Narrative on a unique Chanhu-daro seal

Gregory Possehl, whose drawing is shown of seal, writes "Mackay found an extraordinary seal in his excavations at Chanhu-daro. It shows a short-horned bull, Bos gaurus, above a prostrate human figure. He thought that the scene depicted an attack by the bull, and the human on the ground was attempting a defense against the trampling animal. In an essay on the seal, F.R. Allchin explains that the gaur is standing on its hind legs, slightly elevated above a human figure; its front legs are shown in excited motion. The bull's erect penis is shown in correct anatomical position. The figure below the gaur is less clearly shown and consequently more difficult to interpret. Allchin and Mackay see a headdress to the far right bottom of the seal impression.

Seen from Allchin's perspective, the scene is very dynamic and excited; the bull is about to take a female goddess in an act that might be seen as sexual violence, and yet the clear appearrance of her open, exposed genitals tells that she is a willing partner in the deed."

Later, Possehl quotes Mackay's reading of the seal: "We are led to wonder whether the omnipresent 'bull,' whether unicorn, bison or zebu, may not be the symbolic representation of the Heaven Father, and just as the deity with the plant sprout emerging from head or genitals may not be Mother Earth."

It is seen from an enlargement of the bottom portion of the seal impression that the ‘prostrate person’ may not be a person but a ligature of the neck of an antelope with rings on its necks or of a post with ring-stones. The head of the ‘person’ is not shown. So, I would surmise that this is an artist's representation of an act of copulation (by an animal) + a ligatured neck of another bovine or alternatively, a pillar with ring-stones ligatured to the bottom portion of a body. It is not uncommon in the artistic tradition to ligature bodies to the rump of, for example, a bull's posterior ligatured to a horned woman (Pict. 103 Mahadevan) or standing person with horns and bovine features (hoofed legs and/or tail) -- Pict. 86-88 Mahadevan. koDiyum 'ring on neck' (Gujarati) Rebus1: koD 'workshop' (Kuwi).Rebus 2: koTiya 'dhow seafaring vesse'. Thus, the narrative is intentended to signify the cargo readied for Supecargo in-charge of the shipment on koTiya 'dhow'.

Hypertext: 

This is a stylized rendering of 'three hills'.

Part 1 of hypertext:

kolom 'three' rebus: kolimi 'smithy, forge' PLUS ḍāngā = hill, dry upland (Bengali); ḍã̄g mountain-ridge (Hindi)(CDIAL 5476). Rebus: dhangar ‘blacksmith’ (Maithili. Nepali) 

karNaka, kanka 'rim of jar' rebus:karNI 'su[ercargo' karNaka 'scribe, account'. Thus, blacksmith account. Thus, together, the two hieroglyphs signify: scribe's account for smithy/forge of blacksmith's work.

Part 2 of hypertext:

karNaka, kanka 'rim of jar' rebus:karNI 'su[ercargo' karNaka 'scribe, account'.

kāru pincers, tongs. Rebus: khār खार्  'blacksmith' (Kashmiri)

dula 'two' rebus: dul 'metalcasting' PLUS two slanted linear strokes (as phonetic determinative of dula 'two') PLUS orthographic signifier of  ḍhāla 'slant' rebus: 'shield, large ingot'. Thus large metalcasting ingots.

खांडा [ khāṇḍā ] m  A jag, notch, or indentation (as upon the edge of a tool or weapon. Rebus: kāṇḍa ‘tools, pots and pans and metal-ware’.  PLUS koDa 'one' rebus:koD 'workshop'.

Thus, implements, metalware workshoop and scribe's account of blacksmith's work.

Bison (gaur) trampling a prostrate person (?) underneath. Impression of a seal from Chanhujodaro (Mackay 1943: pl. 51: 13). The prostrate ‘person’ is seen to have a very long neck, possibly with neck-rings, reminiscent of the rings depicted on the neck of the one-horned bull normally depicted in front of a standard device.   

Inscriptions signifying long-legged person (BMAC)

Eagles. A. snake (Sarianidi 1998: no. 1762.1); B. tortoise(?) (Sarianidi 1998: no. 1779.2; Fig. 3); C. Long-legged person (Sarianidi 1998: no. 1234; Fig. 3) D. long leg? + bird (Sarianidi 1998: no. 914.2; Fig. 3) After Fig. 11 in Eric Olijdam opcit.

kamaṭha 'tortoise' Rebus: kammaTa 'mint, coiner' (Telugu)

nAga 'snake' Rebus: nAga 'lead' Alternative: kula 'hooded snake' Rebus: kol 'working in iron'

d.han:ga = tall, long shanked; maran: d.han:gi aimai kanae = she is a big tall woman (Santali.lex.) S. ḍhaṅgaru m. ʻlean emaciated beastʼ; L. (Shahpur) ḍhag̠g̠ā ʻ small weak ox ʼ(CDIAL 5324)

Rebus: d.han:gar ‘blacksmith’ (WPah.): d.a_n:ro = a term of contempt for a blacksmith (N.)(CDIAL 5524) t.ha_kur = blacksmith (Mth.); t.ha_kar = landholder (P.); t.hakkura – Rajput, chief man of a village (Pkt.); t.hakuri = a clan of Chetris (N.); t.ha_kura – term of address to a Brahman, god, idol (Or.)(CDIAL 5488). dha~_gar., dha_~gar = a non-Aryan tribe in the Vindhyas, digger of wells and tanks (H.); dha_n:gar = young servant, herdsman, name of a Santal tribe (Or.); dhan:gar = herdsman (H.)(CDIAL 5524).  dhangar 'blacksmith' (Maithili.Nepali).  Mth. ṭhākur ʻ blacksmith ʼ (CDIAL 5488) N. ḍāṅro ʻ term of contempt for a blacksmithʼ(CDIAL 5324)

The narrative of 'copulation' (bison in heat) atop the long-legged person: khamḍa 'copulation' (Santali) signifies Rebus: kampaṭṭa 'mint, coiner'. Thus, the narrative signifies mint (of) blacksmith:kammaTa Dhangar.

Indus script hieroglphs (including svastika) on Samarra bowls deciphered

Ancient Near East Meluhha metalwork hieroglyphs: Braided hair, svastika, scorpion, fish, tiger, woman

Mirror:https://www.academia.edu/9715988/Ancient_Near_East_Meluhha_metalwork_hieroglyphs_Braided_hair_svastika_scorpion_fish_tiger_woman

Said to be a pottery fragment with ‘svastika’ glyph  found in a ritual pit around the village of Altimir near the town of Vratsa, Bulgaria – dated ca. 7000 years Before Present. (Exhibit on Gods, Symbols and Ancient Signs Exhibition in a Museum in Vrasa, 2010).

http://www.balkantravellers.com/en/read/article/1975

http://www.express.co.uk/news/weird/177095/Europe-s-oldest-swastika-unearthed

http://atlanteangardens.blogspot.in/2014/04/7000-year-old-swastika-pottery.html

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; zasath् 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.

http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2014/10/indus-script-kharada-brief-memoranda-of.html

Hieroglyphs of two Samarra bowls 

Image 1. Eight fish, four peacocks holding four fish, slanting strokes surround

Image 2. Six women, curl in hair, six scorpions

Samarra, Iraq, circa 5000 bce

ayo ‘fish’; rebus: ayas ‘metal’

mora peacock; morā ‘peafowl’ (Hindi); rebus: morakkhaka loha, a kind of copper, grouped with pisācaloha (Pali). moraka "a kind of steel" (Sanskrit)

gaṇḍa set of four (Santali); rebus: kaṇḍ ‘fire-altar, furnace’ (Santali)
मेढा [mēḍhā] A twist or tangle arising in thread or cord, a curl or snarl (Marathi). S. mī˜ḍhī f., °ḍho m. ʻ braid in a woman's hair ʼ, L. mē̃ḍhī f.; G. mĩḍlɔ, miḍ° m. ʻbraid of hair on a girl's forehead ʼ (CDIAL 10312). मेंढा [ mēṇḍhā ] A crook or curved end (of a stick, horn &c.) and attrib. such a stick, horn, bullock.मेढा [ mēḍhā ] A twist or tangle arising in thread or cord, a curl or snarl. Rebus: mē̃ḍ ‘iron’ (Mu.) meṛha M. meṛhi F.’twisted, crumpled, as a horn’; meṛha deren ‘a crumpled horn’ (Santali)

bicha, bichā ‘scorpion’ (Assamese) Rebus: bica ‘stone ore’ (Mu.) sambr.o bica = gold ore (Mundarica) meṛed-bica = iron stone ore, in contrast to bali-bica, iron sand ore (Mu.lex.)

bhaṭa ‘six ’; rebus: bhaṭa ‘furnace’. 

satthiya ‘svastika glyph’; rebus: satthiya ‘zinc’, jasta ‘zinc’ (Kashmiri), satva, ‘zinc’ (Pkt.)

kola ‘woman’; rebus: kol ‘iron’. kola ‘blacksmith’ (Ka.); kollë ‘blacksmith’ (Koḍ)

Sources for the images:

Image 1. The Samarra bowl (ca. 4000 BC) at on exhibit at the Pergamon museum, Berlin. The bowl was excavated as Samarra by Ernst Herzfeld in the 1911-1914 campaign, and described in a 1930 publication. The design consists of a rim, a circle of eight fish, and four fish swimming towards the center being caught by four birds. At the center is a swastika symbol. (Ernst Herzfeld, Die vorgeschichtlichen Töpfereien von Samarra, Die Ausgrabungen von Samarra 5, Berlin 1930.)

Image 2. Women with flowing hair and scorpions, Samarra, Iraq. After Ernst Herzfeld, Die Ausgrabungen von Samarra V: Die vorgeschichtischenTopfereien, Univ. of Texas Press, pl. 30. Courtesy Dietrich Reimer. This image is discussed in Denise Schmandt-Besserat, When writing met art, p.19. “The design features six humans in he center of the bowl and six scorpions around the inner rim. The six identical anthropomorphic figures, shown frontally, are generally interpreted as females because of their wide hips, large thighs, and long, flowing hair…Six identical scorpions, one following after the other in a single line, circle menacingly around the women.”

http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2013/04/bronze-age-writing-in-ancient-near-east.html

S. Kalyanaraman

Sarasvati Research Center

July 7, 2016