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Indus Script:

On Its Way to Decipherment
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3 Reviews
Bharatiya Kala Prakashan, 2000 - History - 216 pages
This book INDUS SCRIPT ON ITS WAY OF DECIPHERMENT is the result from an interest which the author developed in Harappan Archaeology since last 17 years during his stay at Institute of Archaeology London and later on in National Museum New Delhi where he is holding charge of Harappan material since the last 15 years. It was concluded Proto Dravidian and earliest Aryan were present in Harappan population. The author concluded Harappan script was Proto Brahmi and their languages were Proto-Dravidian Brahui and Laukik Sanskrit. The more positive chapter is on catalogue of Indus Seals and identification of Harappan script sign. This book is in a very simple English language which will be very useful for student and public. The author contradicted pre conceived idea of only dravidian language theory of Harappan. He prefers Name of South Asian Civilization for this earliest civilization of South Asia region. A unique contribution of the author is identification of Inscribed double headed Siva from Kali-bangan. Which has three sign in proto Brahmi script and author read these three sign as or Sivam.

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The author is quite right in concluding the Harappan (Indus) language to be Sanskritic and the writing to be proto-Brahmi. with the collapse of the Aryan Invasion Theory which is what gave rise to the idea of the Dravidian theory, a close examination of the symbolism of the iconography of the seals-- svasti sign, om sign, yogic postures and the like show the unmistakable influence of Vedic thought on the Harappans. So there is no reason to look for any language unrelated to Vedic Sanskrit like the hypothetical and possibly never-existing proto-Dravidian.
Having noted this, I would like to mention that both the conclusions of Dr Deo Prakash Sharma were presented and examined in detail by myself and the late Natwar Jha in our book THE DECIPHERED INDUS SCRIPT: METHODOLOGY, READINGS, INTERPRETATIONS by N. Jha and N.S. Rajaram published in 2000 by Aditya Prakashan of Delhi. This aroused a furious reaction from upholders of the Aryan invasion-Dravidian hypothesis, notably Michael Witzel and Romila Thapar, with the former raising irrelevant issues like the presence of the horse, etc.
Also, at the invitation of Dr. Sharma himself I contributed several articles to the two-volume work on the Harappan Civilization he edited.
So I have no reason to disagree with his main conclusions though I have yet to examine his work.
N.S. Rajaram 

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Contents

Introduction
1
Indus Valley Civilization
3
The Harappan Seals Inscriptions from outside the Indus Region
13
Copyright

17 other sections not shown

Common terms and phrases

ancient animal Anthropomorphic Anthropomorphic figure Asian B.C. old bangle Bharat Brahmi script Brahui language Central Asia ceramics collection of National copper hoard Copper tablet culture Cylindrical seal deity Delhi Dholavira Dravidian language early Aryan Early Harappan Early Harappan period early mature Harappan Excavation fish symbol Gaur graffiti marks Harappan script horse India Ace Indo-Aryan Indra Indus civilization Indus language Indus region Indus script Indus seals Indus sign Indus valley civilization inscribed inscription Joshi Kalibangan Karachi Kenoyer Kunal late Harappan Laukik Sanskrit Loan from A.S.I. Lothal Mahadevan mature Harappan mature Harappan period mature Indus Megalithic Mehrgarh Mesopotamia Mohenjodaro motif Museum New Delhi Museum of India N.No National Museum Neolithic north-west Pakistan Parpola Pasupati Pictograms Pipal planet Possehl pottery Proto Proto-Dravidian Puratattva Rakhigarhi S.R. Rao Seal depicting semitic Sharma Siva South Asia South India Steatite Tamil Terracotta Unicorn Vedic visual west Asia

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From other books

Early Harappans and Indus-Sarasvati Civilization
Early Harappans and Indus-Sarasvati Civilization
Deo Prakash Sharma,Madhuri Sharma
No preview available - 2006
Early Harappans and Indus-Sarasvati Civilization
Early Harappans and Indus-Sarasvati Civilization
Deo Prakash Sharma,Madhuri Sharma
No preview available - 2006

Bibliographic information

QR code for Indus Script
TitleIndus Script: On Its Way to Decipherment
AuthorDeo Prakash Sharma
Editionillustrated
PublisherBharatiya Kala Prakashan, 2000
Original fromthe University of Michigan
Digitized8 May 2008
ISBN8186050507, 9788186050507
Length216 pages
Subjects ›  › 

History / Asia / India & South Asia
  
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