Indus scriptThe Indus script (also called the Sarasvati script) of the Harappan civilization is the oldest script to have been used in India. In its mature phase it has been traced to 2600–1900 BC, with early forms possibly dating back as far as 3300 BC. After 1900 BC, use of the script was waning and it disappeared by the first millennium BC. The script lacks a commonly accepted decipherment, and it is not known whether the script represents true writing, or non-linguistic symbols. If the script is purely ideographical (like e.g. the Chinese script), it contains no information about the language spoken by the scribes. Even if the script does contain linguistic information, nothing is known about the underlying language. The first publication of a Harappan seal dates to 1875, in the form of a drawing by Alexander Cunningham. In 1877, Cunningham claimed that there was an inscription on the seal in an archetype of the Brahmi script used by Ashoka. Most researchers consider Cunningham's conclusions misguided, or even fraudulent. A minority of — mostly Indian — scholars, however, continues to argue for the Indus script as the predecessor of the Brahmic family. External links
Categories: Indian history | Undeciphered writing systems |
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