Digital Library for Epigraphia Indus Script
-- Involving the children of the world to test the decipherment of Indus Script Corpora of over 8000 inscriptions as wealth-accounting ledgers
Objectives:
Objective A. To present a challenge to children of the world to identify words and their homonyms from Indian sprachbund, 'language union' or Linguistic Area.
Objective B.To present an App on mobile phones and online access to over 50,000 words – in the scripts of ancient Indian languages, e.g., Samskrtam, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, Oriya – which explain the hieroglyphs of Indus Script and rebus or similar sounding homonyms of words which explain wealth-creating resources and activities of an ancient civilization. Note: the choice of words from language lexicons and comparative dictionaries is ONLY related to hieroglyphs or pictographs of Indus Script; the pictographs are used in Field Symbols and also on Text messages with pictographs called ‘signs’.
Objective C. To present audio sounds of the words of ancient Indian languages which have yielded the decipherment. These languages constitute an Indian Linguistic Area or sprachbund, ‘language union’. Due to the variegated nature of same semantics of a word with varied pronunciations, the language family is called parole, spoken form of ancient Indian language or sprachbund is called Meluhha cognate mleccha (according to Vatsyayana who uses mlecchita vikalpa as one of the 64 arts taught to youth). This pronunciation pattern by the people of Sarasvati Civilization is called Meluhha by Akkadian speakers of Ancient Near East, as shown on Shu-ilishu cylinder seal rendered in a bilingual inscription. The field symbols are in Indus language; the inscription is in cuneiform script of Akkadian. The cuneiform text reads:
Shu-Ilishu EME.BAL.ME.LUH.HA.KI (interpreter of Meluhha language). The field symbols are read on the following basis.The Shu-ilishu cylinder seal is a clear evidence of the Meluhhan merchants trading in copper and tin, signified by the field symbols vividly portrayed on the cylinder seal. The Meluhha merchant carries melh, mr̤eka 'goat or antelope' rebus: milakkhu 'copper' and the lady accompanying the Meluhhan carries a ranku 'liquid measure' rebus: ranku 'tin'; On the field is shown a crucbile: kuṭhāru 'crucible' rebus: kuṭhāru 'armourer' (the Akkadian merchant on whose lap sits the Meluhha interpreter, Shu-ilishu).
Thus, the cylinder seal signifies a trade transaction between a Mesopotamian armourer (Akkadian speaker) and Meluhhans settling a trade contract for their copper and tin. The transaction is mediated by Shu-ilishu, the Akkadian interpreter of Meluhha language.
1. Over 1600 monographs are available on pdf format describing over 8000 Indus Script inscriptions.
2. https://independent.academia.edu/SriniKalyanaramanDigitized pdf form of the following four volumes (amazon.com) are also available.
3. Indian Lexicon – comparative dictionary of over 8000 semantic clusters in 25+ Ancient Languages of India https://www.academia.edu/37229973/Indian_Lexicon_--Comparative_dictionary_of_over_8000_semantic_clusters_in_25_ancient_Bharatiya_languagesThis is complemented by online resources of language lexicons of Bharatiya languages:
4. Turner, R. L. (Ralph Lilley), Sir. A comparative dictionary of Indo-Aryan languages. London: Oxford University Press, 1962-1966. Includes three supplements, published 1969-1985. https://dsalsrv04.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/soas/
5. Burrow, T., and M. B. Emeneau. A Dravidian etymological dictionary. 2nd ed. Oxford [Oxfordshire]: Clarendon Press, 1984. https://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/burrow/
6. David Stampe Works on Munda etyma, Computational linguistics; phonology and prosody; holistic typography and drift; Munda languages.
7. Apte, Vaman Shivaram. Revised and enlarged edition of Prin. V. S. Apte's The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary. Poona: Prasad Prakashan, 1957-1959. 3v.
8. Macdonell, Arthur Anthony. A practical Sanskrit dictionary with transliteration, accentuation, and etymological analysis throughout. London: Oxford University Press, 1929
9. Molesworth, J. T. (James Thomas). A dictionary, Marathi and English. 2d ed., rev. and enl. Bombay: Printed for government at the Bombay Education Society's press, 1857.
10. University of Madras. Tamil lexicon. [Madras], University of Madras, 1924-1936.
Brown, Charles Philip. A Telugu-English dictionary. New ed., thoroughly rev. and brought up to date ... 2nd ed. Madras: Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903.
11. Praharaj, G.C. Purnnacandra Odia Bhashakosha. Cuttack: Utkal Sahitya Press, 1931-1940. https://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/praharaj/
The decipherment of the Epigraphia Indus Script is presented in two segments:
1. Decipherment of Field Symbols (e.g. pictures of one-horned young bull (so-called ‘unicorn’), tiger, rhinoceros, buffalo, standard device mostly in front of the ‘unicorn’ etc.
2. Decipherment of Text messages (composed of hieroglyphs or pictographs) (e.g. rim-of-jar, rimless pot, svastika etc.
3. khaṇḍa kanka 'pot, rim'![]()
Daimabad seal.![]()
(Santali) कर्णकm. (ifc. f(आ).) a prominence or handle or projection on the side or sides (of a vessel &c ) , a tendril (शतपथ-ब्राह्मण, कात्यायन-श्रौत-सूत्र)
Daimabad seal.
(Santali) कर्णकm. (ifc. f(आ).) a prominence or handle or projection on the side or sides (of a vessel &c ) , a tendril (शतपथ-ब्राह्मण, कात्यायन-श्रौत-सूत्र)4. कर्ण kárna â, î) ear; handle; rudder; N. of several men, esp. of a son of Kuntî; a. having ears or handles; long-eared (also á) (Macdonell)
5. कर्णिन्् karn-ín having ears; barbed; m. helmsman (Macdonell)
7. कर्णिकm. a steersman
कारणी or कारणीक kāraṇī or kāraṇīka a (कारण S) That causes, conducts, carries on, manages. Applied to the prime minister of a state, the supercargo of a ship &c. (Marathi)
Rebus: karuṇīkaṉ கருணீகன் karuṇīkaṉ , n. < id. 1. Village accountant; கிராமக்கணக்கன். கடுகையொருமலையாகக் . . . காட்டுவோன்கருணீகனாம் (அறப். சத. 86). 2. A South Indian caste of accountants; கணக்குவேலைபார்க்கும்ஒருசாதி.
కరణము karaṇamu. [Skt.] n. A village clerk, a writer, an accountant. వాడుకూతకరణముగానివ్రాతకరణముకాడు he has talents for speaking but not for writing. స్థలకరణము the registrar of a district. కరణము n. Instrument, means.
8. खोंड khōṇḍa 'young bull', 'holcus sorghum', 3) khōṇḍa 'sack, pannier' Rebus: konda 'furnace', kunda ‘fine gold’ PLUS karba 'stalk of millet' (holcus sorghum) rebus: karba 'iron'.kunda 'fine gold' singi 'horned' rebus: singi 'ornament gold'.
"The figure in the middle of the top register is the king, drawn larger than the other men to signify his greater importance. He holds a battle ensign featuring a bull statuette. The king’s soldiers are lined up behind him, and in front of him are more soldiers and a few prisoners. The bottom register is a confusing array of soldiers, prisoners, a chariot, and a clay pot (!?). The standard was found in the temple of Ishtar, in pieces scattered on the floor, which would account for the arbitrary arrangement of the figures...It's very possible that the Standard of Mari is not just a decorative mosaic panel, as is commonly supposed, but an actual royal standard like Standard of Ur, the kind carried aloft during processions of the king " http://sumerianshakespeare.com/312101/
One-horned young bull held up on a flagstaff of holcus sorghum with rein-rings by a priest at Mari.
Hieroglyph 1: rein: káśā f. ʻ whip ʼ RV., ʻ rein ʼ Śiś., ʻ string ʼ lex., kaśa -- m. ʻ whip, thong ʼ MBh. (CDIAL 2965) Hieroglyph 2: millet: Pa. Pk. kāsa -- m.; Kt. kāċɔ ʻ millet ʼ(CDIAL 3113) Rebus: kañcu = bronze (Telugu) bell-metal. 1. Pa. kaṁsa -- m. (?) ʻ bronze ʼ, Pk. kaṁsa -- , kāsa -- n. ʻ bell -- metal, drinking vessel, cymbal ʼ; L. (Jukes) kã̄jā adj. ʻ of metal ʼ, awāṇ. kāsā ʻ jar ʼ (← E with -- s -- , not ñj); N. kã̄so ʻ bronze, pewter, white metal ʼ, kas -- kuṭ ʻ metal alloy ʼ; A. kã̄h ʻ bell -- metal ʼ, B. kã̄sā, Or. kãsā, Bi. kã̄sā; Bhoj. kã̄s ʻ bell -- metal ʼ, kã̄sā ʻ base metal ʼ; H. kās, kã̄sā m. ʻ bell -- metal ʼ, G. kã̄sũ n., M. kã̄sẽ n.; Ko. kã̄śẽ n. ʻ bronze ʼ; Si. kasa ʻ bell -- metal ʼ.2. L. kã̄ihã̄ m. ʻ bell -- metal ʼ, P. kã̄ssī, kã̄sī f., H. kã̄sī f.(CDIAL 2987). Thus, this is a proclamation – in a victory procession -- of metallurgical innovation of an alloy called bell-metal.
(Santali) शृङ्गिन् śṛṅgin शृङ्गिन् a. (-णी f.) [शृङ्गमस्त्यस्यइनि] 1 Horned. –(Apte) Rebus: शृङ्गी śṛṅgī शृङ्गी 1 Gold used for ornaments. कुन्दone of कुबेर's nine treasures (N. of a गुह्यक -- Demetrius Galanos's Lexiko: sanskritikes, anglikes, hellenikes )
குந்தனம் kuntaṉam , n. < T. kundanamu. 1. Interspace for enchasing or setting gems in a jewel; இரத்தினம்பதிக்கும்இடம். குந்தனத்திலழுத்தின . . . ரத்தினங்கள் (திவ். திருநெடுந். 21, வ்யா. பக். 175). 2. Gold, fine gold; தங்கம். (சங். அக.) Kundana ‘fine gold’: Ta. kuntaṉam interspace for setting gems in a jewel; fine gold (< Te.). Ka. kundaṇa setting a precious stone in fine gold; fine gold; kundana fine gold. Tu. kundaṇa pure gold. Te. kundanamu fine gold used in very thin foils in setting precious stones; setting precious stones with fine gold. (DEDR 1725)
He wears a bead as a fillet. *pōttī ʻ glass bead ʼ.Pk. pottī -- f. ʻ glass ʼ; S. pūti f. ʻ glass bead ʼ, P. pot f.; N. pote ʻ long straight bar of jewelry ʼ; B. pot ʻ glass bead ʼ, puti, pũti ʻ small bead ʼ; Or. puti ʻ necklace of small glass beads ʼ; H. pot m. ʻ glass bead ʼ, G. M. pot f.; -- Bi. pot ʻ jeweller's polishing stone ʼ rather than <
Rebus: पोतृ pōtṛ पोतृ m. 1 One of the sixteen officiating priests at a sacrifice (assistant of the priest called ब्रह्मन्). -2 An epithet of Viṣṇu. (Apte)
போத்தி (p. 2962) pōtti போத்தி pōtti , n. போற்றி. 1. Grandfather; பாட்டன். Tinn. 2. Brahman temple-priest in Malabar; மலையாளத்திலுள்ளகோயிலருச்சகன்.(Tamil Lexicon)
पोतदार pōtadāra m ( P) An officer under the native governments. His business was to assay all money paid into the treasury. He was also the village-silversmith.
पोतदारी pōtadārī f ( P) The office or business of पोतदार: also his rights or fees.
पोतनिशी pōtaniśī f ( P) The office or business of पोतनीस.
पोतनीस pōtanīsa m ( P) The treasurer or cash-keeper.(Marathi)
The fillets worn by the priest on his forehead and right shoulder signify his professional competence: dhāī 'strand' PLUS vata, 'string'; together, the expression is:a dotted circle + string which signifies dhā̆vaḍ ''iron-smelter'. His beard is neatly trimmed signifying that he may have used a metal razor or similar toiletry instrument to trim the beard. These pragmantics are reinforced by the dotted circles decorated on the potti 'cloth' he wears as a shawl.
कंस kaṃsa m A segment of a circle as a parenthesis: also a bracket of any form, (, [, { &c. 2 An arc. Rebus 1: कस kasa (कष S) The quality of gold or silver as determined by its appearance on the touchstone. Rebus 2: Rebus: kañcu = bronze (Telugu) bell-metal. 1. Pa. kaṁsa -- m. (?) ʻ bronze ʼ, Pk. kaṁsa -- , kāsa -- n. ʻ bell -- metal, drinking vessel, cymbal ʼ; L. (Jukes) kã̄jā adj. ʻ of metal ʼ, awāṇ. kāsā ʻ jar ʼ (← E with -- s -- , not ñj); N. kã̄so ʻ bronze, pewter, white metal ʼ, kas -- kuṭ ʻ metal alloy ʼ; A. kã̄h ʻ bell -- metal ʼ, B. kã̄sā, Or. kãsā, Bi. kã̄sā; Bhoj. kã̄s ʻ bell -- metal ʼ, kã̄sā ʻ base metal ʼ; H. kās, kã̄sā m. ʻ bell -- metal ʼ, G. kã̄sũ n., M. kã̄sẽ n.; Ko. kã̄śẽ n. ʻ bronze ʼ; Si. kasa ʻ bell -- metal ʼ.2. L. kã̄ihã̄ m. ʻ bell -- metal ʼ, P. kã̄ssī, kã̄sī f., H. kã̄sī f.(CDIAL 2987)
The tributes to Shalamaneser III included a monkey dressed like a woman, an Indus Script hieroglyph.
Translation of the Cuneiform inscription on the obeliskBlack obelisk of Shalamaneser III, King of Assyria (ca. 827 cent. BCE) Monkey dressed like a woman (as one of the tributes, together with other animals). रत्नी ratnī f (रत्न) In monkey-sports. A term given to the female monkey habited as a woman (Marathi) Rebus: रत्नम् ratnam रत्नम् [रमते$त्ररम्-नतान्तादेशः Uṇ.3.14] 1 A gem, jewel, a precious stone; किंरत्नमच्छामतिः Bv.1.86; नरत्नमन्विष्यतिमृग्यतेहितत् Ku.5.45. (The ratnas are said to be either five, nine or fourteen; see the words पञ्चरत्न, नवरत्न, and चतुर्दशरत्न respectively.) -2 Anything valuable or precious, any dear treasure. -3 Anything best or excellent of its kind; (mostly at the end of comp.); जातौजातौयदुत्कृष्टंतद्रत्नमभिधीयते Malli; कन्यारत्नमयोनिजन्मभवतामास्तेवयंचार्थिनः Mv.1.3; अग्रेसरीभवतुकाञ्चनचक्ररत्नम्Nāg.5.37; so पुत्र˚, स्त्री˚ V.4.25; अपत्य˚ &c. (Apte) रत्न n. ( √1. रा) a gift , present , goods , wealth , riches RV. AV. S3Br.; a jewel , gem , treasure , precious stone (the nine jewel are pearl , ruby , topaz , diamond , emerald , lapis lazuli , coral , sapphire , गोमेद ; hence रत्न is a N. for the number 9 ; but accord. to some 14) Mn. MBh. &c (Monier-Williams) रतन ratana n (Corr. from रत्न S) A gem or jewel (Marathi)
Mohenjo-daro Seals m1118 and Kalibangan 032, glyphs used are: Zebu (bos taurus indicus), fish, four-strokes (allograph: arrow).ayo ‘fish’ (Mu.) + kaṇḍa ‘arrow’ (Skt.) ayaskāṇḍa ‘a quantity of iron, excellent iron’ (Pāṇ.gaṇ) aya = iron (G.); ayah, ayas = metal (Skt.) gaṆḌa, ‘four’ (Santali); Rebus: kaṇḍ ‘fire-altar’, ‘furnace’), arrow read rebus in mleccha (Meluhhan) as a reference to a guild of artisans working with ayaskāṇḍa ‘excellent quantity of iron’ (Pāṇini) is consistent with the primacy of economic activities which resulted in the invention of a writing system, now referred to as Indus Writing. poLa 'zebu' Rebus: poLa 'magnetite, ferrite ore'.
पोळ pōḷa m A bull dedicated to the gods, marked with a trident and discus, and set at large. 2 Hence, fig. A fat, lazy, good-for-nothing fellow.पोळा pōḷā m (पोळ) A festive day for cattle,--the day of new moon of श्रावण or of भाद्रपद. Bullocks are exempted from labor; variously daubed and decorated; and paraded about in worship. (Marathi)
See the painting of the pot with zebu and black drongo. These signify, magnetite ferrite ore and steel.
పోలడు , పోలిగాడు or దూడలపోలడు pōlaḍu. [Tel.] పసులపోలిగాడు the bird called the Black Drongo. Dicrurus ater. (F.B.I.) Rebus: पोलाद pōlāda, 'steel' = ukku 'wootz steel' derived from Vedic utsa 'spring'; eraka, urku 'moltencast'.
Three tin ingots of Haifa shipwreck with Indus (Sarasvati) hieroglyphs reinforce the Meluhha rebus reading ranku dhatu mũh, ‘tin mineral-ore ingot’ https://tinyurl.com/yxckubfd
See: The Bronze Age Writing System of Sarasvati Hieroglyphics as Evidenced by Two “Rosetta Stones” By S. Kalyanaraman in: Journal of Indo-Judaic Studies Volume 1: Number 11 (2010), pp. 47-74.)
This article of 2010 had present rebus readings of inscriptions on the following two tin ingots
Another tin ingot with comparable Indus writing has been reported by Artzy:
Fig. 4 Inscribed tin ingot with a moulded head, from Haifa (Artzy, 1983: 53). (Michal Artzy, 1983, Arethusa of the Tin Ingot, Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, BASOR 250, pp. 51-55) https://www.academia.edu/5476188/Artzy-1983-Tin-Ignot This figure indicates the head of a woman as a hieroglyph. Some scholars have suggested that this signifies Arethusa.
The author Michal Artzy (opcit., p. 55) who showed these four signs on the four tin ingots to E. Masson who is the author of Cypro-Minoan Syllabary. Masson’s views are recorded in Foot Note 3: “E. Masson, who was shown all four ingots for the first time by the author, has suggested privately that the sign ‘d’ looks Cypro-Minoan, but not the otherthree signs.”
If all the signs are NOT Cypro-Minoan Syllabary, what did these four signs, together, incised on the tin ingots signify?
The two hieroglyphs incised which compare with the two pure tin ingots discovered from a shipwreck in Haifa, the moulded head can be explained also as a Meluhha hieroglyphs without assuming it to be the face of goddess Arethusa in Greek tradition: Hieroglyph: mũhe ‘face’ (Santali) Rebus: mũh ‘ingot’ (Santali). The three hieroglyphs are: ranku 'antelope' Rebus: ranku 'tin' (Santali) ranku 'liquid measure' Rebus: ranku 'tin' (Santali). dāṭu = cross (Te.); dhatu = mineral (Santali) Hindi. dhāṭnā ‘to send out, pour out, cast (metal)’ (CDIAL 6771). [The 'cross' or X hieroglyph is incised on both ingots.]
All these hieroglyphs on the three tin ingots of Haifa are read rebus in Meluhha:
Hieroglyph: ranku = liquid measure (Santali)
Hieroglyph: raṅku m. ʻa species of deerʼ Vās., rankuka id., Śrīkaṇṭh. (Samskrtam)(CDIAL 10559). raṅku m. ʻ a species of deer ʼ Vās., °uka -- m. Śrīkaṇṭh.Ku. N. rã̄go ʻ buffalo bull ʼ? -- more prob. < raṅká-<-> s.v. *rakka -- .*raṅkha -- ʻ defective ʼ see *rakka -- .RAṄG ʻ move to and fro ʼ: ráṅgati. -- Cf. √riṅg, √rikh2, √*righ.(CDIAL 10559)
Rebus: ranku ‘tin’ (Santali) raṅga3 n. ʻ tin ʼ lex. Pk. raṁga -- n. ʻ tin ʼ; P. rã̄g f., rã̄gā m.ʻpewter, tinʼ (← 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)
Hieroglyph: dāṭu = cross (Telugu)
Rebus: dhatu = mineral ore (Santali) Rebus: dhāṭnā ‘to send out, pour out, cast (metal)’ (Hindi)(CDIAL 6771).
Hieroglyph: mũh 'a face' Rebus: mũh, 'ingot' or muhã 'quantity of metal produced at one time from the furnace’ (Santali)
Indus Script hypertexts thus read: Hieroglyphs: ranku 'liquid measure' or raṅku ʻa species of deerʼ PLUS dāṭu = cross rebus: plain text: ranku 'tin' PLUS dhatu 'cast mineral' Thus, together, the plain text reads: tin mineral casting. The fourth ingot with the hieroglyph of a moulded head reads: mũh 'a face' Rebus: mũh, 'ingot' or muhã 'quantity of metal produced at one time from the furnace’ (Santali).