Source: IE
Context: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister offer of a $1 million prize for anyone who deciphers the Indus Valley script serves a purpose beyond solving the lingering mystery regarding the 5,000-year-old civilization.
About Harappan Script:
- What it is:
- The writing system of the Indus Valley Civilization (c. 2600-1900 BCE), featuring undeciphered symbols with no confirmed linguistic association.
- Material used:
- Found on steatite seals, clay impressions, pottery, bronze tools, stoneware bangles, shells, ivory, and small copper tablets.
- Seals were often square, about 2.54 cm, and occasionally made of materials like silver, faience, and calcite.
- Features of the script:
- Short inscriptions averaging five symbols, with the longest known being 26 symbols.
- Early forms appeared during the Ravi and Kot Diji phases (c. 3500-2700 BCE).
- The script appears to have fully developed by the Urban period (c. 2600-1900 BCE).
- Motifs found on script:
- Animal motifs such as unicorns, bulls, tigers, elephants, and mythical creatures.
- Depictions of human figures, often in symbolic or narrative contexts, including combat or ritual scenes.
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