-- Wolfgang Heimpel confirms symbolic depiction of camels, elephant, monkeys (bazitu/uqupu), unicorn (sakea), water-buffalo (river-ox), antelope (susu) on Shalamaneser Black Obelisk of 9th cent. BCE.
I have argued deciphering over 8000 Indus Script inscriptions that the animal symbols signify metalwork wealth and that the inscriptions constitute metalwork wealth-accounting ledgers.
This is an addendum to:
Nimrud (Kalhu), black obelisk with Indus Script hieroglyphs, materialities of Assyrian knowledge production https://tinyurl.com/y4mhg8br
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Clik here to view.Side A, B, C, D on Row 3 from the top of the Black Obelisk
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Side A, B, C, D on Row 3 from the top of the Black ObeliskThe animals as tribute are mentioned in the cuneiform inscriptions (translated as below):
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The symbolic wealth resources displayed are: Bactrian camels, buffalo, unicorn, antelope, elephant, monkeys. All thesea are Indus Script hieroglyphs read rebus in Meluhha:
Elephant, camel: Hieroglyphs: karibha, ibha 'elephant' karabhá m. ʻ camel ʼ MBh., ʻ young camel ʼ Pañcat., ʻ young elephant ʼ BhP. 2. kalabhá -- ʻ young elephant or camel ʼ Pañcat. [Poss. a non -- aryan kar -- ʻ elephant ʼ also in karḗṇu -- , karin -- EWA i 165] 1. Pk. karabha -- m., ˚bhī -- f., karaha -- m. ʻ camel ʼ, S. karahu, ˚ho m., P. H. karhā m., Marw. karhau JRAS 1937, 116, OG. karahu m., OM. karahā m.; Si. karaba ʻ young elephant or camel ʼ.2. Pa. kalabha -- m. ʻ young elephant ʼ, Pk. kalabha -- m., ˚bhiā -- f., kalaha -- m.; Ku. kalṛo ʻ young calf ʼ; Or. kālhuṛi ʻ young bullock, heifer ʼ; Si. kalam̆bayā ʻ young elephant ʼ Rebus: karba, ib 'iron'Addenda: karabhá -- : OMarw. karaha ʻ camel ʼ.
Water-buffalo: Hieroglyph: rã̄go 'water-buffalo' rebus: Pk. raṅga 'tin' P. rã̄g f., rã̄gā m. ʻ pewter, tin ʼ Ku. rāṅ ʻ tin, solder ʼOr. rāṅga ʻ tin ʼ, rāṅgā ʻ solder, spelter ʼ, Bi. Mth. rã̄gā, OAw. rāṁga; H. rã̄g f., rã̄gā m. ʻ tin, pewter ʼraṅgaada -- m. ʻ borax ʼ lex.Kho. (Lor.) ruṅ ʻ saline ground with white efflorescence, salt in earth ʼ *raṅgapattra ʻ tinfoil ʼ. [raṅga -- 3, páttra -- ]B. rāṅ(g)tā ʻ tinsel, copper -- foil ʼ.(CDIAL 10562) ranga 'alloy of copper, zinc, tin'.
River ox: Hieroglyph, short-horned bull: barad, balad, 'ox' rebus: bharata 'metal alloy' (5 copper, 4 zinc and 1 tin).
ranku 'antelope' rebus; ranku 'tin'
Does sakea in the black obelisk inscription signify 'unicorn' i.e. animal shown on Indus Script with one horn? " I suggest that this signifies the 'one-horned young bull with a curved, s-shaped, mutilated horn' shown on thousands of Indus Script Inscriptions.
Monkeys: hieroglyphs: kuṭhāru कुठारु monkey; rebus: kuṭhāru, कुठारु an armourer.
Thus, the tributes received are iron implements, metal armour, lapidary metalwork wealth from Meluhha and tin ore .
I agree with the views of Wolfgang Heimpel cited by DT Potts that the depiction of Bactrian camels on the Black obelisk was perhaps mainly symbolic… to show ‘exotic animals…procured in the context of an important royal campaign to far distant regions.’
I have shown that the symbolic depiction of not only the Bactrian camel but also to elephant, monkeys, water-buffalo, unicorn, antelope are use of the ‘symbols’ consistent with Indus Script Cipher which reads rebus these animals as wealth resources and hence, documented in metalwork wealth-accounting ledgers of Indus Script Corpora.
https://www.academia.edu/1905446/Potts_2004_Camel_hybridization_and_the_role_of_Camelus_bactrianus_in_the_Ancient_Near_East