinction of producing the longest and most slender beads of carnelian in the world, prior to the advent of diamond drilling," (J.M. Kenoyer). Chanhu-daro has provided the most data about the manufacture of these long carnelian beads, seen here in a necklace or belt from Mohenjo-daro's DK Area. It could take weeks of intense labor to create one bead, some nearly 5 inches long, with much breakage along the way.

See also Dorothy Mackay's article Finds at Chanhu-daro.

https://www.harappa.com/sites/default/files/pdf/finds-at-chanhudaro.pdf Finds at Chanhudaro by Dorothy Mackay, 1937, in: Asia, magazine, USA, pp. 501 to 504 with photographs of perforated long carnelian beads.

A British sangar overlooking the Kajaki dam. Helmand Province, Afghanistan, April 2007.

Sangar (fortification) – Supersangar at the British forward operating base, Price, Gereshk, Afghanistan (photograph taken in 2013.The word was adopted from Persian and Pashto and derives originally from the Persian word sang, "stone"  "sangar, n.". Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. September 2005. Garland Hampton Cannon, Alan S. Kaye. The Persian contributions to the English language: an historical dictionary, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, 2001, p.126.

Thus, the hypertext combination of 'young bull' PLUS 'lathe/portable furnace' is a documentary message of wealth-creating activity by Meluhha lapidary-metalwork-mintwork-artisans of Sarasvati-Sindhu civilization.

This monograph explains the fine shades of meaning provided by hypertexts:1. kunda'fine gold', kunda 'lathe or turner's apparatus'; 2. सांगाडी sāṅgāḍī part of the turner's lathe apparatus to hold and steady the turned object; and 3. khōṇḍa 'young bull'.  

The animal in front of the turner's turning apparatus is a hypertext: khōṇḍa 'young bull' rebus: कोंदण kōndaṇa n (कोंदणें) Setting or infixing of gems and working with  kundana 'fine gold'.

Together,the lapidary working with turner's apparatus is jangaḍiyo ‘military guard who accompanies treasure into the treasury’ (Gujarati). Thus the combination of the two hypertexts (turner's apparatus PLUS young bull) signifies accumulation of treasure into the treasury of the guild, and a documentation of wealth-creation. 

The hieroglyph components of the turner's turning apparatus are the following hieroglyphs:

1. kunda,'gimlet, lathe' rebus: kundana, kunda'fine gold, treasure'

2. सांगाडी (p. 495) sāṅgāḍī rebus: a. sanghāta ‘adamantine glue‘ rebus b. sangara ‘fortification’ rebus 8: sangara‘proclamation’ c. samgraha, samgaha'arranger, manager'; sangāṭh संगाठ् । सामग्री m. (sg. dat. sangāṭas संगाटस्), a collection (of implements, tools, materials, for any object), apparatus, furniture, a collection of the things wanted on a journey, luggage, and so on. 

3. dāya'number one in dice', dhāv 'single strand' (cross-section view) rebus: धवड, धावड dhavaḍa, 'smelter of iron.'

4. కమటము kamaṭamu [Telugu] n. A portable furnace for melting the precious metals. అగసాలెవాని కుంపటి. "చ కమటము కట్లెసంచియొరగల్లును గత్తెర సుత్తె చీర్ణముల్ ధమనియుస్రావణంబు మొలత్రాసును బట్టెడ నీరుకారు సా నము పటుకారు మూస బలునాణె పరీక్షల మచ్చులాదిగా నమరగభద్రకారక సమాహ్వయు డొక్కరుడుండు నప్పురిన్"హంస. ii. Rebus: Ta. kampaṭṭam coinage, coin. Ma. kammaṭṭam, kammiṭṭam coinage, mint. Ka. kammaṭa id.;

kammaṭi a coiner.(DEDR 1236)

Seen in front of this hypertext (lathe PLUS portable furnace) is a young bull which is also a hypertext. 

The hypertext of the young bull खोंड khōṇḍa 'm A young bull, a bullcalf' is of frequent occurrence on Indus Script Corpora. I suggest that  Kondana caves and khōṇḍa 'young bull' signify wealth-creating activities, and are rebus renderings of goldsmith-artisans' work of कोंदण kōndaṇa n (कोंदणें) Setting or infixing of gems and working with  kundana 'fine gold'.

कोंदण kōndaṇa n (कोंदणें) Setting or infixing of gems is the work of a turner on a lathe. Bengali. kõdā ‘to turn in a lathe’; Oriya. kū̆nda ‘lathe’, kũdibā, kū̃d ‘to turn’ (→ Drav. Kur. kū̃d ‘lathe’) (CDIAL 3295). कुन्द 

[p= 291,2] a turner's lathe L. (Monier-Williams)

Such a kū̃d, l'athe' is presented in front of the young bull on many inscriptions of Indus Script Corpora. The gimlet is shown as producing drilled beads, working atop a portable furnace. खोंड khōṇḍa 'm A young bull, a bullcalf' is rebus: kundār ‘turner’.The lathe and gimlet in front of the young bull on many seals are signifiers of a lapidary's instrument to drill holes in beads or to infix or set gems in gold or metal sockets. kunda 'lathe' rebus: कोंदण (p. 102) kōndaṇa n (कोंदणें) Setting or infixing of gems. 2 Beaten or drawn gold used in the operation. 3 The socket of a gem.  Ta. kuntaṉam interspace for setting gems in a jewel; fine gold (< Te.). Ka. kundaṇa setting a precious stone in fine gold; fine gold; kundana fine gold. Tu. kundaṇa pure gold. Te. kundanamu fine gold used in very thin foils in setting precious stones; setting precious stones with fine gold. (DEDR 1725) குந்தனம் kuntaṉam, n. < T. kundanamu. 1. Interspace for enchasing or setting gems in a jewel; இரத்தினம் பதிக்கும் இடம். குந்தனத்தி லழுத்தின . . . ரத்தினங்கள் (திவ். திருநெடுந். 21, வ்யா. பக். 175). 2. Gold, fine gold; தங்கம். (சங். அக.) குந்தனக்காரன் kuntaṉa-k-kāraṉ, n. < T. kundanamu Loc.

కుందనము (p. 289) kundanamu kundanamu. [Tel.] n. Solid gold, fine gold. అపరంజి. 

குந்தன் kuntaṉ, n. < Kunda. 1. Viṣṇu; திருமால். வல்வினைமாய்ந்தறச்செய் குந்தன்றன்னை (திவ். திருவாய். 7, 9, 7). 2. Holy person; தூயதன்மை யுடையவன். வண்டீங் கவிசெய்குந்தன் (திவ். திரு வாய். 7, 9, 7).

kōḍe dūḍa bull calf (Telugu); kōṛe 'young bullock' (Konda) kāru-kōḍe. [Tel.] n. A bull in its prime. खोंड [khōṇḍa ] m A young bull, a bullcalf. (Marathi) గోద [ gōda ] gōda. [Tel.] n. An ox. A beast. kine, cattle.(Telugu) 

Rebus : Bengali. kõdā ‘to turn in a lathe’; Oriya. kū̆nda ‘lathe’, kũdibā, kū̃d ‘to turn’ (→ Drav. Kur. kū̃d ‘lathe’) (CDIAL 3295). कुन्द [p= 291,2] a turner's lathe L. (Monier-Williams)

I suggest that the place called Kondana where ancient caves with rock art have been located is so-named evoking kundana 'fine gold'. Indus Script wealth-documentary legacy also evokes kundana 'fine gold', kunda 'a treasure of Kubera'. The hypertext which signifies kunda,'fine gold' is kunda'lathe' ligatured to a portable gold furnace, కమటము (p. 246) kamaṭamu kamaṭamu. [Tel.] n. A portable furnace for melting the precious metals. అగసాలెవాని కుంపటి. "చ కమటము కట్లెసంచియొరగల్లును గత్తెర సుత్తె చీర్ణముల్ ధమనియుస్రావణంబు మొలత్రాసును బట్టెడ నీరుకారు సా నము పటుకారు మూస బలునాణె పరీక్షల మచ్చులాదిగా నమరగభద్రకారక సమాహ్వయు డొక్కరుడుండు నప్పురిన్"హంస. ii. Rebus: Ta. kampaṭṭam coinage, coin. Ma. kammaṭṭam, kammiṭṭam coinage, mint. Ka. kammaṭa id.; kammaṭi a coiner.(DEDR 1236)

A part of kunda 'lathe' -- turner's turning apparatus is: sãghāṛɔ 'lathe' and in Marathi, the phonemic variant is: sãgaḍ ' part of a turner's apparatus,' śagaḍī  (Gujarati) sangaḍa, ‘lathe, portable furnace’; rebus: battle; jangaḍiyo ‘military guard who accompanies treasure into the treasury’ (Gujarati) Rebus: sanghāḍo (Gujarati) cutting stone, gilding (Gujarati); sangatarāśū = stone cutter (Telugu) Rebus: sãgaṛh'fortification', S سنګر sangar, s.m. (2nd) A breastwork of stones, etc., erected to close a pass or road; lines, entrenchments. Pl. سنګرونه sangarūnah. See باره (Pashto)  This rebus reading is paralleled by the rebus reading of:  kunda 'lathe' Rebus: कोंदण kōndaṇa n (कोंदणें) Setting or infixing of gems and working with  kundana 'fine gold'. Rebus: कोंडण [kōṇḍaṇa] f A fold or pen. (Marathi) 

सांगड (p. 495) sāṅgaḍa  That member of a turner's apparatus by which the piece to be turned is confined and steadied. सांगडीस धरणें To take into linkedness or close connection with, lit. fig. सांगडणी (p. 495) sāṅgaḍaṇī f (Verbal of सांगडणें) Linking or joining together. सांगडणें (p. 495) sāṅgaḍaṇēṃ v c (सांगड) To link, join, or unite together (boats, fruits, animals). 2 Freely. To tie or bind up or unto. सांगाडी (p. 495) sāṅgāḍī f The machine within which a turner confines and steadies the piece he has to turn. 

Variants of hypertext 'lathe' or turner's apparatus on Indus Script Corpora

 Note the piece numbered 6 on this drawing provided by Mahadevan. This part of the turner's apparatus is सांगाडी (p. 495) sāṅgāḍī to hold and steady the turned object. Could be a stone slab with a slight depression. The piece to steady turned objects, shown between the gimlet and the top of the portable furnace is सांगाडी (p. 495) sāṅgāḍī.

The part of the turner's apparatus which holds the turned 'bead' and holds it steady is seen in the following seal of Mohenjo-daro(See the plate just below the gimlet of the lathe). This is सांगाडी (p. 495) sāṅgāḍī of  kunda 'lathe'.

.

Two other pictograph-combinations/hypertexts of frequent occurrence in the Indus Script Corpora are: 1. hypertext of young bull which is a combination of hieroglyphs: young bull, pannier, one-horn, rings on neck; 2. hypertext which is a combination of hieroglyphs: lathe/portable furnace generally in front of the bull. An example of use of these two sets of hypertexts is on a Mohenjo-daro seal.

Robert Harding/Corbis Hypertext composed of hieroglyphs: drilled beads, portable furnace, gimlet of drill-lathe, yong bull, one horn, pannier, rings on neck. Four text signs on top register.

Source: http://www.nature.com/news/ancient-civilization-cracking-the-indus-script-1.18587

sãgaḍ ' part of a turner's apparatus.' (Gujarati) In Kashmiri, Grierson's lexicon has the following entry: sangāṭh संगाठ् । सामग्री m. (sg. dat. sangāṭas संगाटस्), a collection (of implements, tools, materials, for any object), apparatus, furniture, a collection of the things wanted on a journey, luggage, and so on. -- karun -- करुन् । सामग्रीसंग्रहः m.inf. to collect the ab. (L.V. 17).(Kashmiri). 

śagaḍī  = lathe (Gujarati) Rebus: Vajra Sanghāta'binding together': Mixture of 8 lead, 2 bell-metal, 1 iron rust constitute adamantine glue (mentioned by Varāhamihira in Br̥hatsamhitā) 

The dotted circles adorning the portable furnace are hypertexts: dhāī˜ (Lahnda) signifies a single strand of rope or thread. I have suggested that a dotted circle hieroglyph is a cross-section of a strand of rope: S. dhāī f. ʻ wisp of fibres added from time to time to a rope that is being twisted ʼ, L. dhāī˜ f. Rebus: dhāˊtu n. ʻsubstance ʼ RV., m. ʻ element ʼ MBh., ʻ metal, mineral, ore (esp. of a red colour)ʼ; dhāū, dhāv m.f. ʻ a partic. soft red stone ʼ(Marathi) தாயம் tāyam, n. < dāya Number one in the game of dice; கவறுருட்ட விழும் ஒன்று என்னும் எண். Rebus: धवड (p. 436) smelter of iron, [ dhavaḍa ] m (Or धावड) A class or an individual of it. They are smelters of iron (Marathi).

In the following open access resources made available by De Gruyter, the focus is on Ancient Near East; there is little or no mention of Indus Script, though there are discussions of Prakrit and Pali grammar.

This monograph provides a framework to analyse the materiality of the most frequently-occurring hypertexts of Indus Script Corpora: 1. rim-of-jar; 2. young bull, one horn, pannier, rings on neck; 3. lathe, portable furnace, drilled beads. 

Berti, Irene / Bolle, Katharina / Opdenhoff, Fanny / Stroth, Fabian (eds., 2017, Writing Matters -- presenting and Perceiving Monumental Inscriptions in Antiquity and the Middle Ages, Walter De Gruyter., Berlin/Boston

Download full text pdf https://www.degruyter.com/downloadpdf/books/9783110534597/9783110534597-fm/9783110534597-fm.pdf"Introduction Writing conveys its meaning not only by content but in manifold ways, such as letter-form, material, position, visibility, legibility or non-legibility. The essays in this volume originated from the conference “Writing Matters. Presenting and Perceiving Monumental Texts in Ancient Mediterranean Cultures”, a symposium of the International Academic Forum Heidelberg which took place in Heidelberg from 10th to 12th October 2013.1 The conference centred on the question of the importance attached in Antiquity, Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages to the recording in writing of public announcements and private messages in public spaces. On the basis of evidence and features from several different epochs in Greek and Roman Antiquity as well as the Middle Ages, various aspects were examined from a diachronic perspective which gave rise to new questions."

https://www.degruyter.com/downloadpdf/books/9783110534597/9783110534597-001/9783110534597-001.pdf

The Indo-Aryans of Ancient South Asia -- Language, Material Culture and Ethnicity, Ed. by Erdosy, George (2012, Reprint of 1995)

https://www.degruyter.com/viewbooktoc/product/144408

See: Indus Script hypertexts and Egyptian hieroglyphs compared 

https://tinyurl.com/y8lsprv3 This URL discusses the most frequently occuring 'sign' on Indus Script Corpora: rim-of-jar. The hieroglyph noted by Flinders Petrie as a signifier of agent of wakil is: rim-of-jar.

Daimabad seal. karṇaka 'rim-of-jar' rebus: karaṇa 'accountant, scribe'.

The hypertext reading is: kanka, karṇaka कर्णक [p= 257,2] m. (ifc. f(आ).) a prominence or handle or projection on the side or sides (of a vessel &c ) (Monier-Williams) rebus: karṇika कर्णिक [p= 257,2] m. a steersman W.; karṇī 'supercargo, i.e., a representative of the ship's owner on board a merchant ship, responsible for overseeing the cargo and its sale.'  కరణము (p. 250) karaṇamu karaṇamu. [Skt.] n. A village clerk, a writer, an accountant. వాడు కూత కరణముగాని వ్రాతకరణముకాడు he has talents for speaking but not for writing. స్థలకరణము the registrar of a district. కరణము (p. 250) karaṇamu karaṇamu. [Skt.] n. A village clerk, a writer, an accountant. వాడు కూత కరణముగాని వ్రాతకరణముకాడు he has talents for speaking but not for writing. స్థలకరణము the registrar of a district. (Telugu).

Hieroglyphs young bull, rings on neck, pannier: 

kammarsāla 'pannier' (Telugu)Rebus: karmāraśāla = workshop of blacksmith (Skt.) Synonym: kammāra [Vedic karmāra] a smith, a worker in metals generally D ii.126, A v.263; a silversmith Sn 962= Dh 239; Ji.223; a goldsmith J iii.281; v.282. The smiths in old India do not seem to be divided into black -- , gold -- and silver -- smiths, but seem to have been able to work equally well in iron, gold, and silver, as can be seen e. g. from Jiii.282 and VvA 250, where the smith is the maker of a needle. They were constituted into a guild, and some of them were well -- to -- do as appears from what is said of Cunda at D ii.126; owing to their usefulness they were held in great esteem by the people and king alike J iii.281. (Pali.lex.) 

खोंडा [ khōṇḍā ] m A कांबळा of which one end is formed into a cowl or hood. खोंडरूं [ khōṇḍarūṃ ] n A contemptuous form of खोंडा in the sense of कांबळा-cowl (Marathi) [The characteristic pannier which is ligatured to the young bull pictorial hieroglyph is a synonym खोंडा 'cowl' or 'pannier').खोंडी [ khōṇḍī ] f An outspread shovelform sack (as formed temporarily out of a कांबळा, to hold or fend off grain, chaff &c.) ] 
khōṇḍī 'pannier sack' 

gōta ‘sack’. kŏthul, lu m. ʻlarge bag or parcelʼ(Kashmiri) (CDIAL 3511) kṓṣṭha1 m. ʻ any one of the large viscera ʼ MBh. [Same as kṓṣṭha -- 2? Cf. *kōttha -- ] Pa. koṭṭha -- m. ʻ stomach ʼ, Pk. koṭṭha -- , kuṭ° m.; L. (Shahpur) koṭhī f. ʻ heart, breast ʼ; P. koṭṭhā, koṭhā m. ʻ belly ʼ, G. koṭhɔ m., M. koṭhā m. (CDIAL 3545).

koṭiyum [kot., koṭī neck] a wooden circle put round the neck of an animal (Gujarati) koḍiyum ‘rings on neck’. 

koḍ ‘workshop’ (Kuwi.G.) Rebus: S. koṭāru m. ʻ district officer who watches crops, police officer ʼ (CDIAL 3501). Cf. kṓṣṭhaka ‘treasury’ (Skt.); kóṭṭhi ’temple treasury’ (WPah.); koṭho ‘warehouse’ (G.)(CDIAL 3546). Rebus: khoṭa ʻingot forged, alloyʼ(Marathi)Allograph: kōṭu summit of a hill(Tamil). Rebus: khoṭ f. ʻalloy, impurityʼ, °ṭā ʻalloyed’.

Rebus: खोदकाम [ khōdakāma ] n Sculpture; carved work or work for the carver.

खोदगिरी [ khōdagirī ] f Sculpture, carving, engraving: also sculptured or carved work.खोदणें [ khōdaṇēṃ ] v c & i ( H) To dig. 2 To engraveखोदींव [ khōdīṃva ] p of खोदणें Dug. 2 Engraved, carved, sculptured. http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2015/04/excavations-at-dholavifra-1989-2005-rs.html
The intimations of a metals turner as a scribe are also gleaned from the gloss: खोडाखोड or डी [ khōḍākhōḍa or ḍī ] f (खोडणें) Erasing, altering, interlining &c. in numerous places: also the scratched, scrawled, and disfigured state of the paper so operated upon; खोडींव [ khōḍīṃva ] p of खोडणें v c Erased or crossed out.Marathi). खोडपत्र [ khōḍapatra ] n Commonly खोटपत्र.खोटपत्र [ khōṭapatra ] n In law or in caste-adjudication. A written acknowledgment taken from an offender of his falseness or guilt: also, in disputations, from the person confuted. (Marathi) Thus, khond 'turner' is also an engraver, scribe.

That a metals turner is engaged in metal alloying is evident from the gloss: खोट [ khōṭa ] f A mass of metal (unwrought or of old metal melted down); an ingot or wedge. Hence 2 A lump or solid bit (as of phlegm, gore, curds, inspissated milk); any concretion or clot. खोटीचा Composed or made of खोट, as खोटीचें भांडें.

1. koḍiya ‘rings on neck’, ‘young bull’ koḍ ‘horn’ rebus 1: koṭiya 'dhow, seafaring vessel' 

khōnda ‘young bull’ rebus 2: kōnda ‘lapidary, engraver’ rebus 3: kundār ‘turner’ कोंड [kōṇḍa] A circular hamlet; a division of a मौजा or village, composed generally of the huts of one caste. खोट [khōṭa] Alloyed--a metal 

2. sangaḍa ‘lathe’ sanghaṭṭana ‘bracelet’ rebus 1: .sanghāṭa ‘raft’ sAngaDa ‘catamaran, double-canoe’rebusčaṇṇāḍam (Tu. ജംഗാല, Port. Jangada). Ferryboat, junction of 2 boats, also rafts. 2  jangaḍia 'military guard accompanying treasure into the treasury' ചങ്ങാതം čaṇṇāδam (Tdbh.; സംഘാതം) 1. Convoy, guard; responsible Nāyar guide through foreign territories. rebus 3: जाकड़ ja:kaṛ जांगड़ jāngāḍ‘entrustment note’ जखडणें tying up (as a beast to a stake) rebus 4: sanghāṭa ‘accumulation, collection’ rebus 5. sangaḍa ‘portable furnace, brazier’ rebus 6: sanghāta‘adamantine glue‘ rebus 7: sangara‘fortification’ rebus 8: sangara ‘proclamation’ 9: samgraha, samgaha 'arranger, manager'.

"Kondana Caves are located in small village, Kondana, 33 km north of Lonavala and 16 km northwest of Karla Caves. This cave group has 16 Buddhist caves. The caves were excavated in first century B.C. The construction on wooden pattern is notable. One can reach the cave by descending from Rajmachi village." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kondana_Caves

Kondana caves near Karjat, Maharashtra.

Vihara of Kondana caves.

Kondana caves are at the base of Rajmachi hill fort on the banks of Ulhas river in the Karjat taluqa of Raigad District. (Lat. 180 51’N, Long. 730 23’) These caves were first noticed by Vishnu Shastri around 1830 CE and Mr. Law, the collector of Thane who visited the caves soon after. (JBBRAS 1850: 46–47 and Fergusson, and Burgess, (1969). The Cave Temples of India In: Delhi: Oriental Books Reprint, p. 220).

Archaeological Survey of India (http://asimumbaicircle.com) notes three short Brahmi-Prakrit inscriptions engraved on the outer façade of the chaityagriha. Out of these three, only one finds mentioned in all the pervious important documentations. (JBBRAS 1850: 46–47, Epigraphia Indica-Vol-X, Appendix no. 1071, Fergusson, and Burgess, (1969). The Cave Temples of India In: Delhi: Oriental Books Reprint., p. 222 and Gupchup, V (1963). Kondane. Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bombay 38: 174–184. ) 

S. Nagaraju has recorded two 'unpublished' inscriptions. (Nagaraju, S (1981). Buddhist Architecture of Western India In: Delhi: Pub. Agam Kala Prakashan, p.339).

Dikshit, M G has noted a fourth inscription in his unpublished thesis, which reads: ‘Hamma of (i.e. donated by) Prakara.’ This indicates that Kondane cave was recognized by the donor as a hammiya. harmiyá (metr.) n. ʻ large house ʼ RV. Pa. hammiya -- n. ʻ large building with an upper story ʼ, Pk. hammia -- n.; -- Si. hamiya ʻ palace ʼ (EGS 189) ← Pa. Addenda: harmiyá -- [~ hārmya -- TĀr. -- dial. a ~ ā < IE. o T. Burrow BSOAS xxxviii 72](CDIAL 13998). Hammiya (nt.) [cp. Vedic harmya house & BSk. harmikā "summer -- house" (?) Divy 244] customarily given as "a long, storied mansion which has an upper chamber placed on the top," a larger building, pāsāda, (store -- ) house Vin i.58, 96, 239; ii.146 (with vihāra, aḍḍhayoga, pāsāda, guhā, as the 5 lenāni), 152, 195; Miln 393; Nd1 226=Vism 25. ˚ -- gabbha a chamber on the upper storey Vin ii.152.(Pali)  harmyam

हर्म्यम् [हृ-यत् मुट् च] 1 A palace, mansion, any large or palatial building; हर्म्यपृष्ठं समारूढः काको$पि गरु- डायते Subhāṣ.; बाह्योद्यानस्थितहरशिरश्चन्द्रिकाधौतहर्म्या Me.7;Ṛs.1.28; Bk.8.36; R.6.47; Ku.6.42. -2 An oven, a fire-place, hearth. -3 A fiery pit, abode of evil spi- rits, the infernal regions. -Comp. -अङ्गनम्, -णम् the court-yard of a palace. -तलम्, -पृष्ठम्, -वलभी f. the upper room of a palace. -स्थलम् the room of a palace.harmikā हर्मिका f. A summer house on a Stūpa. (Samskrtam. Apte) हर्म्य[p= 1292,2] n. (ifc. f(आ). ; said to be fr. √ हृ , " to captivate or charm the mind " ; but rather connected with √2. घृ and घर्म , and perhaps originally signifying " the domestic fire-hearth ") , a large house , palace , mansion , any house or large building or residence of a wealthy person RV. &c; a stronghold , prison RV. v , 32 , 5 ; viii , 5 , 23; a fiery pit , place of torment , region of darkness , the nether world MW.; mfn. living in houses ib.(Monier-Williams) (See: Dutt, S (2015). Buddhist Monks and Monasteries of India In: Delhi: Motilal Banarasidass, p.96.)

The caves are placed along the Bhor Ghat, an important trade route connecting the hinterland ports like Kalyan-Sopara and ancient inland towns like Ter, Junnar and Paithan. There are seven west facing lenas and a chaitygraha at Kondane. (Qureshi 2010: 274–278)." https://www.ancient-asia-journal.com/articles/10.5334/aa.114/ Rupali Mokashi, Pankaj Vijay Samel, Brahmi inscriptions from Kondane caves Mokashi, Rupali & Samel, Pankaj Vijay, (2017). Brahmi Inscriptions from Kondane Caves. Ancient Asia. 8, p.3. 

First inscription of Kondana caves

The noted Brahmi inscription, next to the left shouldr of a yaksha sculptural frieze, recirds Kanhasa antevasina balakena katam, Translation: ‘made by Balakaken, the pupil of Kanha (Krishna)’ (Kern loc.cit.Fergusson and Burgess 1969: 221); ‘made by Baluka (Balaka), the pupil (antevasin) of Kanha (Krishna)’. (Epigraphia Indica-Vol-X, Appendix no. 1071)

Second inscription of Kondana caves

Inscription positioned high above on the facade of the main chaityagriha records donation by Hamayaksha. sidham barakas ha(dha?)maya(kh)sa kuchikaputasa pathe ‘Translation: 'resident of Barakasa, son of Kuchika donated at the rear side’

https://www.ancient-asia-journal.com/articles/10.5334/aa.114/

Third inscription of Kondana caves

Third inscription (circumscribed by a rectangle) is located on the lowermost cornice of the overhanging projection of the façade decorated with chaitya arches. (http://asimumbaicircle.com) and reads as follows: Kanchikaputasa deyadhama Translation: donation by the son of Kanchika

Rock art of Kondana caves

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/kondane-cave-art-tours-s-india

http://worldtravellocations.com/favicon/ecotourism/

40 rock paintings were recently discovered in the Kondane caves in Raigarh district in Maharashtra.

"A hunter stands poised with a bow and arrow. A barasingha (swamp deer) stands nearby. Then there are footprints, palm impressions and some trees. These were some of the depictions in the 40 rock paintings recently discovered in the Kondane caves in Raigarh district in Maharashtra."

http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/kondane-cave-art-depicts-myth-and-daily-life/article8306081.ece

"The cave temple at Kondane has, above the entrance hall, four beautiful panels depicting pairs of dancers. The forms retain the robust and full modelling of the more developed sculpture at Pitalkhora, but to this is added an ease of movement and considerable rhythmic grace."

https://www.britannica.com/art/South-Asian-arts/Visual-arts-of-India-and-Sri-Lanka-Ceylon#ref533025

Kondana caves with rock art, are a precursor of the breath-taking splendour of 29 cave temples of Ajanta, on the banks of Waghora river.

An example of Ajanta cave painting.

कुन्द  name of a mountain BhP. v , 20 , 10

குந்தம்&sup5; kuntam , n. < kunta. 1. Javelin for throwing; barbed dart; எறிகோல். வைவா ளிருஞ்சிலை குந்தம் (சீவக. 1678). 2. Spear, lance; வேல். குந்தமலியும் புரவி யான் (பு. வெ. 4, 7). 3. Pike, stake; குத்துக்கோல். பூந்தலைக் குந்தங் குத்தி (முல்லைப். 41).

குந்தம்¹ kuntam, n. perh. kuntaḷa. Horse; குதிரை. வெற்றிசேர் குந்தம் (திருவிளை. நரிபரி. 106).

कुन्द one of कुबेर's nine treasures (N. of a गुह्यक Gal. ) L.

कोंडण (p. 102) kōṇḍaṇa f A fold or pen. कोंडणी (p. 102) kōṇḍaṇī f (Poetry. कोंडणें) Shut up, confined, embarrassed, or perplexed state, lit. fig. Ex. ऐशा विचाराच्या घालुनि कोंडणीं ॥ काय चक्रपाणि निजले ती ॥.कोंडणें (p. 102) kōṇḍaṇēṃ v c To shut up; to stop or block up; to confine gen. (a person in a room, a stream by an embankment, the breath &c.) 2 fig. To pose, puzzle, confute, silence. कोंडमार (p. 102) kōṇḍamāra or -मारा m (कोंडणें & मारणें) Shutting up in a confined place and beating. Gen. used in the laxer senses of Suffocating or stifling in a close room; pressing hard and distressing (of an opponent) in disputation; straitening and oppressing (of a person) under many troubles or difficulties. कोंडवाड (p. 102) kōṇḍavāḍa n f C (कोंडणें & वाडा) A pen or fold for cattle.  कोंडाळें (p. 102) kōṇḍāḷēṃ n (कुंडली S) A ring or circularly inclosed space. 2 fig. A circle made by persons sitting round. 3 A ring or little cake made of भाजणी or mixed flour. कोंडी (p. 102) kōṇḍī f (कोंडणें) A confined place gen.; a lockup house, a pen, fold, pound; a receiving apartment or court for Bráhmans gathering for दक्षिणा; a prison at the play of आट्यापाट्या; a dammed up part of a stream &c. &c. 

कोंदणें (p. 102) kōndaṇēṃ v i To be stuffed, obstructed, blocked up: also to be filled more comprehensively or freely; as a house or room with smoke; the heavens with thunder or a loud sound, or darkness; a person with rapture or joy &c. Ex. नादें अंबर कोंदलें ॥. Also ब्रम्हानंदें कोंदले ॥. Also to fill or pervade; as तों चंद्र गेला मावळोनि ॥ काज्हरा गगनीं कोंदला ॥. 

Hieroglyph: Ta. kuntam haystack. Ka. kuttaṟi a stack, rick. (DEDR 1724) குந்தம்³ kuntam, n. perh. kuñja. Hay-stack; வைக்கோற்படப்பு. Loc.

Hieroglyph: a sprouting: Kui gunda (gundi-) to sprout, bud, shoot forth into bud or ear; n. a sprouting, budding. ? Kuwi (Isr.) kunda a very small plot of ground (e.g. for seed-bed). Kur. kundnā to germinate, bud, shoot out; kundrnā to beborn; kundrkā birth; kundrta'ānā to generate, beget, produce. Malt. kunde to be born, be created.

Rebus: कोडबादीनें (p. 102) kōḍabādīnēṃ ad (कोडी) By the score--buying, selling &c. 

1) अडसांगडी or ड्या (p. 11) aḍasāṅgaḍī or ḍyā a That plies the adasangada. 2 That swims without a sangada or gourd-float. 2) अडसांगडीं (p. 11) aḍasāṅgaḍīṃ ad Without a sangada or gourd-float--swimming. v poha, ja, utara. 3) सांकाटा (p. 494) sāṅkāṭā m (Commonly sangada) The skeleton, box, or frame (of a building, boat, cart, the body). 2 A frame or texture of sticks (as for the covering... 4) सांगड (p. 495) sāṅgaḍa sangada 5) सांगडणें (p. 495) sāṅgaḍaṇēṃ v c (sangada) To link, join, or unite together (boats, fruits, animals). 2 Freely. To tie or bind up or unto. 6) सांगडी (p. 495) sāṅgaḍī f (Commonly sangada) A float &c. 7) सांगड्या (p. 495) sāṅgaḍyā a sometimes sangadi a That works a sangada or canoe-float. 8) सांगाडा (p. 495) sāṅgāḍā sangada 1) कांत (p. 87) kānta m (कातण) Shavings of wood, ivory &c., under the turning lathe. 2 C (Corr. from कांठ) Edge, verge, brink. 2) कातणें or कांतणें (p. 87) kātaṇē or ṅkāntaṇēṃ S) To draw out into threads, to spin. 2 To form on the turning lathe, to turn. 3 To crimple the edges (of cakes, puffs &c.) 4 fig... 3) कातींव or कांतींव (p. 88) kātīṃva or kāntīṃva p of कातणें Formed on the turning lathe, turned. 2 fig. Slightly but neatly formed. 

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अहम् राष्ट्री संगमनी वसूनाम् -- देवता आत्मा, ऋषिका वाक् आम्भृणी (RV 10.125) Metals foundry proclamation, Dholavira Signboard.

August 27, 2017, 6:57 pm

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The grandeur of the Vedic River Sarasvati as the mover of wealth is attested in RV 10.125.

This sūkta is a proclamation of the creation and movement of wealth of Sarasvati Civilization, nurtured on the banks of Vedic River Sarasvati. The devatā of the sūkta is ātmā.

आत्म (in comp. for आत्म्/अन् ; also rarely ifc. e.g. अध्य्-ात्म , अध्य्-ात्म्/अम्); आत्मन् [p= 135,1] with two meanings: breath (vāk) and movement. the highest personal principle of life , ब्रह्म (cf. परमा*त्मन्) AV. x , 8 , 44 VS. xxxii , 11 S3Br. xiv , &c;m. (variously derived fr. अन् , to breathe ; अत् , to move ; वा , to blow ; cf. त्म्/अन्) the breath RV.the soul , principle of life and sensation RV. AV. &c.
वाच्[p= 936,1] f. (fr. √ वच्) speech , voice , talk , language (also of animals) , sound (also of inanimate objects as of the stones used for pressing , of a drum &c ) RV. &c (वाचम्- √ऋ , ईर् , or इष् , to raise the voice , utter a sound , cry , call); Speech personified (in various manners or forms e.g. as वाच् आम्भृणी in RV. x , 125 ; as the voice of the middle sphere in Naigh.and Nir. ; in the वेद she is also represented as created by प्रजा-पति and married to him ; in other places she is called the mother of the वेदs and wife of इन्द्र ; in VP. she is the daughter of दक्ष and wife of कश्यप ; but most frequently she is identified with भारती or सरस्वती , the goddess of speech ; वाचः साम and वाचो व्रतम् N. of सामन्s A1rshBr. ; वाचः स्तोमः , a partic. एका*हS3rS. )
अम्भृण [p= 84,1] अम्भस्   powerful , great [Naigh] RV. i , great ([ Naigh. ]) RV. i , 133 , 5([" roaring terribly " Sa1y. ]); आम्भृणी [p= 147,3] f. daughter of अम्भृण , N. of वाच्


The basin of this river Sarasvati had over 2000 archaeological sites, including Dholavira and Bhirrana. 
Reconstruction. Dholavira Gateway with Signboard.

Dholavira. Hypertext of Sarasvati Script on a monolithic signboard atop gateway. A proclamation of metalwork competence.

Bhirrana. Potsherd with Sarasvati Script hypertext. meḍ  'dance-step' rebus: meḍ 'iron' (Santali.Mu.Ho.) med 'copper' (Slavic) kola 'woman' rebus: kol 'working in iron' kolhe 'smelter'

अहम् राष्ट्री संगमनी वसूनाम् I am the mover of nation's wealth: देवता आत्मा, ऋषिका वाक् आम्भृणी (RV 10.125) 

1. I TRAVEL with the Rudras and the Vasus, with the Adityas and AllGods- I wander.

I hold aloft both Varuna and Mitra, Indra and Agni, and the Pair of Asvins.

2 I cherish and sustain highswelling- Soma, and Tvastar I support, Pusan, and Bhaga.

I load with wealth the zealous sdcrificer who pours the juice and offers his oblation

3 I am the Queen, the (mover) gathererup- of treasures, most thoughtful, first of those who merit worship.

Thus Gods have stablished me in many places with many homes to enter and abide in.

4 Through me alone all eat the food that feeds them, each man who sees, brewhes, hears the word

outspoken

They know it not, but yet they dwell beside me. Hear, one and all, the truth as I declare it.

5 1, verily, myself announce and utter the word that Gods and men alike shall welcome.

I make the man I love exceeding mighty, make him a sage, a Rsi, and a Brahman.

6 I bend the bow for Rudra that his arrow may strike and slay the hater of devotion.

I rouse and order battle for the people, and I have penetrated Earth and Heaven.

7 On the worlds' summit I bring forth the Father: my home is in the waters, in the ocean.

Thence I extend over all existing creatures, and touch even yonder heaven with my forehead.

8 I breathe a strong breath like the wind and tempest, the while I hold together all existence.

Beyond this wide earth and beyond the heavens I have become so mighty in my grandeur.

Decipherment of Dholavira Signboard Indus Script Proclamation: Metals foundry

There are three proclamations on the signboard with three segments of messages:

ḍato eraka sangaḍa

1. Working in ore, molten cast copper, lathe (work)

khāṇḍā aḍaren kōṇṭu eraka

2. Native metal tools, pots and pans, metalware, engraving (molten cast copper)

 loa khuṇṭa eraka

3. Coppersmith mint, furnace, workshop (molten cast copper)

Dholavira Signboard inscription of gypsum inlays on wood measures 3 m. long. Each of the 10 signs is 37 cm. high and 25 to 27 cm. wide and made of pieces of white gypsum inlays; the signs were apparently inlaid in a wooden plank. The conjecture is that this wooden plank was mounted on the Northern Gateway as a Signboard. 

Dholavira Signboard

The Signboard which adorned the Northern Gateway of the citadel of Dholavira was an announcement of the metalwork repertoire of dhokra kamar, cire perdue metalcasters and other smiths working with metal alloys. The entire Indus Script Corpora are veritable metalwork catalogs. The phrase dhokra kamar is rendered on a tablet discovered at Dholavira presented in this monograph (earlier discussed at 
http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2014/01/meluhha-hieroglyphs-1-dhokra-lost-wax.html ). The 10-hieroglyph inscription of Dholavira Signboard has been read rebus and presented at 
http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2013/08/dholavira-gateway-to-meluhha-gateway-to.html

Excerpts from Excavation Report on Dholavira released by ASI in 2015:

"8.1 Inscriptions. Literacy of the Harappans is best exemplified in their inscriptions written in a script that is unparalleled in its characters hitherto unknown and undeciphered so far. These inscriptions are best represented on their seals and seals-impressions in addition to those engraved or painted on the objects of metal, terracotta, pottery, faience, ivory, bone and stone, albeit sometimes appearing in a single sign inscription or scratching particularly on pottery or terracotta objects. 8.1.1 Signboard. One of the most prominent discoveries from the excavations at Dholavira is the find of a 10 large sized signboard presently lying in the western chamber of North Gate. This inscription was found lying in the western chamber of north gate, and the nature of find indicates that it could have been fitted on a wooden signboard, most probably fitted above the lintel of the central passageway of the gate. The central passageway of north gate itself measures 3.5 m in width and the length of the inscription along with the wooden frame impression is also more or less same thereby indicating the probable location. The inscription consists of 10 large-sized letters of the typical Harappan script, and is actually gypsum inlays cut into various sizes and shapes, which were utilized to create each size as, indicated above. The exact meaning of the inscription is not known in the absence of decipherment of script." (pp.227-229, Section 8.1.1 Signboard)

"The central passageway of north gate itself measures 3.5 m in width and the length of the inscription along with the wooden frame impression is also more or less same thereby indicating the probable location. The inscription consists of 10 large-sized letters of the typical Harappan script, and is actually gypsum inlays cut into various sizes and shapes, which were utilized to create each size as, indicated above. The exact meaning of the inscription is not known in the absence of decipherment of the script. (p.231)

Fig. 8.2: Location of ten large sized inscription in North Gate

Fig. 8.3: Close-up of inscription

Fig. 8.4: Drawing showing the ten letters of inscription

Fig. 8.5: Photograph showing the details of inscription in situ.

Fig. 8.6: Close-up of some of the letters from the inscription

The signboard deciphered in three segments from r.

Segment 1: Working in ore, molten cast copper, lathe (work)

ḍato ‘claws or pincers of crab’ (Santali) rebus: dhatu ‘ore’ (Santali) 

eraka ‘knave of wheel’ Rebus: eraka ‘copper’ (Kannada) eraka ‘molten cast (metal)(Tulu). sangaḍa 'pair' Rebus: sangaḍa‘lathe’ (Gujarati) 

 Segment 2: Native metal tools, pots and pans, metalware, engraving (molten cast copper)

खांडा [ khāṇḍā ] m  A jag, notch, or indentation (as upon the edge of a tool or weapon). (Marathi) Rebus: khāṇḍā ‘tools, pots and pans, metal-ware’.

aḍaren, ḍaren lid, cover (Santali) Rebus: aduru ‘native metal’ (Ka.) aduru = gan.iyinda tegadu karagade iruva aduru = ore taken from the mine and not subjected to melting in a furnace (Kannada) (Siddhānti Subrahmaṇya’ śāstri’s new interpretation of the Amarakośa, Bangalore, Vicaradarpana Press, 1872, p. 330) 

koṇḍa bend (Ko.); Tu. Kōḍi  corner; kōṇṭu angle, corner, crook. Nk. kōnṭa corner (DEDR 2054b)  G. khū̃ṭṛī  f. ʻangleʼ Rebus:kõdā ‘to turn in a lathe’(B.) कोंद kōnda ‘engraver, lapidary setting or infixing gems’ (Marathi) koḍ ‘artisan’s workshop’ (Kuwi) koḍ  = place where artisans work (G.) ācāri koṭṭya ‘smithy’ (Tu.) कोंडण [kōṇḍaṇa] f A fold or pen. (Marathi) B. kõdā ‘to turn in a lathe’; Or.kū̆nda ‘lathe’, kũdibā, kū̃d ‘to turn’ (→ Drav. Kur. Kū̃d ’ lathe’) (CDIAL 3295)  A. kundār, B. kũdār, ri, Or.Kundāru; H. kũderā m. ‘one who works a lathe, one who scrapes’, rī f., kũdernā ‘to scrape, plane, round on a lathe’; kundakara— m. ‘turner’ (Skt.)(CDIAL 3297). कोंदण [ kōndaṇa ] n (कोंदणें) Setting or infixing of gems.(Marathi) খোদকার [ khōdakāra ] n an engraver; a carver. খোদকারি n. engraving; carving; interference in other’s work. খোদাই [ khōdāi ] n engraving; carving. খোদাই করা v. to engrave; to carve. খোদানো v. & n. en graving; carving. খোদিত [ khōdita ] a engraved. (Bengali) खोदकाम [ khōdakāma ] n Sculpture; carved work or work for the carver. खोदगिरी [ khōdagirī ] f Sculpture, carving, engraving: also sculptured or carved work. खोदणावळ [ khōdaṇāvaḷa ] f (खोदणें) The price or cost of sculpture or carving. खोदणी [ khōdaṇī ] f (Verbal of खोदणें) Digging, engraving &c. 2 fig. An exacting of money by importunity. V लाव, मांड. 3 An instrument to scoop out and cut flowers and figures from paper. 4 A goldsmith’s die. खोदणें [ khōdaṇēṃ ] v c & i ( H) To dig. 2 To engrave. खोद खोदून विचारणें or –पुसणें To question minutely and searchingly, to probe. खोदाई [ khōdāī ] f (H.) Price or cost of digging or of sculpture or carving. खोदींव [ khōdīṃva ] p of खोदणें Dug. 2 Engraved, carved, sculptured. (Marathi)

eraka ‘knave of wheel’ Rebus: eraka ‘copper’ (Kannada) eraka ‘molten cast (metal)(Tulu).

Segment 3:  Coppersmith mint, furnace, workshop (molten cast copper)

loa ’fig leaf; Rebus: loh ‘(copper) metal’ kamaḍha 'ficus religiosa' (Skt.); kamaṭa = portable furnace for melting precious metals (Te.); kampaṭṭam = mint (Ta.) The unique ligatures on the 'leaf' hieroglyph may be explained as a professional designation: loha-kāra 'metalsmith'; kāruvu  [Skt.] n. 'An artist, artificer. An agent'.(Telugu). 

khuṇṭa 'peg’; khũṭi = pin (M.) rebus: kuṭi= furnace (Santali) kūṭa ‘workshop’ kuṇḍamu ‘a pit for receiving and preserving consecrated fire’ (Te.) kundār turner (A.); kũdār, kũdāri (B.)

eraka ‘knave of wheel’ Rebus: eraka ‘copper’ (Kannada) eraka ‘molten cast (metal)(Tulu).

Excavations - Dholavira

Being one among the five largest Harappan cities in the subcontinent, Dholavira has yielded many firsts in respect of Indus civilization. Fourteen field seasons of excavation through an enormous deposit caused by the successive settlements at the site for over 1500 years during all through the 3rd millennium and unto the middle of the 2nd millennium BC have revealed seven significant cultural stages documenting the rise and fall of the Indus civilization in addition to bringing to light a major, a model city which is remarkable for its exquisite planning, monumental structures, aesthetic architecture, amazing water harvesting system and a variety in funerary architecture. It also enjoys the unique distinction of yielding an inscription made up of ten large-sized signs of the Indus script and, not less in importance, is the other find of a fragment of a large slab engraved with three large signs. This paper attempts to give an account of hydro-engineering that is manifest in the structures of the Harappans at Dholavira. The ancient site at Dholavira (230 53' 10" N; 700 13'E), taluka Bhachau, district Kachchh in state Gujarat, lies in the island of Khadir which, it turn, is surrounded by the salt waste of the Great Rann of Kachchh. The ancient settlement is embraced by two monsoon channels, namely, the Manhar and Mansar. The ruins, including the cemetery covers an area of about 100 hectares half of which is appropriated by the articulately fortified settlement of the Harappans alone. The salient components of the full-grown cityscape consisted of a bipartite 'citadel', a 'middle town' and a 'lower town', two 'stadia', an 'annexe', a series of reservoirs all set within an enormous fortification running on all four sides. Interestingly, inside the city, too, there was an intricate system of fortifications. The city was, perhaps, configured like a large parallelogram boldly outlined by massive walls with their longer axis being from the east to west. On the bases of their relative location, planning, defences and architecture, the three principal divisions are designed tentatively as 'citadel', 'middle town', and 'lower town'. The citadel at Dholavira, unlike its counterparts at Mohenjodaro, Harappa and Kalibangan but like that at Banawali, was laid out in the south of the city area. Like Kalibangan and Surkotada it had two conjoined subdivisions, tentatively christened at Dholavira as 'castle' and 'bailey', located on the east and west respectively, both are fortified ones. The former is the most zealously guarded by impregnable defences and aesthetically furnished with impressive gates, towers, salients and drainage. To the north of the citadel a broad and long ground, probably used for multiple purposes such as community gathering on festive or ceremonial occasions, a stadium and a marketing place for exchanging merchandise during trading seasons (s). Further north, there was laid out the enwalled middle town while to its east was founded the lower town. The last -mentioned one did not have an appurtenant fortification though, it was set within the general circumvallation. Besides to the south of the castle, across the adjoining reservoir, there was raised another built-up area running along the city wall, perhaps, designated as annexe or a warehouse meant for housing the retainers and menials. The layout that is briefly described above pertained to the fully-developed form of the Harappan city. There are identified seven major cultural stages, serially numbered from Stage I to Stage VII which document the gradual rise, culmination and fall of the Urban System of the Harappan civilization vis-s-vis the settlement which spread over a time period of one and a half millenniums spanning the whole of the 3rd millennium and half of the following. The first settlement of Stage I was a strong fortress now lying buried in the castle mound. A part of the southern arm of its fortification that was laid bare near the south-western corner measured 11.10 m at the base. It showed tapering sides to an extant height 4 m. The foundation of the planning that was laid in Stage I formed the nucleus on which the subsequent settlements of the later stages expanded gradually. Even the building materials, whether standardized bricks (9 x 8 x 36 cm, ratio 1 : 2 : 4 ) or stone, both undressed and dressed, remained in use, subsequently through Stage V. In Stage II, a 2.80 m thick brick masonry wall was added to the pre-existing defensive wall from the inner side and the face of it was plastered over with fine paste of white and pink clays at least as many as thirteen times. There is another significant development that took place. A residential area was coming up to the north of the walled settlement. Besides, pottery forms and antiquities diversified as well as increased in both quality and quantity. Stage III, sub-divided into two phases, i.e. IIIA and IIIB, was a most creative and important one in many respects: the southern arm of the antecedent fort-wall was further widened from the inner side with an additional brick-masonry of about 4.5 m and the existing walled settlements was made into a castle and another walled subdivision, arbitrarily called as bailey, was added to it from the west. In the north, the extended residential area of Stage II was cleared of structures for carving out a multipurpose ground. Further north, the extensive walled town (which would become middle town subsequently) was founded. Reservoirs were created on the south, west and north of the built-up divisions on an ostentatious scale and design. And, finally, an outer fortification in order to surround all the components was constructed during this stage. For the first time, three square steatite seals much smaller and lighter and furnished with figures but without inscriptions appeared in addition to a potsherd bearing Indus signs and also a cubical weight. Besides, a good number of classical Harappan pottery forms with painted motifs made their debut. When the town of Stage III had lived two-thirds of its life, it was immensely damaged by a catastrophe. Its tell-tale marks were vividly present in the defensive wall of the castle. Repairs were undertaken, the lower town was added and the city-walls were extended further eastwards in order to enclose the new additions. As a result, the erstwhile town attained full cityscape that dominated the cultural scenario for centuries through Stages IV and V. Significantly, during the first three stages, i.e., I, II and III, the inhabitants exhibited an abiding preference for colourful clays, e.g., white and pink for plastering nearly all the structures whether defensive walls, roads, streets, ceremonial ground, or the walls and floors of private houses. Even roof tops of the houses might have been treated similarly. But, this tradition came to an abrupt end with the end of Stage IIIB and beginning of Stage IV, as if under a royal decree or by a resolute public consensus. At Stage IIIB, the cityscape had attained its fullest growth. Stage IV belonged to that form of the classical Harappan culture which is so widely familiar with from a large number of excavated sites. Almost all the salient features of the city planning were scrupulously maintained along with the monumental structures such as gateways, fortification, drainage system. The famous ten-signed inscription of unusually large size was surely in use during this stage. All the classical Harappan elements such as pottery, seals, weights, beads, items of gold, silver, copper, ivory, shell, faience, steatite, clay and stones are found in abundance. Stage V is characterized by the general decline particularly in the maintenance of the city. It is more vividly reflected in the citadel. The other items such as pottery, seals, weights, etc., continued in use, however. This stage was followed by a temporary desertion of the site, perhaps not lasting more than a few decades before the Stage VI ushered in. Stage VI presents a state of cultural transformation. New ceramic traditions coming from the sides of Sind, Rajasthan, Gujarat and far-off region in the north made appearance. The one-time city shrank into a smaller town, confined to the citadel and the southern margin of the middle town only although some of the existing fortification walls were kept in use, a new wall of different construction was raised on the north for delimiting the settlement. The classical planning was largely given a go-by. Domestic buildings were laid out in a different planning. Bricks were no longer in use. While many of the pottery forms and decorative motifs were still in vogue, new ceramics in the form of white painted black-and-red and white painted grey wares along with a coarse ware bearing incised or appliqué or both kinds of designs and also some Bara related pottery made their appearance. Many other traditional items continued in use though the seals underwent a change. Rather being square in form, those were long rectangular with a flat or triangular back with a hole for string. The seals still bore nicely cut inscriptions but no figures. Stone cubical weights were still in vogue in addition to similar ones cut out of potsherds. Overall picture that is projected is that impoverishment and rapidly crumbling urbanism. Having lived there for about a century, the late Harappans of Stage VI abandoned the settlement. The desertion that followed was certainly a longer one. How long? It is not certain at present. The new comers of Stage VII had forgotten the classical Harappan fabrics, shapes and designs. Strangely enough, the newcomers built their houses in an entirely new form that was circular. No planning as such is discernible. All the urban attributes became conspicuous by their absence. Thus the urbanization that made its humble beginnings in stage I and went on progressing through Stages II, III and IV, started decaying in Stage V and underwent a transformation in Stage VI with a feeble revival only to become totally deurbanised in Stage VII. The site was never occupied thereafter. Lying between the monsoon channels and being undulating sloping towards the south, the site was ideally suited for a settlement having artificial dams and reservoirs. The city of Dholavira in its fullest form was a precisely proportionate whole and proportionality resolved configuration following a resolute set of principles of planning and architecture with mathematical precision and, perhaps, with astronomically established orientation. Of the city, at present, three corners with partially eroded towers but fully intact inner corners have been confirmed by excavation. When measured between the inner corners, the E- W length of the city area along the northern defensive wall and N-S one along the western one worked out to 771.10 m and 616.87 m, respectively - thus giving the precise ratio of 5 : 4. Similarly, the other divisions of the city also revealed amazing ratios and proportions. The following table provides revealing information:  Sl. No.   Division  Width  Length  Ratio 1 City, internal  616.87 711.10 4 : 5 2 Castle, internal at available top 92 114 4 : 5 3 Castle, external (as per present exposure) 118 151 4 : 5 4 Citadel (castle + bailey), external approximately (including bastions) 140 280 1 : 2 5 Bailey, internal 120 120 1 : 1 6 Middle Town + Stadium, internal 290.45 340.5 6 : 7 7 Middle Town, excluding Stadium, internal 242 340.5 5 : 7 8 Stadium, internal 47.5 283 1 : 6 9 Lower Town, built-up area 300 300 1 : 1 The above table inter alia reveals the proportional relationship between the castle and the city so it does in respect of intra-divisional and inter-divisional measurements. It is interesting to give another illustration: the diagonal drawn between the two opposite angles made by the north-eastern and the south-western corners of the city touched the north-western corner of the castle. While of the remaining two, the south-eastern corner is still missing, or not found out, a line, therefore bisecting the north-western angle also bisected the north-western corner of the middle town and further on cut across a crossing of four streets and finally the north-eastern corner of the castle. This could have been achieved by precise mathematical calculations and drawings which were then translated on the ground that was undulating by 13 m in gradient. It was indeed a great engineering achievement. In the whole scheme, the enwalled area of the castle became 49th (7 X 7) part of the city while its total built-up area was 25th (5 X 5) part. Furthermore, it is very significant that the two-thirds of the middle town and the whole of lower town were planned with bold projections and recesses just like those one finds in the layout of an Indian temple of the later ages. As a result, the city divisions were provided with a number of housing sectors and spaces. Some of latter were found to have been used for dumping domestic refuse. Another significant feature is the arterial street that ran across axially from west to east dividing all the above-mentioned units and sub-units into two equal halves, and a north-south street, perhaps somewhat staggered, further subdivided each unit. The lower town, too, was resolved into several units. Each unit seems to be having likewise projections and recesses and in turn demarcating an opens pace, of course. The arterial street of the middle town passed through a gate in eastern fortification wall and then went on running across the lower town albeit with a few turns, each at the end of a residential sector. The street however remained uninterrupted. Other major and minor streets and lanes shot off from the axial street for making a defined network of housing sectors. Seventeen gates, all built in the fortification walls with equally interesting add-on components, have been exposed so far. Their number-wise break up is: cattle 5, bailey 2, stadiums 4, middle town 1, annexe 2 and the remaining 3 belonging to the late Harappans of Stage VI. Being fairly much preserved, those bear immense archaeological and architectural significance interestingly, each castle gate is designed differently. Four of them, constructed somewhat, if not precisely, in the centre of each arm of the fortification, were regular gates while the fifth as an additional one in the eastern wall served some specific purpose as the flight of its broad steps stopped just halfway down from the top and did not descend onto the ground outside. The south gate was a concealed passageway leading one through open stairs to an exquisite rock cut reservoir. The remaining three, one each on east, west and north, shared a few common features which comprised besides broad and deep passageway and stairs, a high front terrace and a connected pathway with outward gentle slope. All these were duly provided with in the west gate. There the similarity ended. The east gate was more elaborate with a built-in chamber, large and elevated above the sunken passageway which in turn was connected to stairs rising onto the interior of the castle. The north gate was however the most elaborate and the most elegant and imposing on a vantage location commanding over sprawling cityscape and enchanting landscape. It had two large and elevated chambers flanking the sunken passageway which in turn was connected to an L-shaped staircase ascending from the inner end. Its lofty front terrace, 6m high and 12m deep, was connected to an equally broad pathway with a slope towards the east where it terminated separately onto the little as well as great stadium. The north gate is also remarkable for yielding a spectacularly large inscription made up of 10 unusually big Harappan letters which were surely inlaid on a wooden board since decayed but fairly determinable for its size and shape which matched well with the width of the doorsill of the gate and suggesting thereby that it was originally sported on the façade, right above the door of the gate so as to be visible from afar for its white brilliance. Of very special should also be the pillars and the pilasters which adorned the interior of the chambers of both east and west gates. Those were mounted on the side walls of chambers for giving support to the respective roofs as well. Each wall had a central pillar and a pilaster at either end, mow represented by their lower members as those were composite ones. These members were skillfully sculpted and smoothened out of bright yellow or banded limestone that was quarried 2.5 km. from the side. Each pilaster has a long basal slab supporting a set of rectangular blocks on what rested the superstructure made of mud concrete bricks, which was most likely encased with three wooden planks with their tongues being close fit into grooves that were cut on each top block while the third plank, was, perhaps, fixed into the other two by side angle joints. Likewise the central pillar, too, has a basal slab supporting a set of square blocks followed by a beautifully carved circular member with concave profile and flattened bottom and top surface. While all those were in situ, there were also found two dislodged ones, both having convex profile as well as tenon hole provision on either flat surface of each. Plausibly, the shaft of the column was wooden one. Contrarily, the central pillar of the western chamber of the north gate was found missing to be represented now by a robber's pit. The corresponding one is the other chamber also suffered from vandalism that was certainly wrought by the late Harappans. Luckily, all its members, which were met with the east gate, were found there although lying topsy-turvy in the pit that was caused right under the precise location of the pillar. In all, certainly in the north gate, there was a door with double leaves within a massive frame with a sill of limestone at either end of the deep passageway. At each end, there were, perhaps, two doors, one above another as this gate seems to be a double-storied construction with a possibility of a continuous wooden floor running wall-to-wall all over across the chambers and above the sunken passage so as to make a large magestic hall decorated with aesthetic pillars and pilasters and approachable from the rear side, besides the staircase. We may not be elaborating on the other gates in the city. However, the east gate of the great stadium and the similarly located gate of the middle town, both intercommunicating with the lower town, were also quite elaborate and impressive. Significantly, the west gate of the same stadium was connected with a long and broad corridor with a storm water drain running underneath. The late Harappans gate openings were simple and unpretentious. They were also however using many a Harappan gates. Very likely, the north gate and also the east gate inter alia served the purpose of royal procession on occasions and the little stadium had a role in that too. Mohenjodaro and Kalibangan have open space between citadel and lower town. At Harappa and Rakhigarhi, it lies to the east of citadel and north of lower town. Archaeologically speaking, no convincing proof of use(s) of such space has been put forward so far. Now, Dholavira can claim a solution to the riddle. It has shown up two such open grounds which should have been put to multipurpose uses such as community gathering on festive or special occasions, royal ceremonies, sports and entertainment and commercial activities during trading season. Propositions are based on their location, architectural specialties and antiquarian tidbits that were found in course of excavation. There are two such closed arenas. One, lying between citadel and middle town and being provided with two major gates, one on each on east and west, measured 283 m E-W and 45 to 47m N.S (ratio 6:1). It was also furnished with tiered, stepped or sloping stands on all four sides. For convenience, we may refer it as stadium or rather the great stadiums while the other one, far smaller is called the little stadium. The latter that was separated by massive stand from, but connected through an opening to, the former, lay right under the shadow of the pre-eminent castle onto which it abutted at the north-western corner. Both the stadia should have been used for some common as well as some separate function. To conclude, we may add that the great stadium is perhaps the largest in length while both are the earliest so far as archaeology has evidenced. The other area in which the Harappans of Dholavira excelled spectacularly pertained to water harvesting with the aid of dams, drain, reservoirs and storm water management which eloquently speak of tremendous engineering skill of the builders. Equally important is the fact that all those features were integrated part of city planning and were surely the beauty aids, too, The Harappans created about sixteen or more reservoir of varying sizes and designs and arranged them in a series practically on all four sides. A cursory estimate indicates that the water structures and relevant and related activities accounts for 10 hectares of area, in other words 10% of the total area that the city appropriated within its outer fortification. The 13 m of gradient between high and low areas from east to west within the walls was ideally suited for creating cascading reservoirs which were separated from each other by enormous and broad bunds and yet connected through feeding drains. Six of the water tanks, one to east of castle and five of the series to south of it, have been fully or considerably exposed while a few others or other related features are testified in check digs. It was found to be the largest, grandest and best-furnished reservoir of rectangular shape measuring 73.40 m N-S and 29.30 m E-W (ratio 5:2) at the top while above that there should have been a 1 to 1.20 m high embankment as evidenced at four corners. Its floor was excavated into three levels the deepest of which was 10.60 m as has been ascertained so far. At three corners, the north-western, north-eastern and south-western, it was provided with a flight of 30 steps each while at the fourth, there should be a waste-weir that still remains to be determined by more excavation. While the embankment served as a broad walkway on two sides, it was found to be a part of a wide causeway connecting it to the entrance appurtenances of the castle and, on the west, it should be flush with a 20 to 22 m promenade that lay between the castle wall and the reservoir. Inside the water structure there was found a rock cut well with a few rock cut steps and a stone-made enclosure of a later date. It is well-nigh presumable that some kind of tank was there right from Stage I. It should have been elaborated during Stage III. The present one was certainly a creation of Stage IV while during Stage V, it got damaged beyond repairs by the authorities – that, it become defunct forever. One thing is certain that it was accessible to all the city-dwellers whether living in citadel, middle town or lower town or even outsiders. Besides, it was, perhaps, by all on some social or religious occasions. It may also be added that it was created by partly excavated through the alluvium and partly by cutting the underlying rock and also that it was fed with the water from the Manhar largely. Another five making a series outside along the south of the citadel have excavated fully or partly. These are of varying sizes and depth were cut into soft sedimentary sandy limestone and make two mega-units with a somewhat staggered disposition. The first two from the east form one unit and the rest the second centrally located tank exhibit genuinely a rock cut architecture of excellence both in beauty and skill and also surely in importance and use. Consisting of both inlying and outlying features, it has a deep basin, an obliquely oriented deeper trough inside, a surrounding freeboard, two masonry flight of steps, an inlet and another rock cut outlet channel, besides outside features like a wide terrace on the west, a massive levee on the east, a stairway ascending to the covered south gate of the castle, a working platform on the south, a passageway between walls, emanating from the north-eastern stairs. Running parallel to the defensive walls of the castle as well as the city, it is rectangular tank measuring 33.4 E-W and 8.90 to 9.45 m N-S while the upper lies at the depth of 5.90 m to 6.50 m and the lower one at 7.90 m below the ancient working level. In fact, the deeper level pertains to the trough that was cut in the eastern half of the general basin. It has measured 15.50 m long E-W and 5.65 m acoss with its vertical sides being 140 oblique to those of the main basin. The neatness with what the tank was cut is remarkable. The weaker veins of the rock were scooped out and plugged with superb masonry work. The remaining two rock cut tanks lay further west. All the tanks were interconnected with drain conducting water into each other. The surplus water finally flowed out through a masonry drain into another series of reservoirs excavated further west. All these reservoirs like the eastern one became defunct sometime during Stage V. The citadel has yielded an intricate network of storm water drains, all connected to an arterial one and furnished with slopes, steps, cascades, manholes (air ducts / water relief ducts), paved flooring and capstones. The main drains were high enough for a tall man to walk through easily. The rainwater collected through these drains was stored in yet another reservoir that was carved out in the western half of the bailey. Besides, the city has yielded toilets, sullage jars, or sanitary pits. Drains have shown a good variety even included cut-stone ones and pottery pipes. Like many amazing elements that Dholavira has yielded in respect of Indus civilization, another aspect of sepulchral architecture. The cemetery lies to the west of the city and covers a very large area. There are found a variety of cenotaphs which include regular rectangular and circular structures. So far as orientation is concerned, besides north – south, or northeast – southwest oriented structures, there are many which are east – west in longer axis which is certainly not Harappan in character. The most interesting are seven hemispherical constructions two of which were subjected to excavations. These were huge mud brick structures, having a circular plan and hemispherical elevation. While one was designed in the form of a spoked wheel, the other was without spokes. Both the structures were made over rock-cut chambers of large dimensions. Primarily, all sepulchral structures are devoid of skeletons although in most cases, they are furnished with grave goods mainly in the form of pottery. One of the hemispherical structures which has been exposed much, has yielded a necklace of steatite beads strung in a copper wire with a hook at either end, a gold bangle, beads in gold foil and other beads, besides specially made pottery. The hemispherical structures remind one of early Buddhist stupas. The kind of design that is of spoked wheel and unspoked wheel also remind one of the Sara-rata-chakra-citi and sapradhi-rata-chakra-citi mentioned in the Śatapatha Brahmana and Sulba-sutras. However, there is a solitary example of a grave with skeleton, with a copper mirror in it.  Among smaller graves, there are cists, or cist in a cairn circle, or a circle or half-circle containing number of grave structures. Surely, the Harappans had a composite society having different ethnic / tribal communities following their own practices.  Dholavira has indeed added new dimensions to personality of Indus civilization and hold promise of yielding more given to more exposure sometime in the future. Video Gallery

http://asi.nic.in/asi_exca_2007_dholavira.asp

Tolkappiyam & Tamil Brahmi interwoven with, permeated by Sanskrit -- David Shulman

August 28, 2017, 3:31 am

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I cannot compartmentalise my life, says David Shulman

Lalitha Sridhar

AUGUST 26, 2017 16:27 IST

Shulman stresses that everything in life is singular and unique   | Photo Credit: R. Ravindran

"I’m David,” he said on that train journey many years ago, when a friend and I shared with him an inadequate dinner of sandwiches and chocolate. We were on our way to Prakriti Foundation’s Festival of Sacred Music in Thiruvaiyaru, and nothing about our unassuming fellow traveller reading classical Telugu, cramped into the top berth, suggested his prodigious distinction.In conversation with one of the world’s foremost experts in languages, philology, literature and cultural history

Later, under a starlit night in a dilapidated mandapam, as he read from his translation of Annamayya’s poetry — God on the Hill, written with Velcheru Narayana Rao — his audience was enraptured in equal parts by his genius and humility.

David Shulman is one of the world’s foremost authorities on languages, philology, literature and cultural history of South India. Emeritus Professor at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, holder of a clutch of notable awards including the 2016 Israel Prize, and polyglot author of more acclaimed books and academic papers than can be described here, he provokes a sense of almost embarrassing inadequacy.

After his first visit to South India in 1972, Shulman came to live in Chennai in 1975 for field work, as part of his doctoral studies in Tamil and Sanskrit at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London (SOAS). It was at SOAS that he met his guru, the renowned Tamilist John Ralston Marr. “He taught me Tamil, of course, but he also gave me something else. One could feel a deep emotional attachment for academic things just by his example. I had never felt that before,” Shulman recalled.

An enormous gift

“My wife and I loved Madras from our very first moment here. Marr showed me that this love for a people — their language, food, music, climate and everything else that’s interconnected — is the primary bond. It was an enormous gift.”

Shulman considers the “truly extraordinary” Narayana Rao’s classical sensibility and unconventional mind “one of god’s gifts” to him. “To say that he has been an influence is ridiculous. He has been a revelation.” Their partnership has yielded infinite benefits to Indology, including interpretative research and about a dozen books, including A Poem at the Right Moment, a translation of catu/ tanippadal verses from Telugu, Tamil, and Sanskrit, and a cultural biography of the great Telugu poet in Srinatha: The Poet Who Made Gods and Kings.

The diversity of Shulman’s multi-disciplinary engagements is breathtaking. He is a published poet in Hebrew, his current leisure reading includes ancient Greek and Latin, and he professes a particular love for Persian verse.

For the last 10 years, Shulman and his students have returned to Kerala annually to watch and document Koodiyattam performances. Apart from contributing the Ayodhya Kandam of the Kamba Ramayanam’s bilingual translation for the Murthy Classical Library, Shulman said his top priority at the moment is “to write a book on the structure, dynamic, meaning and ramifications of a long Koodiyattam performance.”

Shulman was in Chennai to deliver the fourth Whabiz Merchant Memorial Lecture at Kalakshetra Foundation, and I had a chance to chat with him before the event.

As dusk fell, marigolds were strung and chairs arranged. Old acquaintances came to see him, and new fans arrived with copies of his latest Tamil: A Biography.

I asked about historian A.R. Venkatachalapathy’s criticism of his assertion that a pure, autonomous Tamil never existed. Shulman, who counts the academic among his friends, responded: “The notion that there was a pure Tamil that had no Sanksrit in it is a complete fantasy. There are Prakrit and Sanskrit words in the earliest Tamil Brahmi inscriptions we have. The Tolkappiyam is permeated by Sanskrit — the phonological analysis of the yezhuthhu (alphabet) is taken from Sanskrit grammarians. The Tamil Brahmi script has some features peculiar to it, but it’s deeply interwoven with the Sanskrit system.”

A language and its genius

He then added, “I want, and hasten to say, that everything in life is singular and unique. Tamil is also unique. But it’s not unique because it has nothing to do with Sanskrit. It is unique because Tamil has all of this in it and it has its own genius. Tamil grammarians such as Sivananamunivar in the 18th century themselves say that it has iyarkai, iyalpu, a particular nature. It is the task of Tamil grammarians to unravel and review that logic or nature, and this nature does not depend on separating it from Sanskrit.”

A key member of the joint Israeli-Palestinian Ta’ayush grassroots movement for non-violence — Shulman’s Dark Hope: Working for Peace in Israel and Palestine is an account of his years of work with Palestinian villages in the West Bank — the 68-year-old scholar expresses fears for the future.

“Ta’ayush’s work is concerned with protecting the Palestinian civilian population. We have had some success but, in general, it seems to me that we are at the beginning of what seems to be a dark age. Populist and hyper-nationalist regimes are coming into power in many places, even in America, which was once unthinkable. I have nine grandchildren and I worry for them. Are they to inherit a world of fanatical intolerance, meanness of the heart and ecological disasters, or a world of rich human values, of people who can be true to their better and, I think, real selves?”

I asked if his work as an Indologist overlaps with that as an activist. “There’s a lot of overlap,” he smiled. “I cannot compartmentalise my life.”
http://www.thehindu.com/society/i-cannot-compartmentalise-my-life/article19554510.ece

Vedic scientific system of sounds, the basis of Brahmi script

August 28, 2017, 5:14 am

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Frits Staal: Brahmi was the choice script for all languages of Bharat and South East Asia. Vedic scientific system of sounds. See: https://www.academia.edu/10256908/Scripts_of_India

THE SOUND PATTERN of SANSKRIT IN ASIA

An Unheralded Contribution by Indian Brahmans and Buddhist Monks

Frits Staal, University of California, BerkeleyLecture given during the Inaugural Session of the International Conference on“Sanskrit in Asia” to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Her Royal Highness Princess Mahachakri Sirindhorn at Silpakorn University,Bangkok, June 23, 2005.

Subsequently published in Sanskrit Studies Central Journal. Journal of the Sanskrit Studies Centre, Silpakorn University, 2 (2006) 193-200.

http://dakshinatya.blogspot.in/2008/12/staal-sanskrit.html

Form and function of Egyptian hieroglyphs, Brāhmī script, Indus Script: hieroglyphic, syllabic scripts, hypertexts vākyapadīya

August 28, 2017, 8:09 am

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https://tinyurl.com/ydh7yww9

Egyptian hieroglyphs: inherent syllabic-based

An example of Egyptian hieroglyphs is Narmer palette. On this palette, hieroglyphs signify Coptic syllables which are read together to yield the the name: nar-mer. The hieroglyphs are: N'r 'cuttle fish' + M'r 'awl' (Coptic words) as shown below:

 

Brāhmī script: syllabic-based

Vedic scientific system of sounds, the basis of Brāhmī script 

Frits Staal: Brāhmī was the choice script for all languages of Bharat and South East Asia. Vedic scientific system of sounds. See: https://www.academia.edu/10256908/Scripts_of_India

The sound pattern of Sanskrit in Asia

An Unheralded Contribution by Indian Brahmans and Buddhist Monks

Frits Staal, University of California, Berkeley Lecture given during the Inaugural Session of the International Conference on“Sanskrit in Asia” to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Her Royal Highness Princess Mahachakri Sirindhorn at Silpakorn University,Bangkok, June 23, 2005.

Subsequently published in Sanskrit Studies Central Journal. Journal of the Sanskrit Studies Centre, Silpakorn University, 2 (2006) 193-200.

http://dakshinatya.blogspot.in/2008/12/staal-sanskrit.html

Indus Script: hypertexts vākyapadīya, 'sentence-word-based'

Indus Script is NOT a syllabic script. Indus Script is a unique writing system of hypertexts which include pictorial motifs and hieroglyphs like Egyptian hieroglyphs, but the hieroglyphs are read as 'words' (logo). Water-carrier + stars etc examples shown below. The texts are like vākyapadīya, to be read as words of a sentence to convey meaning of the messaging system. For example, Meluhha hypertext includes the reading of hieroglyph-components: kuṭi'water-carrier' rebus: kuṭhi'smelter'; mēḍha  'polar star' rebus: mēdhā  'yajña, dhanam'; कर्णक kárṇaka 'rim of jar' rebus: káraṇika 'accountant, scribe'.

These examples indicate that the form and function of Indus Script is a hypertext-based vākyapadīya 'sentence-word-based' script, quite unlike Brāhmī script and Egyptian hieroglyphs which are syllabic, hieroglyphic scripts.

S. Kalyanaraman

Sarasvati Research Center

August 28, 2017

Grilling, tweeting and kaalaadhan, Karti saga

August 28, 2017, 4:49 pm

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Karti again grilled for eight hours. Will be called again after verifying his answers

Today's answers from Karti do not add up: Reliable sources

By Team PGurus -

August 28, 2017

Look Out Circular to be extended

Former Finance Minister’s son Karti Chidambaram on Monday was again interrogated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for eight hours in connection with kickbacks from INX media for dubious Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approvals. CBI asked Karti to appear again if any response was needed on the answers he gave. As CBI has not given him any fixed date, the Look Out Circular to prevent Karti’s abroad trips issued will be extended.

CBI charged Karti for accepting around Rs. Five crores bribe, forproviding illegal FIPB clearance to INX media in 2007 owned by Peter Mukherjea and Indrani.

Bhaskararaman, Ravi Viswanathan and Mohanan Rajesh, the Directors of Karti’s companies Chess Management Services Pvt Ltd and Advantage Strategic Consulting Pvt Ltd were also questioned by the CBI on Monday. According to sources, CBI is expected to verify the answers given by Karti by responding to over 100 questions asked by CBI in the previous interrogation of August 23. Karti was forced to appear before CBI after Supreme Court’s stern warning, quashing the order of Madras High Court which temporarily suspended the Look Out Circular issued by CBI. The next hearing of the case in Supreme Court is scheduled on September 1.

Sources said that answers given by Karti and other Directors were not at all convincing and their answers for accepting around Rs. Five crores from INX Media was not found to be correct. The investigators confronted Karti with the bank transactions and money trail to his companies from INX Media. It is expected that agency may summon Chidambaram and officials who worked in the FIPB during 2007 after verifying the answers given by Karti. Enforcement Directorate is also expected to summon Karti soon.

CBI charged Karti for accepting around Rs. Five crores bribe, for providing illegal FIPB clearance to INX media in 2007 owned by Peter Mukherjea and Indrani. The media company initially got approval to receive only Rs. Five crores as foreign investment. But Income Tax found that the INX media illegally got Rs.300 crores as foreign investment and issued a notice. After getting a show cause notice from Income Tax, Peter Mukherjea and Indrani sought Karti’s help. After Karti’s intervention, FIPB under the then Finance Minister Chidambaram in 2007 illegally gave post-facto clearance to INX media to save from Income Tax penalty and actions, said the CBI in the FIR.

https://www.pgurus.com/karti-again-grilled-for-eight-hours-will-be-called-again-after-verifying-his-answers/