Indus script decoding

Languages used in Carnatic Music & Literature
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vasanthakokilam
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:01

Indus script decoding

Post by vasanthakokilam »

A TED talk by Rajesh Rao on Indus script and the efforts around decoding it.

http://www.ted.com/talks/rajesh_rao_com ... cript.html

srkris
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Re: Indus script decoding

Post by srkris »

Although linguistics is far from successful in making headway on the Indus Valley civilization, archeology has brought about a big trove of artifacts to give some interesting clues about their culture.

Among the objects depicted are people identified as priests, dancers wearing bangles, goddesses, swastikas, animals including a mythical horned horse-bull, three-faced persons with tridents and wheels in their hands, peepul (sacred fig) trees, a man in a yogic posture surrounded by animals, etc.

It would be easier to start with the archeological finds since there is no dearth to them, and what you see is what you get.

The contentions of the video presenter are quite amateurish, and he just repeats what Asko Parpola has been saying since 1964.

cmlover
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Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:36

Re: Indus script decoding

Post by cmlover »

srkris
Do we have any inkling as to whether the scripts (language) being close to sanskrit (prakrita0 or dravida (Tamil?)...

srkris
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Re: Indus script decoding

Post by srkris »

CML you are mixing a script with a language. The Indus hieroglyphs have not even been proved to be a script. So the question of identifying the language must wait until we can know with reasonable certainty that there is a language in the first place.

cmlover
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Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:36

Re: Indus script decoding

Post by cmlover »

I am just curious about the claims that the Indus ValleyCivilizations were Dravidian and not Aryan...

srkris
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Re: Indus script decoding

Post by srkris »

I am not sure they were either of those.

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