Who are Meluhha, what were the spoken dialects of Sarasvati Civilization from 8th millennium BCE? The archaeological evidence from Bhirrana is conclusive that the roots of the civilization on Sarasvati River Basin date to 8th millennium BCE. See:
Meluhha are Bhāratam Janam (RV 3.53.12) referred to in scores of cuneiform texts of Ancient Near East and who are also mleccha speakers who constituted the Indian sprachbund'language union'. Meluhha speech is evidenced on the Shu-Ilishu cylinder seal.
Two Meluhha seafaring merchants trading in tin and copper (signified by ranku'liquid measure' rebus: ranku 'tin' and mlekh'goat' rebus: milakkhu'copper') are transacting a trade deal. The person seated on the lap of Sumerian trader is Shu-ilishu. The Akkadian cuneiform insceription states: Shu-Ilishu EME.BAL.ME.LUH.HA.KI 'Shu-Ilishu, interpreter of Meluhha language'. TheM eluhha used a writing system which is now called Indus Script with a corpora of over 8000 inscriptions. According to Vatsyayana, the writing system was called mlecchita vikalpa 'alternate representation of speech in writing -- cipher -- by Mleccha,'copper' artisans,merchants).This monograph posits that the language of Indus Script is Meluhha speech of Bhāratam Janam, who are also called पञ्चन्-जनः 'five peoples' or pāñcāla पाञ्चाल 'five guilds'. Most of the inscriptions (the corpora now has over 8000 inscriptions) relate to the guild of carpenters referred to in Vedic times as त्वष्टृ m. a carpenter , maker of carriages (= त्/अष्टृ) AV. xii , 3 , 33; *ṭhaṭṭha1 ʻ brass ʼ. [Onom. from noise of hammering brass? -- *ṭhaṭṭh -- ] N. ṭhaṭṭar ʻ an alloy of copper and bell metal ʼ.(CDIAL 5491);*ṭhaṭṭhakāra ʻ brass worker ʼ. 2. *ṭhaṭṭhakara -- . [*ṭhaṭṭha -- 1 , kāra -- 1 ]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 5493); tákṣan (acc. tákṣaṇam RV., takṣāṇam Pāṇ.) m. ʻ carpenter ʼ. [√takṣ ]Pk. takkhāṇa -- m., Paš. ar. tac̣an -- kṓr, weg. taṣāˊn, Kal. kaṭ -- tačon, Kho. (Lor.) tačon, Sh. &oarcacute; m., kaṭ -- th˚, K. chān m., chöñü f., P. takhāṇ m., ˚ṇī f., H. takhān m.; Si. sasa ʻ carpenter, wheelwright ʼ < nom. tákṣā. -- With "intrusive" r: Kho. (Lor.) tračon ʻ carpenter ʼ, P. tarkhāṇ m. (→ H. tarkhān m.), WPah. jaun. tarkhāṇ. -- With unexpl. d -- or dh -- (X dāˊru -- ?): S. ḍrakhaṇu m. ʻ carpenter ʼ; L. drakhāṇ, (Ju.) darkhāṇ m. ʻ carpenter ʼ (darkhāṇ pakkhī m. ʻ woodpecker ʼ), mult. dhrikkhāṇ m., dhrikkhaṇī f., awāṇ. dhirkhāṇ m. (CDIAL 5621) Ta. taṭṭu (taṭṭi-) to knock, tap, pat, strike against, dash against, strike, beat, hammer, thresh; n. knocking, patting, breaking, striking against, collision; taṭṭam clapping of the hands; taṭṭal knocking, striking, clapping, tapping, beating time; taṭṭāṉ gold or silver smith; fem. taṭṭātti. Ma. taṭṭu a blow, knock; taṭṭuka to tap, dash, hit, strike against, knock; taṭṭān goldsmith; fem. taṭṭātti; taṭṭāran washerman; taṭṭikka to cause to hit; taṭṭippu beating. Ko. taṭ- (tac-) to pat, strike, kill, (curse) affects, sharpen, disregard (words); taṭ a·ṛ- (a·c) to stagger from fatigue. To. toṭ a slap; toṭ- (toṭy-) to strike (with hammer), pat, (sin) strikes; toṛ- (toṭ-) to bump foot; toṭxn, toṭxïn goldsmith; fem. toṭty, toṭxity; toṭk ïn- (ïḏ-) to be tired, exhausted. Ka. taṭṭu to tap, touch, come close, pat, strike, beat, clap, slap, knock, clap on a thing (as cowdung on a wall), drive, beat off or back, remove; n. slap or pat, blow, blow or knock of disease, danger, death, fatigue, exhaustion. Koḍ. taṭṭ- (taṭṭi-) to touch, pat, ward off, strike off, (curse) effects; taṭṭë goldsmith; fem. taṭṭati (Shanmugam).
Tu. taṭṭāvuni to cause to hit, strike. Te. taṭṭu to strike, beat, knock, pat, clap, slap; n. stripe, welt; taṭravã̄ḍu goldsmith or silversmith. Kur. taṛnā (taṛcas) to flog, lash, whip. Malt. taṛce to slap. Cf. 3156 Ka. tāṭu. / Cf. Turner, CDIAL, no. 5490, *ṭhaṭṭh- to strike; no. 5493, *ṭhaṭṭhakāra- brassworker; √ taḍ, no. 5748, tāˊḍa- a blow; no. 5752, tāḍáyati strikes. (DEDR 3093).
The guilds of these artisans in the tradition of त्वष्टृ 'carpenter, maker of carriages' -- in general, a smelter and a smith, gold-silver-smith and artisans/lapidaries working with gems and jewels, smiths working in a smithy/forge --or, artisans and seafaring merchants among pāñcāla पाञ्चाल 'five guilds' created the Indus Script as a writing system. Such त्वष्टृ constituted Harosheth Hagoyim or 'Smithy of Nations'. "Harosheth Haggoyim (Hebrew: חרושת הגויים, lit. Smithy of the Nations) is a fortress described in the Book of Judges as the fortress or cavalry base of Sisera, commander of the army of "Jabin, King of Canaan." (Judges 4.3: Because he had nine hundred chariots fitted with iron and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the Lord for help.).
"Archaeologists Oren Cohen and Adam Zertal of the University of Haifa propose that the site of El-Ahwat, between Katzir-Harish and Nahal Iron, is the site of Harosheth Haggoyim...The site was excavated from 1993-2000 by teams from the University of Haifa and the University of Cagliari in Sardinia. The dig was headed by Professor Zertal...Among the more intriguing objects uncovered by the dig is a small, round, bronze relief measuring about 2 cm. in diameter and 5 mm. thick. The bronze shows the "face of a woman wearing a cap and earrings shaped as chariot wheels." It was found inside a structure identified by the archaeological team as the “Governor’s House”. It is clear that the bronze was once the finial or end of an "elongated object" from which it had been broken off in antiquity."("Archaeological Mystery Solved". University of Haifa. July 1, 2010.) I submit that the woman's face signified on the linchipin is muh'face' rebus: muhã 'ingot'. Hieroglyph of woman: *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. ǵ 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. kyǘru ʻ young of animals, child ʼ, kyurú ʻ boy ʼ, kurīˊ ʻ colt, calf ʼ; Dm. kúŕa ʻ child ʼ, Shum. kuṛ; Kal. kūŕ*l k 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) Rebus: kuṭhi'smelter'. Thus, the linchpin hypertext reads: muhã kuṭhi 'smelter ingot' (From) ṭaṅkaśālā -- , ṭaṅkakaś˚ f. ʻ mint ʼ lex. [ṭaṅka -- 1 , śāˊlā -- ]N. ṭaksāl, ˚ār, B. ṭāksāl, ṭã̄k˚, ṭek˚, Bhoj. ṭaksār, H. ṭaksāl, ˚ār f., G. ṭãksāḷ f., M. ṭã̄ksāl, ṭāk˚, ṭãk˚, ṭak˚. -- Deriv. G. ṭaksāḷī m. ʻ mint -- master ʼ, M. ṭāksāḷyā m.Addenda: ṭaṅkaśālā -- : Brj. ṭaksāḷī, ˚sārī m. ʻ mint -- master ʼ.(CDIAL 54334). ṭaṅka3 (a) ʻ *rod, spike ʼ, (b) m. ʻ leg ʼ lex. 2. ṭaṅga -- 3 m. ʻ leg ʼ lex. [Orig. ʻ stick ʼ? Cf. list s.v. *ḍakka -- 2 ]1. (a) K. ṭang m. ʻ projecting spike which acts as a bolt at one corner of a door ʼ; N. ṭāṅo ʻ rod, fishing rod ʼ, ˚ṅi ʻ measuring rod ʼ; H. ṭã̄k f. ʻ iron pin, rivet ʼ (→ Ku. ṭã̄ki ʻ thin iron bar ʼ).(CDIAL 5428).
The Great Epic contains scores of reference to mleccha (variously pronounced or spelt) signifying that most of the participants in the itihāsa narrative are from mleccha speaker groups or artisan/seafaring merchant guilds or caravans of traders or itinerant merchants of the Bronze Age.
Mlechechas
Most of these पञ्चन्-जनः 'five peoples' are Mleccha/Meluhha speakers. Meluhha speech is characterised by many variants in pronunciations of words used in common parlance or lingua franca, called parole. This parole is signified in the logo-semantic writing system of mlecchita vikalpa or what is called nowadays, as Indus Script. According to Vatsyayana, mlecchita vikalpa, akṣara muṣṭika kathanam and deśa bhāṣā jñānam constituted three language arts among the 64 arts learned by youth.According to the evidence of Rgveda and Mahābhārata mleccha speakers constituted the majority of people of Bhārata called Bhāratam Janam (RV 3.53.12) and signified by the categories of their trade/occupations or guilds categorised and clustered together as पञ्चन्-जनः 'five peoples' (ब्राह्मण, क्षत्रिय, वैश्य शूद्र, निषाद 'hunters, fishermen'), pāñcālaपाञ्चाल 'five guilds' (i e. of a carpenter, weaver, barber, washer- man, and shoe-maker).
Excellent summary accounts of पञ्चन्-जनः 'five peoples' or Bhāratam Janam are provided in the Vedic Index excerpted and appended in this monograph.
Evidence from Baudhāyana-Śrautasūtra for migrations of Meluhha speakers away from the Sarasvati River Basin is provided in Annex A Bhāratīya, itihāsa Araṭṭa is derived from rāṣṭrá > Lāṭa, land of Gurjara-s (evidence from R̥gveda, Baudhāyana-Śrautasūtra)
These migrations away from Kurukshetra on Sarasvati River Basin, explains why Sakas,Hunas, Yavanas,Kambojas,Pahlavas, Bahlikas and Rishikas;
were also categorised as mlecchas in ancient Indian tradition. These migrations also explain the spread of Proto-Indian dialects into Ancient Near East, exemplified by the Mitanni texts with Indo-Aryan vocabulary including the famous text of Kikkuli's horse training manual with technical Indo-Aryan terms.
Evidence from Baudhāyana-Śrautasūtra for migrations of Meluhha speakers away from the Sarasvati River Basin is provided in Annex A Bhāratīya, itihāsa Araṭṭa is derived from rāṣṭrá> Lāṭa, land of Gurjara-s (evidence from R̥gveda, Baudhāyana-Śrautasūtra)
Thus, Sakas, Hunas, Yavanas, Kambojas, Pahlavas, Bahlikas and Rishikas.The Amarakosha described the Kiratas, Khasas and Pulindas as the Mleccha-jatis. Indo-Greeks, Scythians,and Kushanas are also mleccha-/meluhha-speakers is explained. The corroborating evidence comes from hundreds of ancient coins issued by these groups of people -- with Indus Script hieroglyphs and combined with use of syllabic scripts of Greek, Aramaic, Brāhmī and Kharoṣṭhī to signify names of mints or coin-issuing authorities.
The identity of these Bhāratam Janam justifies the use of Indian sprachbund 'speech union' vocabulary available from the comparative dictionary of 25+ Ancient languages of Bharat to match Indus Script hieroglyphs with the comon lexemes (with phonetic or Meluhha-mleccha-speech variants) of these languages -- matching rebus the pictographs and the wealth-resource terms such as metalwork or gem-jewellery identifier catalogues in the Ancient Indian tradition. See: Indian Lexicon, a comparative dictionary with 8000+ semantic clusters at
This also explains why a ratni is shown as a monkey dressed like a woman on Shalamaneser III Black Obelisk panel showing her as a tribute offered from Musri. Ratni 'monkey dressed as a woman' is rebus Meluhha (Indian sprachbund 'speech union'): ratni'jewels and treasure'. Thus, Indus Script explains why the monkey dressed as a woman is displayed as a tribute of jewels' treasure offered by Musri people to Shalamaneser III. This is a veritable Rosetta stone which validates Indus Script decipherment documented in 3 volumes of Epigraphia Indus Script -- Hieroglyphs and Meanings (2018) by S. Kalyanaraman.
Who are the belligerents in dāśarājñá war?
Belligerents are bhāratam janam. Bharata are the main group from whom the name is derived and identity proclaimed by R̥ṣi Viśvāmitra in RV 3.53.12: विश्वामित्रस्य रक्षति ब्रह्मेदम भारतं जनम (RV 3.53.12) His prayer, his brahma shall protect the Bharata nation.
I have suggested that the word bharata is derived from a semantic derivation of bharata as 'metalcaster folk'' from cognate etyma: भरती bharatī a Composed of the metal bharata. भरत bharata n A factitious metal compounded of copper, pewter, tin &c. भरताचें भांडें bharatācē mbhāṇḍēṃ n A vessel made of the metal भरत.
Thus, bhāratam janam signifies a grouping of metalworkers across an extensive area surrounding the Sarasvati River Basin. Their work is of fundamental importance in explaining the wealth created for the Rāṣṭram by metalworker guilds. Ancient India recorded 34% of World GDP in 1 CE thanks mainly to this Tin-Bronze Revolution.
pañcan पञ्चन् num. a. (Always pl., nom. and acc. पञ्च) Five. (As the first member of comp. पञ्चन् drops its final न्). [cf. Gr. pente.] -जनः 1 a man, man- kind. -2 N. of a demon who had assumed the form of a conch-shell, and was slain by Kṛiṣṇa; तस्मै प्रादाद्वरं पुत्रं मृतं पञ्चजनोदरात् Bhāg.3.3.2. -3 the soul. -4 the five classes of beings; i. e. gods, men, Gandharvas, serpents and pitṛis; यस्मिन् पञ्च पञ्चजना आकाशश्च प्रतिष्ठितः Bṛi. Up.4.4.17. -5 the four primary castes of the Hindus (ब्राह्मण, क्षत्रिय, वैश्य and शूद्र) with the Niṣādas or barbarians as the fifth (pl. in these two senses); (for a full exposition see Sārirabhāṣya on Br. Sūtras 1.4.11-13). (-नी) an assemblage of five persons. -जनीन a. devoted to the five races. (-नः) an actor, a mimic, buffoon, one who is devoted to the pentad viz. singer, musician,
dancer, harlot and a jester; गायकवादक- नर्तकदासीभण्डरतः खलु पञ्चजनीनः Bhāsāvritti on P.V.1.9.
pāñcajanyḥ पाञ्चजन्यः Kāśyapa, Vasiṣṭha, Prāṇa, Aṇgirasa, and Chya- vana.
pāñcāla पाञ्चाल a. (-ली f.) Belonging to or ruling over the Pañchālas. -लः 1 The country of the Pañchālas. -2 A prince of the Pañchālas. -लाः m. (pl.) 1 The people of the Pañchālas. -2 An association of five guilds (i e. of a carpenter, weaver, barber, washer- man, and shoe-maker). पाञ्चालक pāñcālaka पाञ्चालक a. Belonging to the people of the Pañchālas. -कः A king of that country.
Mleccha speech is spoken or dialectical form of Proto-Indian used by artisans and seafaring merchants among Bhāratam Janam (which included Proto-Ino-Aryan, Munda and Dravidian languages).
Janapada in the Indian epics or Bharata Khanda or Bharata Kṣetra.
(After Figure in AA Macdonell & AB Keith, 1912, Vedic Index of Names and Subjects, Vol.I, Delhi, Motilal Banarsidass,, p.1)
"The Shatapatha Brahmana suggests that Panchala was the later name of the Krivi tribe (who, according to Rigveda, lived on the bank of the Indus river). The later Vedic literature uses the term Panchala to describe the close associates of the Kurus. The Mahabharata sometimes mentions the Saranjayas as a tribe or a family among the Panchalas, sometimes uses the two terms as synonyms, although it also mentions the two separately at some places. The Mahabharata further mentions that the Panchala country was divided into two territories: the northern Panchala with its capital at Ahichchhatra, and the southern Panchala with its capital at Kampilya.According to the political scientist Sudama Misra, the name of the Panchala janapada suggests that it was a fusion of five (pancha) janas (tribes). H. C. Ray Chaudhuri theorized that these five clans were the Krivis, the Turvashas, the Keshins, the Srinjayas, and the Somakas. Each of these clans is known to be associated with one or more princes mentioned in the Vedic texts - the Krivis with Kravya Panchala, the Turvashas with Sona Satrasaha, the Keshins with Keshin Dalavya, the Srinjayas with Sahadeva Sarnjaya, and the Somakas with Somaka Sahadevya. The names of the last two clans, the Somakas and the Srinjayas, are also mentioned in the Mahabharata and the Puranas. King Drupada, whose daughter Draupadi was married into the Pandavas, belonged to the Somaka clan.[5] However, the Mahabharata and the Puranas consider the ruling clan of the northern Panchala as an offshoot of the Bharata clan and Divodasa, Sudas, Srinjaya, Somaka, and Drupada (also called Yajnasena) were the most notable rulers of this clan."(Sudama Misra 1973, Janapada State in Ancient India, Varanasi, Bharatiya Vidya Prakasanas, p. 14.; Oroon K. Ghosh (1976). The Changing Indian Civilization: A Perspective on India. Minerva.; Pargiter, F.E. (1972). Ancient Indian Historical Tradition, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, p.117; Raychaudhuri, H.C. (1972) Political History of Ancient India, Calcutta: University of Calcutta, pp.65-8.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panchala
List of Rgveda people
- Alina people (RV 7.18.7) - They were probably one of the tribes defeated by Sudas at the Dasarajna, and it has been suggested that they lived to the north-east of Nurestan, because much later, in the 7th century CE, the land was mentioned by the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang.
- Anu is a Vedic Sanskrit term for one of the 5 major tribes in the Rigveda, RV 1.108.8, RV 8.10.5 (both times listed together with the Druhyu) and, much later also in the Mahabharata. In the late Vedic period, one of the Anu kings, King Anga, is mentioned as a "chakravartin" (AB 8.22). Ānava, the vrddhi derivation of Anu, is the name of a ruler in the Rigvedic account of the Battle of the Ten Kings (7.18.13) and at 8.4.1 with the Turvaśa (tribe). The meaning ánu "living, human" (Naighantu) cannot be substantiated for the Rigveda and may have been derived from the tribal name.(Talageri, S. G. (2005). The Rigveda as a source of Indo-European history. The Indo-Aryan Controversy: Evidence and Inference in Indian History, 332; Mayrhofer, Etym. Dict. 1986, pt. 1, p. 74)
- Āyu (Bloomfield, M. (1899). The Myth of Purūravas, Urvaçī, and Âyu. Journal of the American Oriental Society, 20, 180-183.)
- Bhajeratha (Zimmer, S. (1986). On a special meaning of jána- in the Rgveda. Indo-Iranian Journal, 29(2), 109-115.)
- Bhalanas - The Bhalanas were one of the tribes that fought against Sudas in the Dasarajna battle. Some scholars have argued that the Bhalanas lived in Eastern Afghanistan Kabulistan, and that the Bolan Pass derives its name from the Bhalanas.
- Bharatas - The Bharatas are an Aryan tribe mentioned in the Rigveda, especially in Mandala 3 attributed to the Bharata sage Vishvamitra and in and Mandala 7.Bharatá is also used as a name of Agni (literally, "to be maintained", viz. the fire having to be kept alive by the care of men), and as a name of Rudra in RV 2.36.8. In one of the "river hymns" RV 3.33, the entire Bharata tribe is described as crossing over, with their chariots and wagons, at the confluence of the Vipash (Beas) and Shutudri (Satlej). Hymns by Vasistha in Mandala 7 (7.18 etc.) mention the Bharatas as the protagonists in the Battle of the Ten Kings, where they are on the winning side. They appear to have been successful in the early power-struggles between the various Aryan and non-Aryan tribes so that they continue to dominate in post-Rigvedic texts, and later in the (Epic) tradition, the Mahābhārata, the eponymous ancestor becomes Bharata Chakravartin, conqueror of 'all of India', and his tribe and kingdom is called Bhārata. "Bhārata" today is the official name of the Republic of India (see also Etymology of India).(Frawley, D. (2001). The Rig Veda and the History of India: Rig Veda Bharata Itihasa. Aditya Prakashan.)
- Bhrigus (Weller, H. (1937). WHO WERE THE BHRIGUIDS?. Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, 18(3), 296-302.)
- Chedi (Malviya, C. (2011), The roots of democracy in Indian Culture, cultural identity, 287.)
- Dasa (dāsa,'servant')(Sircar, D. C. (1974). The Dasa–Dasyu in the Rigveda. Some problems of Indian history and culture.)
- Dasyu (Iranian: Dahyu, mentioned in Latin as: Dahae, in Greek as: Daai)
- Dṛbhīka (Geiger, W., & Sanjana, D. D. P. (1885). Civilization of the Eastern Irānians in Ancient Times: Ethnography and social life (Vol. 1). Henry Frowde.)
- Druhyus - The Druhyu were a people of Vedic India. They are mentioned in the Rigveda,(e.g., RV 1.108.8; 7.18; 8.10.5; 6.46.8) usually together with the Anu tribe.Some early scholars have placed them in the northwestern region.The later texts, the Epic and the Puranas, locate them in the "north", that is, in Gandhara, Aratta and Setu. (Vishnu Purana IV.17) The Druhyus (under Angara) were driven out of the land of the seven rivers by King Mandhatri of the Ikshvaku dynasty. Their next king, Gandhara, settled in a north-western region which became known as Gandhāra. The sons of the later Druhyu king Pracetas too settle in the "northern" (udīcya) region (Bhagavata 9.23.15-16; Viśnu 4.17.5; Vayu 99.11-12; Brahmanda 3.74.11-12 and Matsya 48.9.). Recently, some writers have ahistorically asserted that the Druhyu are the ancestors of the Iranian, Greek or European peoples, or of the Celtic Druid class. The word Druid (Gallic Celtic druides), however, may be derived from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- "to see, to know' and the Druids themselves were related to the European branch of the Ikshvaku dynasty (Iakšaku, Jakšić). It has also been alleged that the Rg Veda and the Puranas describe this tribe as migrating North. Puranas do not refer to Druhyus after the King Pracetas whose 100 sons settled in the region north of Afghanistan (udīcya) and became Mlecchas.(Bhagavata 9.23.15–16; Viśnu 4.17.5; Vayu 99.11–12; Brahmanda 3.74.11–12 and Matsya 48.9.). Vishnu Purana also lists Aratta and Setu as areas where Druhyus settled.(Vishnu Purana IV.17). The Druhyus are of mixed origin of old Indo-European natives and Arab invaders and are contestors of the new Indo-European Aryan supremacy.
- Gandhari (Warraich, MTA, Gandhara an appraisal of its meaning and history)
- Guṅgu (Grassmann, H. (Ed.). (1876). Rig-veda (Vol. 1). FA Brockhaus.)
- Ikshvakudynasty (Pincott, F. ART. XIX.—The First Mandala of the Rig-Veda. By. Journal of the Boy. Asiat. Son, 16(Part II).)
- Krivi (Pike, A. (1992). Indo-Aryan Deities and Worship as Contained in the Rig-Veda. Kessinger Pub.)
- Kīkaṭa
- Kuru
- Mahīna (Perry, E. D. (1885). Indra in the Rig-Veda. Journal of the American Oriental Society, 11, 117-208.)
- Malankhara
- Maujavant
- Matsya
- Nahuṣa
- Paktha.(History of Buddhism in Afghanistan By Sī. Esa Upāsaka, Kendrīya-Tibbatī-Ucca-Śikṣā-Saṃsthānam Published by Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, 1990 Original from the University of California Page 78)
- Panis, probably Iranian Parni, descendants of Indo-Europeans (Scythians) and Punis (Punics) penetrating South Asia as merchants.(Srimati Akshaya Kumari Devi (1942). Bibliographical Dictionary of Puranic Personages (PDF). Vijaya Krishna Brothers.)
- Pārāvata
- Parsu (Parśu) - The Parsus have been connected with the Persians This is based on the evidence of an Assyrian inscription from 844 BC referring to the Persians as Parshu, and the Behistun Inscription of Darius I of Persia referring to Parsa as the home of the Persians.(Radhakumud Mookerji (1988). Chandragupta Maurya and His Times (p. 23). Motilal Banarsidass Publ.)
- Puru (Pūru)
- Ruśama
- Sārasvata
- Srñjaya
- Tritsu The Tritsus are a sub-group of the Puru who are distinct from the Bharatas mentioned in Mandala 7 of the Rigveda (in hymns 18, 33 and 83). Under king Sudas they defeated the confederation of ten kings with the help of the Bharatas at the Battle of the Ten Kings.
- Turvasa (Turvaśa)
- Yadu
Indian Sociology Through Ghurye: A Dictionary, Popular Prakashan, p. 163; F. Le Roux & C.-J.Guyonvarc'h,Les Druides, Paris 1982: 37; Bryant, Edwin (2001), The Quest forthe Origins of Vedic Culture:The
Among the tribes termed Mlechcha were Sakas, Hunas, Yavanas, Kambojas,
Indo-Aryan Migration Debate: The Indo-Aryan Migration Debate, Oxford University Press, p. 138; Srimati Akshaya Kumari Devi (1942). Bibliographical Dictionary of Puranic Personages(PDF). Vijaya Krishna Brothers.)]
A note on Druhyu
"Druhyu was very hurtful in nature as in Sanskrit Vyakaranam says "द्रुह्यति" means "Hurt". He was the first Mleccha King who proposed a culture which is devoid of Vedas. His descendants were Gandharas and Mlecchas etc., who were always do things which is against dharma, in this dynasty Shakuni was born. During Lord Rama's reign, there was a war between Bharata and King Nagnajit(1) of Gandhara in which Nagnajit(1) was defeated. Taksha became the king of Takshasila (Present Taxila) and Pushkara became the ruler of Purushapura (Present Peshawar). After Ikshvaku Dynasty's reign, during Dwapara Yuga it came under the control of Nagnajit(2) of Druhyu's dynasty. Nagnajit(2) was the grandfather of Shakuni and Gandhari and father of King Subala.
- Druhyu
- Babhru
- Setu
- Aurruva
- Angara
- Arabdha (By this King's name the country was called Arabia) (Contemporary to Suryavanshi King Mandhatri)
- Gandhara was the founder of Gandhara Kingdom
- Dharma
- Dhrta
- Durmada
- Pracheta
- Prāchetas (100 sons of Pracheta)." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turvasu_Druhyu_and_Anu_Dynasties
Pahlavas, Bahlikas and Rishikas.The Amarakosha described the Kiratas, Khasas and Pulindas as the Mleccha-jatis. Indo-Greeks, Scythians,and Kushanas were also mlecchas.(National geographer, 1977, p 60, Allahabad Geographical Society – History; Subramoniam, Vadasery Iyemperumal (1995). Language Multiplicity and Ancient Races in India. )
Kirata in the Yajurveda (Shukla XXX.16; Krisha III.4,12,1), and in the Atharvaveda (X.4,14). According to Suniti Kumar Chatterji, the name Kirata seems to be used for any non-Aryan aboriginal hill-folk, however Manu's Dharmashastra (X.44) calls them "degraded Kshatriyas", which Chatterji infers to be a term for people who were advanced in military or civilization to some degree and not complete barbarians. It is speculated that the term is a Sanskritization of a Tibeto-Burman tribal name, like that of Kirant or Kiranti of eastern Nepal. "Khas people (Nepali: खस) also called Khas Arya (Nepali: खस आर्य) are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group native to South Asia, what is now present-day Nepal as well as Kumaon, Garhwal and Himachal
regions of North India. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khas_people
"The Pulindas (Sanskrit: पुलिंद) were an ancient tribe of India, likely resident in the environs of the Vindhya Range of Central India.The Rock Edicts of Ashoka (269 BCE - 231 BCE) mention the Pulindas, their capital Pulinda-nagara, and their neighboring tribes, based on which their capital is sometimes located in present-day Jabalpur District of Madhya Pradesh state. Basak identifies them with the hill tribes of the Vindhya and Satpura ranges, more specifically the Bhils. Though debated, it has been hypothesized that Pulinda may have been the word from which modern-day Bundelkhand derives its name. At the time of Alexander the great and the empire of the Maurya king Chandragupta, the word Pulindas was also sometimes used as a name for the Greeks in general."
"The Vayu, Matsya and Brahmanda Puranas state that the seven Himalayan rivers pass through mleccha countries...Pali, the older Prakrit used by Theravada Buddhism, uses the term milakkha. It also employs milakkhu, a borrowing from a Dramatic Prakrit.The term Mencha, probably a tadbhava, was also used by the medieval Marathi saint Samarth Ramdas."(Sharma, Tej Ram (1978). Personal and Geographical Names in the Gupta Inscriptions. Concept Publishing Company; Savant, Arvind (2011). Discovery of God. Xlibris Corporation, p.83).
Meluhha mentioned in cuneiform texts and Mleccha in ancient Indian texts are cognate terms. (Parpola, Asko; Parpola, Simo (1975), "On the relationship of the Sumerian toponym Meluhha and Sanskrit mleccha", Studia Orientalia, 46: 205–238)
If Gāndhāra, Pārśu, are Badakshan, Gonur; is Araṭṭa Lāṭa, Gujarat or Shahr-i-Soktha, of Jiroft culture? There is evidence for the use of Indus Script in Shahr-i-Soktha attested by a pottery vessel with Indus Script hypertext. Yousef Majidzadeh (1976) disagrees with the identification of Shahr-i-Soktha as Araṭṭa.
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
See: DT Potts https://www.academia.edu/1901531/Potts_2004_Exit_Aratta
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
See: DT Potts https://www.academia.edu/1901531/Potts_2004_Exit_Aratta
I suggest that araṭṭa, is 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.
The evidence attested in Baudhāyana-Śrautasūtra indicates that the westward migration of people from Kurukshetra Sarasvati-Sindhu civilization region was towards raṭṭha, gujrāṭ, exemplified by a number of archaeological settlements inluding fortified settlement of Dholavira.
This is discussed in 3 sections:
Shahr-i-Soktha Indus Script hypertext evidence
R̥gveda evidence of Rāṣṭrī (feminine), meaning 'nation'
Baudhāyana-Śrautasūtra evidence of westward migrations
The word araṭṭa is attested in Baudhāyana-Śrautasūtra (BŚS 18.44) in the expression: gāndhārayas pārśavo raṭṭa, i.e. Gāndhāra, Pārśu, Araṭṭa. According to this text, these are names of three regions west of Sarasvati-Sindhu civilization area to which migrations occurred west of Kurukshetra region. The same text also refers to eastward migrations of people called Kuru-Pancalas and Kasi-Videhas.
Shahr-i-Soktha Indus Script hypertext evidence
The rotation of the bowl results in an animation of the markhor jumpting uptowards the tre branch.
Reproduction of drawing on a pottery vessel found in Shahr-e Sookhteh. This reveals a remarkable animation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahr-e_Sukhteh#/media/File:Vase_animation.gif
Animation of drawing on a pottery vessel found in Shahr-e Sookhteh, now in the National Museum of Iran.Reproduction of drawing on a pottery vessel found in Shahr-i Sokhta, Iran. Late half of 3rd Millennium B.C. In five pictures a goat steps toward a tree, climbs it up, eats leaves and comes down. This picture is one of earliest examples of artist's attempt to show motion in means of animation. Indus Script hypertext: kuṭi 'tree' rebus kuṭhi 'smelter' meḍho a ram, a sheep (
Hansman had suggested that Araṭṭa may be Shahr-i-Soktha. (Iran 10 (1973): 118, n.97).In a subsequent article, he reiterates this suggestion after a review of Sumerian texts. (The Question of Aratta J. F. Hansman Journal of Near Eastern Studies Vol. 37, No. 4 (Oct., 1978), pp. 331-336). Shahr-i-Soktha settlement appeared around 3200 BCE. The city had four stages of civilization and was burnt down three times before being abandoned in 1800 BCE.
Shahr-i-Soktha, also spelled Shahr-e Sūkhté (Persian: شهرِ سوخته, meaning "[The] Burnt City"),Shahr-e Sukhteh and Shahr-i Shōkhta,
Location of Shahr-i-Soktha on the western border of Sarasvati-Sindhu Civilization (proximate to Gujarat). Lāṭa is a historical region of India, located in the southern part of the present-day Gujarat state. "Ptolemy mentions that the delta of the river Mophis (identified with Mahi) and Barygaza (Bharuch) were located in Larike. Vatsayayana in his Kama Sutra of the third century calls it Láṭa; describes it as situated to the west of Malwa; and gives an account of several of the customs of its people."https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lata_(region)R̥gveda evidence of Rāṣṭrī (feminine), meaning 'nation'
This region may signify Araṭṭa. The people of Lāṭa are Gurjara-s. The word Lāṭa is derived from rāṣṭra. Gurjara are from *gurjararāṣṭra ʻ kingdom of the Gurjaras ʼ. [gur- jará -- , rāṣṭrá -- ] B. gujrāṭ.(CDIAL 4213) rāṣṭrá is a word attested in R̥gveda as Rāṣṭrī (feminine), meaning 'nation':
rāṣṭrá n. ʻ kingdom, country ʼ RV., ʻ people ʼ Mn. [√rāj 2 ] Pa. Pk. raṭṭha -- n. ʻ kingdom, country ʼ; Ku. rāṭh ʻ faction, clan, separate division of a joint -- family group ʼ; Si. raṭa ʻ country, district ʼ, Md. ra ʼ (abl. rařuṅ). -- See rāḍhā -- .rāṣṭrín -- ; rāṣṭrakūṭa -- , rāṣṭravāsin -- ; *aparāṣṭra -- , *gurjararāṣṭra -- , *madrarāṣṭra -- , mahārāṣṭra -- , súrāṣṭra -- .Addenda: rāṣṭrá -- : Md. rař ʻ island ʼ, verirař ʻ capital ʼ (veri -- < †*uparika -- ).rāṣṭrakūṭa m. ʻ name of a people ʼ inscr. (orig. or by pop. etym. ʻ head of the kingdom ʼ). [rāṣṭrá -- , kūṭa -- 4 ] S. rāṭhoṛu m. ʻ a caste of Rajputs, bold hardy man ʼ; H. rāṭhaur m. ʻ a tribe of Rajputs (a caste name) ʼ, G. rāṭhɔṛ m. -- Poss. hypochoristic in L. rāṭh m. ʻ title of Jats, Gujjars, and Ḍogras, cruel hardhearted man ʼ; P. rāṭhm. ʻ gentleman, noble -- hearted fellow ʼ rather than < rāṣṭrín -- . -- See Add. rāṣṭravāsin m. ʻ inhabitant, subject ʼ lex. [rāṣṭrá -- , vāsin -- ]Pa. raṭṭhavāsin -- m. ʻ subject ʼ; -- Si. raṭaväsiyā (EGS 144 ← Pa.Addenda: rāṣṭravāsin -- : Md. rařvehi ʻ native, non -- Male, civilized ʼ.rāṣṭrín ʻ possessing a kingdom ʼ ŚBr., rāṣṭrika -- m. ʻ governor ʼ Hariv. [rāṣṭrá -- ]Pa. raṭṭhika -- m. ʻ governor ʼ, Pk. raṭṭhiya -- m., OSi. raṭiya. -- L. P. rāṭh see rāṣṭrakūṭa -- .(CDIAL 10721 to 10724)
RV 10.125
Aham rudrebhir vasubhis charamyaham adityair uta visvadevaih
Aham mitra varunobha bibharmyaham indragnee aham asvinobha. [1]
I move with the Rudras and also with the Vasus, I wander with the Adityas and the Vishwadevas. I hold aloft both Mitra and Varuna, and also Indra and Agni and the twin Ashvins.
Aham somam ahanasam bibharmi aham tvashtaram uta pushanam bhagam
Aham dadhami dravinam havishmate supravye yajamanaya sunvate. [2]
Aham mitra varunobha bibharmyaham indragnee aham asvinobha. [1]
I move with the Rudras and also with the Vasus, I wander with the Adityas and the Vishwadevas. I hold aloft both Mitra and Varuna, and also Indra and Agni and the twin Ashvins.
Aham somam ahanasam bibharmi aham tvashtaram uta pushanam bhagam
Aham dadhami dravinam havishmate supravye yajamanaya sunvate. [2]
I uphold Soma the exuberant; I uphold Tvasta, Pushan, and Bhaga. I endow with wealth the offerer of oblation, the worshipper and the pious presser of the Soma.
Aham rashtri sangamani vasunam chikitushee prathama yajniyanam
Tam ma deva vyadadhuh puritra bhuristhatram bhooryavesayantim. [3]
I am the ruling Queen, the amasser of treasures, full of wisdom, first of those who are worthy of worship. That me the Gods have installed in many places, with many homes to enter and abide in.
Maya so annamatti yo vipasyati yah praniti ya i srnotyuktam
Amantavo mam ta upa kshiyanti srudhi sruta sraddhivam te vadami. [4]
Through me alone all eat the food that helps them see, breathe and hear the spoken word. He is not aware of me, yet he dwells in me alone. Listen, you who know! For, the words I speak to you deserve your trust.
Ahameva svayam idam vadami jushtam devebhir uta manushebhih
Yam kamaye tam tam ugram krnomi tam brahmanam tam rshim tam sumedham [5]
It is I who announces the tidings that the gods and men alike rejoice to hear. The man I love, I make mighty in strength. I make him a priest, a sage, or a learned scholar, as I please.
Aham rudraya dhanura tanomi brahmadvishe sarave hantava u
Aham janaya samadam krnomi aham dyava prthivee a vivesa. [6]
I bend the bow for Rudra that his arrow may slay the hater of the words of sacred wisdom. I rouse the people, and make them strive. I have entered the Earth and Heaven, filling everything.
Aham suve pitaram asya murdhan mama yonir apsu antah samudre
Tato vi tishthe bhuvananu visvotamum dyam varshmanopa sprsami [7]
Aham rashtri sangamani vasunam chikitushee prathama yajniyanam
Tam ma deva vyadadhuh puritra bhuristhatram bhooryavesayantim. [3]
I am the ruling Queen, the amasser of treasures, full of wisdom, first of those who are worthy of worship. That me the Gods have installed in many places, with many homes to enter and abide in.
Maya so annamatti yo vipasyati yah praniti ya i srnotyuktam
Amantavo mam ta upa kshiyanti srudhi sruta sraddhivam te vadami. [4]
Through me alone all eat the food that helps them see, breathe and hear the spoken word. He is not aware of me, yet he dwells in me alone. Listen, you who know! For, the words I speak to you deserve your trust.
Ahameva svayam idam vadami jushtam devebhir uta manushebhih
Yam kamaye tam tam ugram krnomi tam brahmanam tam rshim tam sumedham [5]
It is I who announces the tidings that the gods and men alike rejoice to hear. The man I love, I make mighty in strength. I make him a priest, a sage, or a learned scholar, as I please.
Aham rudraya dhanura tanomi brahmadvishe sarave hantava u
Aham janaya samadam krnomi aham dyava prthivee a vivesa. [6]
I bend the bow for Rudra that his arrow may slay the hater of the words of sacred wisdom. I rouse the people, and make them strive. I have entered the Earth and Heaven, filling everything.
Aham suve pitaram asya murdhan mama yonir apsu antah samudre
Tato vi tishthe bhuvananu visvotamum dyam varshmanopa sprsami [7]
I give birth to the creator in the heavens atop the world and my own origin is deep in the ocean, in the cosmic waters. From there I permeate all existing worlds, and even touch yonder heavens with my forehead.
Ahameva vata iva pra vami arabhamana bhuvanani vishva
Paro diva para ena prthivi etavati mahina sam babhuva [8]
It is my breath that blows as the mighty wind, while I hold together all the worlds.
Beyond the heavens and above the earth I tower, such am I in my might and splendour.
Ahameva vata iva pra vami arabhamana bhuvanani vishva
Paro diva para ena prthivi etavati mahina sam babhuva [8]
It is my breath that blows as the mighty wind, while I hold together all the worlds.
Beyond the heavens and above the earth I tower, such am I in my might and splendour.
Baudhāyana-Śrautasūtra evidence of westward migrations
Hansman has not reviewed a reference which occurs in Baudhāyana-Śrautasūtra, an ancient Veda text.
Baudhāyana-Śrautasūtra refers to migrations to Gāndhāra, Parśu and Araṭṭa (raṭṭha, gujrāṭ).
etad āyavam. Pratyan amāvasus tasyaite gāndhārayas pārśavo raṭṭa ity, etad amāvasyavam (BŚS 18.44: 397.9 sqq.)
Translation: Ayu migrated eastwards. His (people) are the Kuru-Pancalas and the Kasi-Videhas. This is the Ayava (migration). Amāvasu migrated westwards. His (people) are the Gāndhāra, Parśu and Araṭṭa. This is the Amāvasu (migration).
Parśu is attested in RV 8.6.46. Thus, pārśava may signify parsa, ‘Persian’.
Gāndhāra is Bāhika (SB 1.7.8.3, MBh 8.2030).
If Gāndhāra is Badakshan (Afghanistan), Parśu is Gonur (Bactria-Margiana region) what is location of Araṭṭa?
"According to the correct translation, there was no movement of the Aryan people from anywhere in the north-west. On the other hand, the evidence indicates that it was from an intermediary point that some of the Aryan tribes went eastwards and other westwards.
Migrations are attested in Baudhāyana-Śrautasūtra Chapter XVIII.44 contains an important reference attesting to the migrations of two groups of people away from Kurukshetra region (Sarasvati River basin).
This would be clear from the map provided by BB Lal (2009).
Land travelers must pass through Susa and the mountainous Anshan region to reach it. The location ofAnshan is unclear: [quote] Other speculations referred to the early gem trade route, the "Great Khorasan Road" from the Himalayan Mountains to Mesopotamia, which ran through northern Iran. Anshan, which had not yet been located then, was assumed to be in the central Zagros mountain range. However, when Anshan was identified as Tall-i Malyan in 1973, it was found to be 600 km south-east of Uruk, far removed from any northerly routes or watercourses from Uruk, and posing the logistical improbability of getting a 27th-century BC Sumerian army through 550 km of Elamite territory to wage war with Aratta. Nevertheless, there have been speculations referring to eastern Iran as well. Dr. Yousef Majidzadeh believes the Jiroft Civilization could be Aratta. By 1973, archaeologists were noting that there was no archaeological record of Aratta's existence outside of myth, and in 1978 Hansman cautions against over-speculation.Writers in other fields have continued to hypothesize Aratta locations. A "possible reflex" has been suggested in Sanskrit Āraṭṭa or Arāṭṭa mentioned in the Mahabharata and other texts; Alternatively, the name is compared with the toponym Ararat or Urartu.[unquote]
Does Araṭṭa in Sumerian texts refer to Arachosia? Arachosia is north of Chagai Hills which produce lapis lazuli, comparable to Badakshan, north of Hindukush famed for lapis lazuli.
Bāhika variant is Vāhika mentioned together with Araṭṭa in MBh.
| Mbh.8.44.2393 | The Aratta-Vahikas that are steeped in ignorance, should be avoided' |
| Mbh.8.44.2396 | There where the five rivers flow just after issuing from the mountains, there among the Aratta-Vahikas, no respectable person should dwell even for two days. |
| Mbh.6.86.4544 | Disregarding those arrows, the impetuous Vrikodara, with heart filled with rage, slew in that battle all the steeds, born in Aratta, of the king of the Sindhus. |
| Mbh.6.91.4754 | And smiling the while, several warriors on thy side, with a large number of steeds consisting of the best of the Kamvoja breed as also of those born in the country of the Rivers, and of those belonging to Aratta and Mahi and Sindhu, and of those of Vanayualso that were white in hue, and lastly those of hilly countries, surrounded the Pandavaarmy |
| Mbh.7.23.1157 | Mighty steeds of gigantic size, of the Aratta breed, bore the mighty-armed Vrihanta of red eyes mounted on his golden car, that prince, viz, who, rejecting the opinions of all the Bharatas, hath singly, from his reverence for Yudhishthira. |
| Mbh.7.191.10590 | Kritavarman, O king, also fled away, borne by his swift steeds, and surrounded by the remnant of his Bhoja, Kalinga, Aratta, and Valhika troops. |
| Mbh.8.45.2428 | In former days a chaste woman was abducted by robbers hailing from Aratta. |
1-24City, majestic bull bearing vigour and great awesome splendour, Kulaba, ......, breast of the storm, where destiny is determined; Unug, great mountain, in the midst of ....... There the evening meal of the great abode of An was set. In those days of yore, when the destinies were determined, the great princes allowed Unug Kulaba's E-ana to lift its head high. Plenty, and carp floods, and the rain which brings forth dappled barley were then increased in Unug Kulaba. Before the land of Dilmun yet existed, the E-ana of Unug Kulaba was well founded, and the holy jipar of Inana in brick-built Kulaba shone forth like the silver in the lode. Before ...... carried ......, before ......, before ...... carried ......, before the commerce was practiced; before gold, silver, copper, tin, blocks of lapis lazuli, and mountain stones were brought down together from their mountains, before ...... bathed for the festival, ......, ...... time passed.
See: "Araṭṭa became a epithet for "abundance" and "glory"." (Cohen, Sol (1973). "Enmerkar and the lord of Aratta", Ph.D. dissertation, University of Pennsylvania: p.55) https://search.proquest.com/docview/302716331/fulltextPDF Cohen also adds:"it is indeed strange that the name of such an important trade center should as yet remain unknown to us from any economic, administrative or other non-literary texts from the Ur III or Old Babylonian period". (ibid., p.61) Various hypotheses are posited about the location of Araṭṭa. On this issue, Hansman's advice for caution is apposite: "In the case of Aratta, where no inscriptions or texts are currently available to favor any one site, the mechanics of identification depend largely on inductive inquiry. At best such methods provide indications from which a location may be postulated as being reasonable or possible. But one cannot assume too much, for then the hypothesis becomes subjective rather than objective." Hansman, John F. (1978). "The Question of Aratta". Journal of Near Eastern Studies. 37 (4): 331–33). Other mentions in Sumerian literature · Praise Poem of Shulgi (Shulgi Y): "I filled it with treasures like those of holy Aratta." · Shulgi and Ninlil's barge "Aratta, full-laden with treasures" · Proverbs : "When the authorities are wise, and the poor are loyal, it is the effect of the blessing of Aratta." · Unprovenanced Proverbs : "When the authorities are wise, and the poor are passed by, it is the effect of the blessing of Aratta." · Hymn to Hendursanga (Hendursanga A) "So that Aratta will be overwhelmed (?), Lugalbanda stands by at your Hendursanga's) behest." · Hymn to Nisaba (Nisaba A): "In Aratta he (Enki?) has placed E-zagin (the lapis lazuli temple) at her (Nisaba's) disposal." · The building of Ninngirsu's temple (Gudea cylinder): "pure like Kesh and Aratta" · Tigi to Suen (Nanna I): "the shrine of my heart which I (Nanna) have founded in joy like Aratta" · Inana and Ibeh : "the inaccessible mountain range Aratta" · Gilgamesh and Huwawa (Version B): "they know the way even to Aratta" · Temple Hymns : Aratta is "respected" · The Kesh Temple Hymn : Aratta is"important" · Lament for Ur: Aratta is "weighty (counsel)" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aratta The Question of Aratta J. F. Hansman Journal of Near Eastern Studies Vol. 37, No. 4 (Oct., 1978), pp. 331-336 http://www.jstor.org/stable/544047      |