Deciphering the Indus Script (Paperback)

Asko Parpola

ISBN 10: 0521795664 / ISBN 13: 9780521795661

Published by Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2009

About this Item

Paperback. Of the writing systems of the ancient world which still await deciphering, the Indus script is the most important. It developed in the Indus or Harappan Civilization, which flourished c. 2500-1900 BC in and around modern Pakistan, collapsing before the earliest historical records of South Asia were composed. Nearly 4,000 samples of the writing survive, mainly on stamp seals and amulets, but no translations. Professor Parpola is the chief editor of the Corpus of Indus Seals and Inscriptions. His ideas about the script, the linguistic affinity of the Harappan language, and the nature of the Indus religion are informed by a remarkable command of Aryan, Dravidian, and Mesopotamian sources, archaeological materials, and linguistic methodology. He outlines what is known about the Harappan culture and its script, presents a decipherment of a small number of interlocking Indus signs, and proposes a method which will permit further progress in decipherment. His fascinating study confirms that the Indus script was logo-syllabic, and that the Indus language belonged to the Dravidian family.He also argues that Indian astronomy was started by the Harappans, and that the Indus religion was genetically related to those of the ancient Near East and Hindu India. Professor Parpola outlines what is known about the Harappan culture and its script, deciphers a small number of interlocking Indus signs, and proposes a method which will permit further progress in decipherment. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780521795661

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Deciphering the Indus Script (Paperback)
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
• Publication Date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521795664
• ISBN 13: 9780521795661
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

Of the writing systems of the ancient world which still await deciphering, the Indus script is the most important. It developed in the Indus or Harappan Civilization, which flourished c. 2500–1900 BC in and around modern Pakistan, collapsing before the earliest historical records of South Asia were composed. Nearly 4,000 samples of the writing survive, mainly on stamp seals and amulets, but no translations. Professor Parpola is the chief editor of the Corpus of Indus Seals and Inscriptions. His ideas about the script, the linguistic affinity of the Harappan language, and the nature of the Indus religion are informed by a remarkable command of Aryan, Dravidian, and Mesopotamian sources, archaeological materials, and linguistic methodology. His fascinating study confirms that the Indus script was logo-syllabic, and that the Indus language belonged to the Dravidian family.

Book Description

The Indus script developed in the Indus or Harappan Civilization, which flourished around 2500-1900 BC in what is now modern Pakistan. In this fascinating study, Professor Parpola outlines what is known about the Harappan culture and its script and proposes a method which will permit further progress in decipherment.