Context: The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu has announced a $1 million prize for deciphering the script of the Indus Valley Civilisation.
Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Key facts about Indus Valley Civilisation and Indus Valley Script.
About Indus Valley Civilisation
- In 1924, Sir John Marshall announced the discovery of the Bronze Age culture or Harappan Civilization in the valley of the Indus between c. 3300 BCE and 1300 BCE.
- IVC flourished in the northwestern regions of South Asia, primarily in present-day Pakistan and northwest India. Key archaeological sites include:
- Harappa (Punjab, Pakistan): One of the first sites to be excavated, giving its name to the civilisation.
- Mohenjo-daro (Sindh, Pakistan): Known for its advanced urban planning and the Great Bath.
- Dholavira (Gujarat, India): Notable for its unique water conservation system.
- Lothal (Gujarat, India): An important port city with a dockyard.
- Rakhigarhi (Haryana, India): One of the largest Harappan sites.
Indus Valley Script:
- Harappan script is largely undeciphered. Attempts have been made to compare it with the contemporary scripts of Mesopotamia and Egypt, but it is the indigenous product of the Indus region and does not indicate any connection with the scripts of western Asia.
- Key Features:
- Short inscriptions: Indus inscriptions are very short – with only about five characters on average – with the longest having only 26 characters.
- Boustrophedon script: Harappan script is boustrophedon, i.e., it is written from right to left on one line and then from left to right in the next line.
- Pictographic script: The Harappan script is not alphabetical but largely pictographic. There are about 250 to 400 pictographs in the form of a picture; each letter stands for some sound, idea, or object.
- There are nearly 4000 specimens of Harappan writing on stone seals and other objects.
- Unlike the Egyptians and Mesopotamians, the Harappans did not write long inscriptions.
- Most inscriptions were recorded on seals and contain only a few words. These seals may have been used by the proprietors to mark and identify their private property.
