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| Scientists close to deciphering Indus Script | | | New Delhi, April 26: The myth of Indus Valley script may be solved soon. There are indications that scientists have moved closer to deciphering the Indus Valley script, believed to be one of the three oldest languages. The language was spoken at least 4,000 years ago between 2500 and 1900 BC in what is now north-west India and the eastern part of Pakistan.
The term Indus script refers to short strings of symbols associated with the Indus Valley Civilization, in use during the Mature Harappan period, between the 26th and 20th centuries BC.
In spite of many attempts at decipherments and claims, it is was yet undeciphered. The underlying language is unknown, and the lack of a bilingual makes the decipherment unlikely pending significant new finds.
The first publication of a Harappan seal dates to 1873, in the form of a drawing by Alexander Cunningham. Since then, well over 4000 symbol-bearing objects have been discovered, some as far afield as Mesopotamia.
Some early scholars, starting with Cunningham in 1877, thought that the script was the archetype of the Brahmi script used by Ashoka. Cunningham's ideas were supported by G.R. Hunter, Iravatham Mahadevan and a minority of scholars continue to argue for the Indus script as the predecessor of the Brahmic family. However most scholars disagree, claiming instead that the Brahmi script derived from the Aramaic script.
Earlier studies by linguists and historians claimed that the script did not represent language but is religious or political imagery. Now, a team of Indian scientists has reported in the latest of Science that the script is indeed a language.
The first publication of a Harappan seal dates to 1873, in the form of a drawing by Alexander Cunningham. Since then, well over 4000 symbol-bearing objects have been discovered, some as far afield as Mesopotamia.
Some early scholars, starting with Cunningham in 1877, thought that the script was the archetype of the Brahmi script used by Ashoka. Cunningham's ideas were supported by G.R. Hunter, Iravatham Mahadevan and a minority of scholars continue to argue for the Indus script as the predecessor of the Brahmic family. However most scholars disagree, claiming instead that the Brahmi script derived from the Aramaic script.
Earlier studies by linguists and historians claimed that the script did not represent language but is religious or political imagery. Now, a team of Indian scientists has reported in the latest of Science that the script is indeed a language.
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