This monograph discusses a remarkable triangular prism bezel (m0489) and firmly anchors archaeological evidence of Indus Script Meluhha inscriptions to affirm the presence of Meluhha artisans/merchants along the Persian Gulf sites. The bezel proclamation is like utsava bera of Ancient India tradition; the processions of animals or animals on file are a catalogue of metalwork competence of the artisans, products which are offered for bera or by diplaying the details of the products offered for bera 'bargain' and trade.
Meluhha 'crocodile' hieroglyph in Ancient Near East and Ancient India
The crocodile signifies in rebus Meluhha, kāru ‘artisan. Thus it is a category marker which is a determinative for the hieroglyphs signified below the kāru 'crocodile'. The elephant, rhinoceros shown below the crocodile on the Tell Asmar cylinder seal are metalwork catalogues of the artisan: karibha, ibha'elephant' rebus: karba, ib'iron' PLUS kāṇḍā'rhinoeros' rebus: kāṇḍā 'metalware'.
A cylinder seal showing hieroglyphs of crocodile, elephant and rhinoceros was found in Tell Asmar (Eshnunna), Iraq. This is an example of Meluhha writing using hieroglyphs to denote the competence of kāru ‘artisan’ -- kāru 'crocodile' (Telugu) Rebus: khar ‘blacksmith’ (Kashmiri); kāru ‘artisan’ (Marathi) He was also ibbo 'merchant' (Hieroglyph: ibha 'elephant' Rebus: ib 'iron') and maker of metal artifacts: kāṇḍā ‘metalware, tools, pots and pans’ (kāṇḍā mṛga 'rhinoceros' (Tamil).
I submit that this cylinder seal is emphatic archaeological attestation of the presence of Meluhha artisans/merchants in Meluhha settlements on sites along the Persian Gulf. This is substantiated by Briggs Buchanan in an article 'A dated seal impression connecting Babylonia and Ancient India' (embedded).
Archaeology Vol. 20, No. 2 (APRIL 1967), pp. 104-107 (4 pages) Published by: Archaeological Institute of America
https://www.jstor.org/stable/41667694
Glazed steatite . Cylinder seal. 3.4cm high; imported from Indus valley. Rhinoceros, elephant, crocodile.Tell Asmar (Eshnunna), Iraq. Frankfort, 1955, No. 642; Collon, 1987, Fig. 610.
Cylinder seal modern impression [elephant, rhinoceros and gharial (alligator) on the upper register] bibliography and image source: Frankfort, Henri: Stratified Cylinder Seals from the Diyala Region. Oriental Institute Publications 72. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, no. 642. Museum Number: IM14674 3.4 cm. high. Glazed steatite. ca. 2250 - 2200 BCE.
karabha, ibha‘elephant’ Rebus: karba, ib 'iron', ibbo ‘merchant’, ib ‘iron’
காண்டாமிருகம் kāṇṭā-mirukam , n. [M. kāṇṭāmṛgam.] Rhinoceros; கல்யானை. Rebus: kāṇḍā ‘metalware, tools, pots and pans’.kāru ‘crocodile’ Rebus: kāru ‘artisan’.
He was also ibbo 'merchant' (Hieroglyph: ibha 'elephant' Rebus: ib 'iron') and maker of metal artifacts: kāṇḍā ‘metalware, tools, pots and pans’ (kāṇḍā mṛga 'rhinoceros' (Tamil).karabha, ibha‘elephant’ Rebus: karba 'iron', ibbo ‘merchant’, ib ‘iron’காண்டாமிருகம் kāṇṭā-mirukam , n. [M. kāṇṭāmṛgam.] Rhinoceros; கல்யானை. Rebus: kāṇḍā ‘metalware, tools, pots and pans’.kāru ‘crocodile’ Rebus: kāru ‘artisan’. Alternative: araṇe ‘lizard’ Rebus: airaṇ ‘anvil’.
Crocodile hieroglyph in combination with other animal hieroglphs also appears on a Mohenjo-daro triangular prism seal m0489 in the context of an erotic Meluhha hieroglyph: a tergo copulation hieroglyph.
m0489a,b,c Mohenjo-daro prism tablet This triangular prism tablet appears in John Marshall's archaeological report on Pl. CXVIii.10 (Museum plate 4) and on Pl. CXVI 14.
Pl. CXVIii.10 "Triangular prism…No. 14 on Pl. CXVI, Pl. CXVIII, 10 (Mus 4). Pottery.Average size of each face, 1.6 incheslong by 0.33 in wide. (a) On one face, from left to right, there are an elephant, a rhinoceros, a tiger on the left, and another cat-like animal. Above these animals, which are en file, is a fish on the left, followed by a gharial with a fish in its mouth. (b) From left to right, a file of animals. A unicorn,what seems to be a cow, a short-horned bull, and a rhinoceros. Above the file there appear to be a jungle-fowl, and a gharial, but these figures are somewhat indistinct. (c) From left to right, there are two goas from a tree, a jungle-fowl, a man apparently pushing a goat or similar animal along, and finally, an antelope-like animal with two heads, similar to those on the copper seals. A hole,0.3 in deep, at each end of this object, suggests that it was used as a kind of revolving bezel. The animals are too close to the ends of the impression for it to have been capped with metal.” (Marshall, J.,1931, Mohenjodaro and the Indus Civilization, London, Arthur Probsthain, pp. 395-396.) https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.62023/page/n47
Pl. CXVI 14A bezel is a groove holding the crystal of a watch or the stone of a gem in its setting. If this triangular prism was used as a bezel, it may have been worn as a pendant on a necklace. This is an artisan’s proclamation of his metalwork competence.
See: Indus inscription: three-sided tablet with hieroglyphs: animals, a plant, a mountain, a copulating couple (m489) https://tinyurl.com/yyujyayj
In mlecchita vikalpa, ‘cypher writing’ of layered rebus-metonymy, the set of hieroglyphs denote a metalworkers’ guild. Technical specifications of the metalwork are detailed by hieroglyphs in the set.
Rebus: meḍ ‘iron’ (Ho.)
The four animals in the bottom register are identified as from l.: one-horned young bull, zebu PLUS black drongo, short-horned bull or ox, water-buffalo.
One-horned young bull-calfCould the black drongo atop the bull be a semantic determinative of पोळ pōḷa 'zebu'& pōlaḍu 'black drongo' signify polad 'steel'. .Young bull-calf with two horns
Short-horned bull or ox with feeding trough
Crocodile
Water-Buffalo rango 'water buffalo' Rebus: rango ‘pewter’. ranga, rang pewter is an alloy of tin, lead, and antimony (anjana) (Santali). Hieroglyhph: buffalo: Ku. N. rã̄go ʻ buffalo bull ʼ (or < raṅku -- ?).(CDIAL 10538, 10559) Rebus: raṅga3 n. ʻ tin ʼ lex. [Cf. nāga -- 2 , vaṅga -- 1 ] Pk. raṁga -- n. ʻ tin ʼ; P. rã̄g f., rã̄gā m. ʻ pewter, tin ʼ (← H.); Ku. rāṅ ʻ tin, solder ʼ, gng. rã̄k; N. rāṅ, rāṅo ʻ tin, solder ʼ, A. B. rāṅ; Or. rāṅga ʻ tin ʼ, rāṅgā ʻ solder, spelter ʼ, Bi. Mth. rã̄gā, OAw. rāṁga; H. rã̄g f., rã̄gā m. ʻ tin, pewter ʼ; Si. ran̆ga ʻ tin ʼ.(CDIAL 10562) B. rāṅ(g)tā ʻ tinsel, copper -- foil ʼ.(CDIAL 10567)
Hieroglyph: meḍ ‘body’Hieroglyph: Ta. meṭṭu mound, heap of earth; mēṭu height, eminence, hillock; muṭṭu rising ground, high ground, heap. Ma. mēṭu rising ground, hillock; māṭu hillock, raised ground; miṭṭāl rising ground, an alluvial bank; (Tiyya) maṭṭa hill. Ka. mēḍu height, rising ground, hillock; miṭṭu rising or high ground, hill; miṭṭe state of being high, rising ground, hill, mass, a large number; (Hav.) muṭṭe heap (as of straw). Tu. miṭṭè prominent, protruding; muṭṭe heap. Te. meṭṭa raised or high ground, hill; (K.) meṭṭu mound; miṭṭa high ground, hillock, mound; high, elevated, raised, projecting; (VPK) mēṭu, mēṭa, mēṭi stack of hay; (Inscr.) meṇṭa-cēnu dry field (cf. meṭṭu-nēla, meṭṭu-vari). Kol. (SR.) meṭṭā hill; (Kin.) meṭṭ, (Hislop) met mountain. Nk. meṭṭ hill, mountain. Ga. (S.3 , LSB 20.3) meṭṭa high land. Go. (Tr. W. Ph.) maṭṭā, (Mu.) maṭṭa mountain; (M. L.) meṭā id., hill; (A. D. Ko.) meṭṭa, (Y. Ma. M.) meṭa hill; (SR.) meṭṭā hillock (Voc. 2949). Konḍa meṭa id. Kuwi (S.)metta hill; (Isr.) meṭa sand hill. (DEDR 5058)
Hieroglyph: barad ‘ox’ Rebus: bharat ‘pewter, copper, tin alloy’
Hieroglyph: miṇḍāl markhor (Tor.wali) meḍho a ram, a sheep (G.)(CDIAL 10120)Rebus: meḍ iron (Ho.) meṛed-bica = iron stone ore, in contrast to bali-bica, iron sand ore (Munda)
Hieroglyph: kondh ‘young bull’ Rebus: kondh ‘turner’
Hieroglyph: ibha ‘elephant’ Rebus: ib ‘iron’; ibbo ‘merchant’
Hieroglyph: ranga ‘buffalo’ Rebus: ranga ‘pewter’
Hieroglyph: badhia ‘rhinoceros’ Rebus: badhi ‘carpenter’
Hieroglyph: kol ‘tiger’ Rebus: kol ‘working in iron, smelter
Hieroglyph: kol krammara ‘tiger looking back’ Rebus: kol kamar ‘iron-working artisan’
Hieroglyph: patra ‘leaf’ Rebus: pattar ‘goldsmith/artisan guild’; hierolyph: loa ‘ficus religiosa’ Rebus: loh ‘metal, copper’; Hieroglyph: kūdī, kūṭī 'bunch of twigs' (Samskritam) Rebus: kuṭhi 'smelter' (Samskritam)
ranku ‘fornication, adultery’ (Telugu) Rebus: ranku ‘tin’ (Santali)
Hierolyph: kuṭharu ‘cock’ (VS xxiv,23, MaitrS.TS.v) kōtur कोतुर् or (Gr.Gr. 58) kōturu कोतुरु&below; । कपोतः m. (sg. dat. kōtaras कोतरस् ; f. nom. kōtürü कोत्&above;रू ), a pigeon or dove (wild or tame) (El.; L. 462,kotar; Rām. 93; K. 922, 947); N. of a sept of Kāshmīrī Brāhmaṇas. A cock pigeon is also nar-kōtur, and a hen is māda-kōtur (W. 17). kōtar-bāz kōtar-bāz कोतर्-बाज़् m. one who trains pigeons, a pigeon-fancier (W. 111). (Kashmiri)
Rebus: kuṭhāru ‘weapons-maker, armourer, writer’ (Samskritam)
meḷh ‘goat’ (Br.) Rebus: meṛha, meḍhi ‘merchant’s clerk (G.)
ayo ‘fish’ (Munda) Rebus: aya = iron (G.); ayah, ayas = metal (Skt.)
Hieroglyph: kāru a wild crocodile or alligator (Te.) Rebus: khār a blacksmith, an iron worker (cf. bandūka-khār) (Kashmiri)
• Combined cypher-text: ayakāra ‘fish+crocodile’ Rebus: ‘iron-smith’ (Pali)
The following glyphics of m1431 prism tablet show the association between the tiger + person on tree glyphic set and crocodile + 3 animal glyphic set -- animals on file.
Mohenjo-daro m1431 four-sided tablet. Row of animals in file (a one-horned bull, an elephant and a rhinoceros from right); a gharial with a fish held in its jaw above the animals; a bird (?) at right. Pict-116: From R.—a person holding a vessel; a woman with a platter (?); a kneeling person with a staff in his hands facing the woman; a goat with its forelegs on a platform under a tree. [Or, two antelopes flanking a tree on a platform, with one antelope looking backwards?] m1431A, B, C, E and Text 2805
One side (m1431B) of a four-sided tablet shows a procession of a tiger, an elephant and a rhinoceros (with fishes (or perhaps, crocodile) on top?).
koḍe ‘young bull’ (Telugu) खोंड [ khōṇḍa ] m A young bull, a bullcalf. Rebus: kõdā ‘to turn in a lathe’ (B.) कोंडण [kōṇḍaṇa] f A fold or pen. (Marathi) ayakāra ‘ironsmith’ (Pali)[fish = aya (G.); crocodile = kāru (Te.)]baṭṭai quail (N.Santali) Rebus: bhaṭa = an oven, kiln, furnace (Santali) baṭhi furnace for smelting ore (the same as kuṭhi) (Santali) bhaṭa = an oven, kiln, furnace; make an oven, a furnace; iṭa bhaṭa = a brick kiln; kun:kal bhaṭa a potter’s kiln; cun bhaṭa = a lime kiln; cun tehen dobon bhaṭaea = we shall prepare the lime kiln today (Santali); bhaṭṭhā (H.) bhart = a mixed metal of copper and lead; bhartīyā= a barzier, worker in metal; bhaṭ, bhrāṣṭra = oven, furnace (Skt.) mẽṛhẽt baṭi = iron (Ore) furnaces. [Synonyms are: mẽt = the eye, rebus for: the dotted circle (Santali.lex) baṭha [H. baṭṭhī (Sad.)] any kiln, except a potter’s kiln, which is called coa; there are four kinds of kiln: cunabat.ha, a lime-kin, it.abat.ha, a brick-kiln, ērēbaṭha, a lac kiln, kuilabaṭha, a charcoal kiln; trs. Or intrs., to make a kiln; cuna rapamente ciminaupe baṭhakeda? How many limekilns did you make? Baṭha-sen:gel = the fire of a kiln; baṭi [H. Sad. baṭṭhi, a furnace for distilling) used alone or in the cmpds. arkibuṭi and baṭiora, all meaning a grog-shop; occurs also in ilibaṭi, a (licensed) rice-beer shop (Mundari.lex.) bhaṭi = liquor from mohwa flowers (Santali)
ayo 'fish' Rebus: ayas 'metal'. kaṇḍa 'arrow' Rebus: khāṇḍa ‘tools, pots and pans, and metal-ware’. ayaskāṇḍa is a compounde word attested in Panini. The compound or glyphs of fish + arrow may denote metalware tools, pots and pans.kola 'tiger' Rebus: kol 'working in iron, alloy of 5 metals - pancaloha'. ibha 'elephant' Rebus ibbo 'merchant'; ib ‘iron'. Alternative: కరటి [ karaṭi ] karaṭi. [Skt.] n. An elephant. ఏనుగు (Telugu) Rebus: kharādī ‘ turner’ (Gujarati) kāṇḍa 'rhimpceros' Rebus:khāṇḍa ‘tools, pots and pans, and metal-ware’. The text on m1431 tablet: loa 'ficus religiosa' Rebus: loh 'copper'. kolmo 'rice plant' Rebus: kolami 'smithy, forge'. dula 'pair' Rebus: dul 'cast metal'. Thus the display of the metalware catalog includes the technological competence to work with minerals, metals and alloys and produce tools, pots and pans. The persons involved are krammara 'turn back' Rebus: kamar 'smiths, artisans'. kola 'tiger' Rebus: kol 'working in iron, working in pancaloha alloys'. పంచలోహము
pancha-lōnamu. n. A mixed metal, composed of five ingredients, viz., copper, zinc, tin, lead, and iron (Telugu). Thus, when five svastika hieroglyphs are depicted, the depiction is of satthiya 'svastika' Rebus: satthiya 'zinc' and the totality of 5 alloying metals of copper, zinc, tin, lead and iron.
Glyph: Animals in procession: खांडा [khāṇḍā] A flock (of sheep or goats) (Marathi) கண்டி¹ kaṇṭi Flock, herd (Tamil) Rebus: khāṇḍā ‘tools, pots and pans, and metal-ware’.
Hieroglyph: heraka ‘spy’. Rebus: eraka, arka 'copper, gold'; eraka 'moltencast, metal infusion'; era ‘copper’. हेरक S through e_ rnū ʻ to look at ʼ (bhal. hirāṇū ʻ to show ʼ), pāḍ. hēraṇ, paṅ. hēṇā, cur. hērnā, Ku. herṇo, N. hernu, A. heriba, B. herā, Or. heribā (caus. herāibā), Mth. herab, OAw. heraï, H. hernā; G. hervũ ʻ to spy ʼ, M. herṇẽ. 2. Pk. hēria -- m. ʻ spy ʼ; Kal. (Leitner) "hériu"ʻ spy ʼ; G. herɔ m. ʻ spy ʼ, herũ n. ʻ spying ʼ. Addenda: *hērati: WPah.kṭg. (Wkc.) hèrnõ, kc. erno ʻ observe ʼ; Garh. hernu ʻ to look' (CDIAL 14165) Ko. er uk- (uky-) to play 'peeping tom'. Kui ēra (ēri-) to spy, scout; n. spying, scouting; pl action ērka (ērki-). ? Kuwi (S.) hēnai to scout; hēri kiyali to see; (Su. P.) hēnḍ- (hēṭ-) id. Kur. ērnā (īryas) to see, look, look at, look after, look for, wait for, examine, try; ērta'ānā to let see, show; ērānakhrnā to look at one another. Malt. ére to see, behold, observe; érye to peep, spy. Cf. 892 Kur. ēthrnā. / Cf. Skt. heraka- spy, Pkt. her- to look at or for, and many NIA verbs; Turner, CDIAL, no. 14165(DEDR 903)
Rebus readings of Hieroglyphs on two Meluhha tablets: Crocodile, tiger looking back, spy on tree
h1973B h1974B Harappa Two tablets. One side shows a person seated on a tree branch, a tiger looking up, a crocodile on the top register and other animals in procession in the bottom register. Obverse side (comparable to h1970, h1971 and h1972) shows an elephant, a person strangling two tigers (jackals or foxes) and a six-spoked wheel.
The glyphic which is common to both set 1 (h1970B, h1971B and h1972B) and set 2: (h1973B and h1974B) is: crocodile on the top register.
karā ‘crocodile’ (Telugu). Rebus: khara ‘blacksmith’ (Kashmiri)
Set 1: crocodile + person with foot on head of animal + spearing + bison + horned (with twig) seated person in penance
h1971B Harappa. Three tablets with identical glyphic compositions on both sides: h1970, h1971 and h1972. Seated figure or deity with reed house or shrine at one side. Left: H95-2524; Right: H95-2487.
Harappa. Planoconvex molded tablet found on Mound ET. A. Reverse. a female deity battling two tigers and standing above an elephant and below a six-spoked wheel; b. Obverse. A person spearing with a barbed spear a buffalo in front of a seated horned deity wearing bangles and with a plumed headdress. The person presses his foot down the buffalo’s head. An alligator with a narrow snout is on the top register. “We have found two other broken tablets at Harappa that appear to have been made from the same mold that was used to create the scene of a deity battling two tigers and standing above an elephant. One was found in a room located on the southern slope of Mount ET in 1996 and another example comes from excavations on Mound F in the 1930s. However, the flat obverse of both of these broken tablets does not show the spearing of a buffalo, rather it depicts the more well-known scene showing a tiger looking back over its shoulder at a person sitting on the branch of a tree. Several other flat or twisted rectangular terracotta tablets found at Harappa combine these two narrative scenes of a figure strangling two tigers on one side of a tablet, and the tiger looking back over its shoulder at a figure in a tree on the other side.” (JM Kenoyer, 1998, Ancient cities of the Indus Valley, Oxford University Press, p. 115.)
Set 2: crocodile + person seated on branch of tree + tiger looking back and up + rhinoceros + tiger in procession.
m0489A One side of a prism tablet shows: crocodile + fish glyphic on the top register. Glyphs: crocodile + fish Rebus: ayakāra ‘blacksmith’ (Pali)
Glyph: Animals in procession: खांडा [khāṇḍā] A flock (of sheep or goats) (Marathi) கண்டி¹ kaṇṭi Flock, herd (Tamil) Rebus: khāṇḍā ‘tools, pots and pans, and metal-ware’.
It is possible that the broken portions of set 2 (h1973B and h1974B) showed three animals in procession: tiger looking back and up + rhinoceros + tiger.
Reverse side glyphs:
eraka ‘nave of wheel’. Rebus: era ‘copper’.
Animal glyph: elephant ‘ibha’. Rebus ibbo, ‘merchant’ (Gujarati).
Composition of glyphics: Woman with six locks of hair + one eye + thwarting + two pouncing tigers (jackals)+ nave with six spokes. Rebus: kola ‘woman’ + kaṇga ‘eye’ (Pego.), bhaṭa ‘six’+ dul‘casting (metal)’ + kũdā kol (tiger jumping) or lo ‘fox’ (WPah.) rebus: lōha ʻmetalʼ (Pali) + era āra (nave of wheel, six spokes), ibha (elephant). Rebus: era ‘copper’; kũdār dul kol ‘turner, casting, working in iron’; kan ‘brazier, bell-metal worker’; ibbo ‘merchant’.
The glyphic composition read rebus: copper, iron merchant with taṭu kanḍ kol bhaṭa ‘iron stone (ore) mineral ‘furnace’.
lōpāka m. ʻa kind of jackalʼ Suśr., lōpākikā -- f. lex. 1. H. lowā m. ʻfoxʼ.2. Ash. ẓōki, žōkī ʻfoxʼ, Kt. ŕwēki, Bashg. wrikī, Kal.rumb. lawák: < *raupākya -- NTS ii 228; -- Dm. rɔ̈̄pak ← Ir.? lōpāśá m. ʻfox, jackalʼ RV., lōpāśikā -- f. lex. [Cf. lōpāka -- . -- *lōpi -- ] Wg. liwášä, laúša ʻfoxʼ, Paš.kch. lowóċ, ar. lṓeč ʻjackalʼ (→ Shum. lṓeč NTS xiii 269), kuṛ. lwāinč; K. lośu, lōh, lohu, lôhu ʻporcupine, foxʼ.1. Kho. lōw ʻfoxʼ, Sh.gil. lótilde;i f., pales. lṓi f., lṓo m., WPah.bhal. lōī f., lo m.2. Pr. ẓūwī ʻfoxʼ.(CDIAL 11140-2).Rebus:lōhá ʻred, copper -- colouredʼ ŚrS., ʻmade of copperʼ ŚBr., m.n. ʻcopperʼ VS., ʻironʼ MBh. [*rudh -- ] Pa. lōha -- m. ʻmetal, esp. copper or bronzeʼ; Pk. lōha -- m. ʻironʼ, Gy. pal. li°, lihi, obl. elhás, as. loa JGLS new ser. ii 258; Wg. (Lumsden) "loa"ʻsteelʼ; Kho. loh ʻcopperʼ; S. lohu m. ʻironʼ, 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 lōhá -- : WPah.kṭg. (kc.) lóɔ ʻironʼ, J. lohā m., Garh. loho; Md. lō ʻmetalʼ. (CDIAL 11158).
Glyph: ‘woman’: kola ‘woman’ (Nahali). Rebus kol ‘working in iron’ (Tamil)
Glyph: ‘impeding, hindering’: taṭu (Ta.) Rebus: dhatu ‘mineral’ (Santali) Ta. taṭu (-pp-, -tt) to hinder, stop, obstruct, forbid, prohibit, resist, dam, block up, partition off, curb, check, restrain, control, ward off, avert; n. hindering, checking, resisting; taṭuppu hindering, obstructing, resisting, restraint; Kur. ṭaṇḍnā to prevent, hinder, impede. Br. taḍ power to resist. (DEDR 3031)
Allograph: ‘notch’: Marathi: खांडा [ khāṇḍā ] m A jag, notch, or indentation (as upon the edge of a tool or weapon).
Glyph: ‘full stretch of one’s arms’: kāḍ 2 काड् । पौरुषम् m. a man's length, the stature of a man (as a measure of length) (Rām. 632, zangan kaḍun kāḍ, to stretch oneself the whole length of one's body. So K. 119). Rebus: kāḍ ‘stone’. Ga. (Oll.) kanḍ, (S.) kanḍu (pl. kanḍkil) stone (DEDR 1298). mayponḍi kanḍ whetstone; (Ga.)(DEDR 4628). (खडा) Pebbles or small stones: also stones broken up (as for a road), metal. खडा [ khaḍā ] m A small stone, a pebble. 2 A nodule (of lime &c.): a lump or bit (as of gum, assafœtida, catechu, sugar-candy): the gem or stone of a ring or trinket: a lump of hardened fæces or scybala: a nodule or lump gen. CDIAL 3018 kāṭha m. ʻ rock ʼ lex. [Cf. kānta -- 2 m. ʻ stone ʼ lex.] Bshk. kōr ʻ large stone ʼ AO xviii 239. கண்டு³ kaṇṭu , n. < gaṇḍa. 1. Clod, lump; கட்டி. (தைலவ. தைல.99.) 2. Wen; கழலைக்கட்டி. 3. Bead or something like a pendant in an ornament for the neck; ஓர் ஆபரணவுரு. புல்லிகைக்கண்ட நாண் ஒன்றிற் கட்டின கண்டு ஒன்றும் (S.I.I. ii, 429). (CDIAL 3023) kāṇḍa cluster, heap ʼ (in tr̥ṇa -- kāṇḍa -- Pāṇ. Kāś.). [Poss. connexion with gaṇḍa -- 2 makes prob. non -- Aryan origin (not with P. Tedesco Language 22, 190 < kr̥ntáti). Pa. kaṇḍa -- m.n. joint of stalk, lump. काठः A rock, stone. kāṭha m. ʻ rock ʼ lex. [Cf. kānta -- 2 m. ʻ stone ʼ lex.]Bshk. kōr ʻ large stone ʼ AO xviii 239.(CDIAL 3018). অয়সঠন [ aẏaskaṭhina ] as hard as iron; extremely hard (Bengali)
Glyph: ‘one-eyed’: काण a. [कण् निमीलने कर्तरि घञ् Tv.] 1 One-eyed; अक्ष्णा काणः Sk; काणेन चक्षुषा किं वा H. Pr.12; Ms.3.155. -2 Perforated, broken (as a cowrie) <kaNa>(Z) {ADJ} ``^one-^eyed, ^blind''. Ju<kaNa>(DP),,<kana>(K) {ADJ} ``^blind, blind in one eye''. (Munda) Go. (Ma.) kanḍ reppa eyebrow (Voc. 3047(a))(DEDR 5169). Ka. kāṇ (kaṇḍ-) to see; Ko. kaṇ-/ka·ṇ- (kaḍ-) to see; Koḍ. ka·ṇ- (ka·mb-, kaṇḍ-) to see; Ta. kāṇ (kāṇp-, kaṇṭ-) to see; Kol.kanḍt, kanḍakt seen, visible. (DEDR 1443). Ta. kaṇ eye, aperture, orifice, star of a peacock's tail. (DEDR 1159a) Rebus ‘brazier, bell-metal worker’: கன்னான் kaṉṉāṉ , n. < கன்¹. [M. kannān.] Brazier, bell-metal worker, one of the divisions of the Kammāḷa caste; செம்புகொட்டி. (திவா.) Ta. kaṉ copper work, copper, workmanship; kaṉṉāṉ brazier. Ma. kannān id. (DEDR 1402). கன்¹ kaṉ , n. perh. கன்மம். 1. Workmanship; வேலைப்பாடு. கன்னார் மதில்சூழ் குடந்தை (திவ். திருவாய். 5, 8, 3). 2. Copper work; கன்னார் தொழில். (W.) 3. Copper; செம்பு. (ஈடு, 5, 8, 3.) 4. See கன்னத்தட்டு. (நன். 217, விருத்.) கன்² kaṉ , n. < கல். 1. Stone; கல். (சூடா.) 2. Firmness; உறுதிப்பாடு. (ஈடு, 5, 8, 3.)
kã̄ḍ 2 काँड् m. a section, part in general; a cluster, bundle, multitude (Śiv. 32). kã̄ḍ 1 काँड् । काण्डः m. the stalk or stem of a reed, grass, or the like, straw. In the compound with dan 5 (p. 221a, l. 13) the word is spelt kāḍ.
kō̃da कोँद । कुलालादिकन्दुः f. a kiln; a potter's kiln (Rām. 1446; H. xi, 11); a brick-kiln (Śiv. 133); a lime-kiln. -bal -बल् । कुलालादिकन्दुस्थानम् m. the place where a kiln is erected, a brick or potter's kiln (Gr.Gr. 165). -- । कुलालादिकन्दुयथावद्भावः f.inf. a kiln to arise; met. to become like such a kiln (which contains no imperfectly baked articles, but only well-made perfectly baked ones), hence, a collection of good ('pucka') articles or qualities to exist.
kāru ‘crocodile’ (Telugu). Rebus: artisan (Marathi) Rebus: khar ‘blacksmith’ (Kashmiri) kola ‘tiger’ Rebus: kol ‘working in iron’. Heraka ‘spy’ Rebus: eraka ‘copper’. khōṇḍa ‘leafless tree’ (Marathi). Rebus: kõdār’turner’ (Bengali)
Looking back: krammara ‘look back’ Rebus: kamar ‘smith, artisan’.
Pict-97: Person standing at the center pointing with his right hand at a bison facing a trough, and with his left hand pointing to the sign 
kola 'tiger' Rebus: kol 'working in iron, alloy of 5 metals - pancaloha'. ibha 'elephant' Rebus ibbo 'merchant'; ib 'iron'. kāṇḍa 'rhimpceros' Rebus:khāṇḍa ‘tools, pots and pans, and metal-ware’. The text on m0489 tablet: loa 'ficus religiosa' Rebus: loh 'copper'. kolmo 'rice plant' Rebus: kolami 'smithy, forge'. dula 'pair' Rebus: dul 'cast metal'. Thus the display of the metalware catalog includes the technological competence to work with minerals, metals and alloys and produce tools, pots and pans. The persons involved are krammara 'turn back' Rebus: kamar 'smiths, artisans'. kola 'tiger' Rebus: kol 'working in iron, working in pancaloha alloys'. పంచలోహము pancha-lōnamu. n. A mixed metal, composed of five ingredients, viz., copper, zinc, tin, lead, and iron (Telugu). Thus, when five svastika hieroglyphs are depicted, the depiction is of satthiya 'svastika' Rebus: satthiya 'zinc' and the totality of 5 alloying metals of copper, zinc, tin, lead and iron.
Sign 1 mē̃ḍ 'body' rebus: mē̃ḍ ‘iron’ (Mu.)
Sign 15 reads: 
Sign 12 kuṭi 'water-carrier' (Telugu) Rebus: kuṭhi. 'iron smelter furnace' (Santali) kuṭhī factory (A.)(CDIAL 3546) PLUS 
Sign 342 kanda kanka 'rim of jar' कार्णिक 'relating to the ear' rebus: kanda kanka 'fire-trench account, karṇika 'scribe, account' karṇī 'supercargo',कर्णिक helmsman'. Thus, the composite hypertext of Sign 15 reads: kuṭhi karṇika 'smelter helmsman/scribe/supercargo'.
Fig. 24 Line drawing showing the seal impression on this tablet. Illustration by Abdallah Kahil.Proto-Cuneiform tablet with seal impressions. Jemdet Nasr period, ca. 3100-2900 BCE. Mesopotamia. Clay H. 5.5 cm; W.7 cm.
Source: Kim Benzel, Sarah B. Graff, Yelena Rakic and Edith W. Watts, 2010, Art of the Ancient Near East, a resource for educators, New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art
http://www.metmuseum.org/~/media/Files/Learn/For%20Educators/Publications%20for%20Educators/Art%20of%20the%20Ancient%20Near%20East.pdf
The blurb n the catalogue of Metropolitan Museum of Art says, "The seal impression depicts a male figure guiding two dogs on a leash and hunting or herding boars in a marsh environment."The imagery of the cylinder seal records information. A male figure is guiding dogs (?Tigers) and herding boars in a reed marsh. Both tiger and boar are Indus writing hieroglyphs, together with the imagery of a grain stalk. All these hieroglyphs are read rebus in Meluhha (mleccha),of Indian sprachbund in the context of metalware catalogs of bronze age. kola 'tiger'; rebus: kol 'iron'; kāṇḍa 'rhino'; rebus: kāṇḍa 'metalware tools, pots and pans'. 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) Alternative rebus: If the imagery of stalk connoted a palm-frond, the rebus readings could have been:
1. a tiger, a fox on leashes held by a man kol 'tiger' Rebus: kol 'working in iron, alloys' lo ‘fox’ (WPah.) Rebus: lōha ʻmetalʼ (Pali)
2. a procession of boars (rhinoceros?) and tiger in two rows kāṇṭā 'rhinoceros. Rebus: āṇḍa ‘tools, pots and pans and metal-ware’ (Gujarati)3. a stalk/twig, sprout (or tree branch) kūdī, kūṭī bunch of twigs (Sanskrit) Rebus: kuṭhi ‘smelting furnace‘ (Santali)
Thanks to Abdallah Kahil for the line drawing which clearly demonstrates that the narrative is NOT 'a hunting with dogs or herding boars in a marsh environment.' Traces of hieroglyphs are found on both sides of the tablet which also contains a proto-cuneiform inscription. It is noteworthy that cuneiform evolved TOGETHER WITH the use of Indus writing hieroglyphs on tablets, cylinder seals and other artifacts. I wish every success for efforts at decoding proto-elamite script using Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) System (see below).
Ku. N. tāmo (pl. ʻ young bamboo shoots ʼ), A. tām, B. tã̄bā, tāmā, Or. tambā, Bi tã̄bā, Mth. tām, tāmā, Bhoj. tāmā, H. tām in cmpds., tã̄bā, tāmā m. (CDIAL 5779) Rebus: tāmrá ʻ dark red, copper -- coloured ʼ VS., n. ʻ copper ʼ Kauś., tāmraka -- n. Yājñ. [Cf. tamrá -- . -- √tam?] Pa. tamba -- ʻ red ʼ, n. ʻ copper ʼ, Pk. taṁba -- adj. and n.; Dm. trāmba -- ʻ red ʼ (in trāmba -- lac̣uk ʻ raspberry ʼ NTS xii 192); Bshk. lām ʻ copper, piece of bad pine -- wood (< ʻ *red wood ʼ?); Phal. tāmba ʻ copper ʼ (→ Sh.koh. tāmbā), K. trām m. (→ Sh.gil. gur. trām m.), S. ṭrāmo m., L. trāmā, (Ju.) tarāmã̄ m., P. tāmbā m., WPah. bhad. ṭḷām n., kiũth. cāmbā, sod. cambo, jaun. tã̄bō (CDIAL 5779) tabāshīr तबाशीर् । त्वक््क्षीरी f. the sugar of the bamboo, bamboo-manna (a siliceous deposit on the joints of the bamboo) (Kashmiri)
Late Uruk and Jemdet Nasr seal; ca. 3200-3000 BC; serpentine; cat.1; boar and bull in procession; terminal
plant; heavily pitted surface beyond plant
Indus Script hieroglyphs read rebus: baḍhia = a castrated boar, a hog; rebus: baḍhi ‘a caste who work both in iron and wood’ Hieroglyph: dhangar 'bull' Rebus: dhangar 'blacksmith'. kuṭi 'tree' rebus: kuṭhi 'smelter'.
Were the Daimabad artisan guilds carrying these bronze models as standards in processions on a festival day celebrating their work and advertising their professional metallurgical competence? Maybe, these processions are a celebration of Pola, cattle festival, an annual festivity continued even today.
oy 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).
One side of a triangular terracotta tablet (Md 013); surface find at Mohenjo-daro in 1936. Dept. of Eastern Art, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.
Hieroglyph: kamaḍha 'penance' (Prakrit) kamaḍha, kamaṭha, kamaḍhaka, kamaḍhaga, kamaḍhaya = a type of penance (Prakrit)
Rebus: kamaṭamu, kammaṭamu = a portable furnace for melting precious metals; kammaṭīḍu = a goldsmith, a silversmith (Telugu) kãpṛauṭ jeweller's crucible made of rags and clay (Bi.); kampaṭṭam coinage, coin, mint (Tamil)
kamaṭhāyo = a learned carpenter or mason, working on scientific principles; kamaṭhāṇa [cf. karma, kām, business + sthāna, thāṇam, a place fr. Skt. sthā to stand] arrangement of one’s business; putting into order or managing one’s business (Gujarati)
The composition of two hieroglyphs: kāru 'crocodile' (Telugu) + kamaḍha 'a person seated in penance' (Prakrit) denote rebus: khar ‘blacksmith’ (Kashmiri); kāru ‘artisan’ (Marathi) + kamaṭa 'portable furnace'; kampaṭṭam 'coinage, coin, mint'. Thus, what the tablet conveys is the mint of a blacksmith. A copulating crocodile hieroglyph -- kāru 'crocodile' (Telugu) + kamḍa, khamḍa 'copulation' (Santali) -- conveys the same message: mint of a blacksmith kāru kampaṭṭa 'mint artisan'.
m1429B and two other tablets showing the typical composite hieroglyph of fish + crocodile. Glyphs: crocodile + fish ayakāra ‘blacksmith’ (Pali) kāru a wild crocodile or alligator (Telugu) aya 'fish' (Munda) The method of ligaturing enables creation of compound messages through Indus writing inscriptions. kārua wild crocodile or alligator (Telugu) Rebus: khar ‘blacksmith’ (Kashmiri); kāru ‘artisan’ (Marathi).
Kashmiri glosses:
Pali: ayakāra ‘iron-smith’. ] Both ayaskāma and ayaskāra are attested in Panini (Pan. viii.3.46; ii.4.10). WPah. bhal. kamīṇ m.f. labourer (man or woman) ; MB. kāmiṇā labourer (CDIAL 2902) N. kāmi blacksmith (CDIAL 2900).
Kashmiri glosses:
khār 1 खार् । लोहकारः m. (sg. abl. khāra 1 खार ; the pl. dat. of this word is khāran 1 खारन् , which is to be distinguished from khāran 2, q.v., s.v.), a blacksmith, an iron worker (cf. bandūka-khār, p. 111b, l. 46; K.Pr. 46; H. xi, 17); a farrier (El.). This word is often a part of a name, and in such case comes at the end (W. 118) as in Wahab khār, Wahab the smith (H. ii, 12; vi, 17). khāra-basta khāra-basta खार-बस््त । चर्मप्रसेविका f. the skin bellows of a blacksmith. -büṭhü -ब&above;ठू&below; । लोहकारभित्तिः f. the wall of a blacksmith's furnace or hearth. -bāy -बाय् । लोहकारपत्नी f. a blacksmith's wife (Gr.Gr. 34). -dŏkuru लोहकारायोघनः m. a blacksmith's hammer, a sledge-hammer. -gȧji or -güjü - लोहकारचुल्लिः f. a blacksmith's furnace or hearth. -hāl -हाल् । लोहकारकन्दुः f. (sg. dat. -höjü -हा&above;जू&below; ), a blacksmith's smelting furnace; cf. hāl 5. -kūrü लोहकारकन्या f. a blacksmith's daughter. -koṭu - लोहकारपुत्रः m. the son of a blacksmith, esp. a skilful son, who can work at the same profession. -küṭü लोहकारकन्या f. a blacksmith's daughter, esp. one who has the virtues and qualities properly belonging to her father's profession or caste. -më˘ʦü 1 - लोहकारमृत्तिका f. (for 2, see [khāra 3] ), 'blacksmith's earth,' i.e. iron-ore. -nĕcyuwu लोहकारात्मजः m. a blacksmith's son. -nay -नय् । लोहकारनालिका f. (for khāranay 2, see [khārun] ), the trough into which the blacksmith allows melted iron to flow after smelting. -ʦañĕ । लोहकारशान्ताङ्गाराः f.pl. charcoal used by blacksmiths in their furnaces. -wānवान् । लोहकारापणः m. a blacksmith's shop, a forge, smithy (K.Pr. 3). -waṭh -वठ् । आघाताधारशिला m. (sg. dat. -waṭas -वटि ), the large stone used by a blacksmith as an anvil.
Thus, kharvaṭ may refer to an anvil. Meluhha kāru may refer to a crocodile; this rebus reading of the hieroglyph is.consistent with ayakāra ‘ironsmith’ (Pali) [fish = aya (G.); crocodile = kāru (Telugu)]
Locations of Meluhha, Saar, Failaka, Qal'at al-Bahrain, Barbar in Persian or Arabian Gulf
Map of Meluhha and Southwest Asia (inset Bahrain) (After Fig. 1 Eric Olijdam, 2008, A possible Central Asian origin for the seal-impressed jar from the Temple Tower' at Failaka), in:Eric Olijdam & RH Spoor, eds, Intercultural relations between South and Southwest Asia, Studiesin Commemoration of ECL During Caspers (1934-1996), BAR Intrnational Series 1826 (2008): 268-287). "It is only in the last decade that Central Asian elements have been correctly identified in the archaeological record of the Arabian Gulf. Up until her untimely death, E.C.L. During Caspers had been one of the leading experts in this field. I am therefore pleased to dedicate my contribution to one of Inez’ last passions, viz. the intercultural/mercantile connections between the Arabian Gulf and the Bactrian-Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC) —or the Murghabo-Bactrian Archaeological Complex as she used to call it."
A massive building called the 'Temple Tower' in Failaka City, was excavated dated to ca. 1900 BCE. A seal impression was found impressed on a large jar, just underneath the shoulder. In two scenes, the narrative of the impression shows a bird of prey (eagle) devouring a slaim bovine. Eagle's talons are clearly shown and wings are extended. The filling motifs include a coiled snake and a rosette next to a crescent moon.
I suggest that these are Indus Script Hypertexts, as this monograph demonstrates.
Drawing of a Cylinder seal-impressed jar from the 'Temple Tower', Failaka (F88.2270, Kuwait National Museum no. 5827; drawing after Calvet, Y. & M. Pic, 1996, Un nouveau batiment de 'l'Age du Bronze sur le Tell F6, in Y. Calvet & JF Salle, eds., Failaka, Fouilles Francaise 1984-1985 (TMO 12), Lyon,: Fig. 3)
In Gonur I South excavations, a complette storage jar, linked to a temple complex, was unearthed. The seal impression shows a standing winged birdman holding a dead caprid in each of its hands. In the field above the caprid, a heraldic eagle is shown.
करडेल karaḍēla n (करडई & तेल) Oil of Carthamus or safflower.Rebus: karaḍa 'hard alloy'
مر ḳamar A قمر ḳamar, s.m. (9th) 'The moon'. Rebus: kamar 'blacksmith'.
Hieroglyph: śyena 'falcon' Rebus: aśáni 'thunderbolt' rebusآهن ګر āhan gar, 'blacksmith'
Hieroglyph: 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) Hence, signifies: dhā̆vaḍ m. ʻ a class of iron -- smelters ʼ, dhāvḍī ʻ composed of or relating to iron smelting'
Cylinder seal-impressed jar from Gonur I South, Turkmenistan, A. Design of the cylinder seal (after Sarianidi. V.,1993, Excavations at Southern Gonur, Iran XXXI:25-37, Pl. IV-X, Fig.9)
Hieroglyph: śyena 'falcon' Rebus: aśáni 'thunderbolt' rebusآهن ګر āhan gar, 'blacksmith'
'markhor' Wkh. merg f. 'ibex' (CDIAL 9885) Tor. miṇḍ 'ram', miṇḍā́l 'markhor' (CDIAL 10310) Rebus:meḍ (Ho.); mẽṛhet 'iron' (Munda.Ho.).
A second speciment was found on the surface of Taip depe 'at the southeastern edge of the settlement'...This very large segment, consisting of two matching fragments, shows the imprint of two different cylinder seals and possibly that of a stamp seal. (After Masimov, IS, 1981, New finds of the Bronze Age seals from the Lower Murghab (in Russian), Sovjetskaya Arkheologiya 1981: 132-150, Figs. 10-12).
Drawings of First cylinder-seal impressed jar from Taip 1, Turkmenistan (After Collon, D., 1987, First Impressions, Cylinder seals in the Ancient Near East, London, nos. 600, 599).
Predatory bird attacking an animal is also shown on a cylinderal seal of BMAC.
पोळा [ pōḷā ] zebu, bos indicus, rebus: पोळा [ pōḷā ] 'magnetite, Fe3O4'
pōlaḍu, 'black drongo' rebus pōlaḍ 'steel'
Hieroglyph: śyena 'falcon' Rebus: aśáni 'thunderbolt' rebusآهن ګر āhan gar, 'blacksmith'
kõdā 'young bull' rebus: kõdā 'to turn in a lathe'(B.) कोंद kōnda 'engraver, lapidary setting or infixing gems' (Marathi) kō̃da कोँद 'furnace, kiln'
मेढा [mēḍhā] 'twist, curl'. rebus: meD,med 'iron, copper,metal' medha 'yajna', dhanam.) meḍhi 'plait' (twisted rope) rebus: meḍ 'iron'
bhaṭa 'warrior' Rebus: bhaṭa 'furnace
Hieroglyph: śyena 'falcon' Rebus: aśáni 'thunderbolt' rebusآهن ګر āhan gar, 'blacksmith'
gaṇḍa 'rhinoceros'; rebus:khaṇḍa 'tools, pots and pans and metal-ware'.
goṭā 'round pebble' Rebus gō̃ṭu an ornamental appendage to the border of a cloth, fringe' गोटी gōṭī f (Dim. of गोटा) A roundish stone or pebble. 2 A marble. 3 A large lifting stone. Used in trials of strength among the Athletæ. 4 A stone in temples described at length under उचला 5 fig. A term for a round, fleshy, well-filled body. 6 A lump of silver: as obtained by melting down lace or fringe. goṭa 'laterite, ferrite ore' khoṭa 'ingot, wedge'. गोटी [ gōṭī ] 'round pebbles, stones' rebus: गोटी [ gōṭī ] 'A lump of silver'.
kolmo 'rice-plant' rebus; kolimi 'smithy, forge'
kola 'tiger' rebus: kol 'working in iron' kolhe 'smelter' PLUS dula 'two' rebus: dul 'metal casting'
Hieroglyph: leaping tigers: Kui pānja (pānji-) to fly, leap; n. act of flying, flight; (DEDR 4087), dspanja 'claw of beast, feline paw' rebus: panja 'kiln' (Semantic determinative).
Bronze compartmented seal. BMAC(Bactria-Margiana Archeological Complex), 2000-1500 BCE. Garuda, Naga.
Compartmented seal with two coiled snakes attacking crescent moons (Baghestani, 1997, opcit., no. 456).A copper/bronze compartmented seal consists of a mirror image of a coiled snake with a crescent moon (Baghestani, S.,1997, Metallene Comparimentsiegel aus Os-Iran, Zentralasien und Nord-China, Archologie in Iran and Turan, Bd. 1, Rahden,: no.456). The heads of both animals are towards a crescent moon.
phaḍa 'throne, hood of cobra' rebus: फड, phaḍa 'metalwork artisan guild'
dula 'two' rebus: dul 'metal casting'. Thus, metalcaster guild'
مر ḳamar A قمر ḳamar, s.m. (9th) 'The moon'. Rebus: kamar 'blacksmith'.
Dilmun seal from Afghanistan (Sarianidi 1986, Die Kunst des alten Afghanistan, Leipzig: drawing on p. 231)."Two seals found in Afghanistan...may be indicative of direct contact with Babylonia and Dilmun during the latter stages of the BMAC. The first is a cylinder seal found in the hills near Herat...Even more spectacular is the Dilmun stamp seal published in drawing by Sarianidi...The design seems to consist of two rampant bulls with merging bodies, rendered back-toback. In the field between the bulls a stylised plant (?) can be discerned, the bottom right appears to have a crescent moon...The design is very similar to that of a Dilmun seal found at the Harappan port site of Dwarka (Crawford, HEW, 1998, Dilmun and its Gulf neighbours, Cambridge, Fig. 5.7)...the decoration on a copper/bronze cosmetic vial is particularly interesting. Its design shows several animals engaged in human activities. The central scene consists of a monkey standing before a seated ibex, holding in its hand a vessel commonly found in BMAC ceramic assemblages. A low table is situated between the two animals and on it lays a flat object. It seems likely that the design depicts a ritual in which the monkey is offering food and drink to the ibex." (Eric Olidjam, opcit, pp.281 to 283).
kolmo 'rice plant' rebus; kolimi 'smithy, forge'
dula 'two' rebus; dul 'metal casting'
barad, barat 'ox' rebus: bharat, baran 'mixed alloys' (5 copper, 4 zinc and 1 tin)
Obverse of seal
kolom 'three' rebus: kolimi 'smithy, forge'
Hieroglyph: Dotted circle: dāya 'throw of one in dice' rebus: dhāi, dhātu 'mineral ore'.
High-relief decoration on the body of a BMAC copper/bronze cosmetic vial (Aftter Sarianidi, V., 1994, Aegean-Anatolian Motifs in the Glyptic Art of Bactria and Margiana, Bulletin of the Asia Institute 8: 27-36, Fig. 7)
kuṭhāru 'a monkey' (Sanskrit) Rebus: kuṭhāru 'armourer or weapons'
OP. koṭhārī f. ʻ crucible ʼ, P. kuṭhālī f., H. kuṭhārī f.; -- Md. koṭari ʻ room ʼ A semantic determinative for kuṭhāru 'armourer or weapons'.
Dm. mraṅ m. ‘markhor’ Wkh. merg f. ‘ibex’ (CDIAL 9885) Tor. miṇḍ ‘ram’, miṇḍā́l ‘markhor’
(CDIAL 10310) Rebus: meḍ(Ho.); mẽṛhet ‘iron’ (Munda.Ho.)
tagaraka 'tabernae montana' rebus: tagara 'tin'.
DEDR 1179 Kur. kaṇḍō a stool. Malt. kanḍo stool, seat. గడమంచె gaḍa-manche. n. A wooden frame like a bench to keep things on. గంపలు మొదలగువాటిని ఉంచు మంచె. Rebus: khaṇḍa 'equipment'.
Dilmun seals should be included in Indus Script Corpora, artisans and seafaring merchants of Sarasvati Civiization in Qal'at al-Bahrain, 2050 BCE
I suggest that Dilmun seals should be included in the Indus Script Corpora based on the following argument:
Qal`at al-Bahrain – Ancient Harbour and Capital of Dilmun 26°14′01″N 50°31′14″E Excavation 520 at Qal’at al-Bahrain, reported Dilmun seals made using the same Indus seal technology. This indicates seaward movement of seafaring merchants and artisans from Sarasvati Civilition into Qal'at.
https://www.academia.edu/36750743/Dilmun-Meluhhan_Relations_Revisited_in_Light_of_Observations_on_Early_Dilmun_Seal_Production_during_the_City_IIa-c_Period_c._2050-1800_BC _
A DATED SEAL IMPRESSION CONNECTING BABYLONIA AND ANCIENT INDIA
BRIGGS BUCHANAN
Archaeology
Vol. 20, No. 2 (APRIL 1967), pp. 104-107 (4 pages)
Published by: Archaeological Institute of America
https://www.jstor.org/stable/41667694
