 |
| Detail from seal H-67 with inscription: SINGLE POST / CAGED MALLET (if the post means "one" then the caging should not indicate plural number). |
I. Mahadevan article on the Indus FISH signs suggests, among other things, that the marks I
term caging (following Wells) indicate plural number (2011: 6). Although most hypothetical readings of Indus signs cannot be tested or proved, this one should be testable. If caging indeed represents
plural number and if indeed apparent numerals are numerical, then it follows there should
be no instances of SINGLE POST + CAGED SIGN.
Such an occurrence would have to be interpreted as something like "one fishes" if both hypotheses are correct. A search of my database of Indus inscriptions (based on my readings of
the inscriptions from the first two volumes of the Corpus) yields two
problematic examples. The first is
M-202: CARTWHEEL / PINCH // SINGLE POST / CAGED WHISKERED FISH // COMB. The first two signs form the prefix and the
last sign is a terminal. Thus, the
medial segment comprises an apparent refutation of Mahadevan’s hypothesis
because SINGLE POST does indeed precede a caged sign, CAGED WHISKERED FISH. The second example is H-67: SINGLE POST /
CAGED MALLET. Here, there is neither a
prefix nor a terminal, but only the medial segment. Taken at face value, the “post” would seem to indicate a
single item and thus the caged sign should not represent the plural.
But, of course, this test relies on the strength of two independent hypotheses. If the apparent numerals are not really numerical -- something I have argued previously -- then this refutation has not actually refuted Mahadevan's hypothesis. Alternatively, if Mahadevan's further suggestion that the "numerals" indicate ordinal rather than cardinal numbers, then it might be possible to come up with a meaning combining "first" and a plural noun. This little exercise gets us nowhere, in the end. Unfortunately, this is usually the case when dealing with proposed decipherments of the Indus script.
 |
| Round seal from the Persian Gulf with an inscription in Indus signs (from right): DOUBLE MEN (?) / QUADRUPED / STRIPED FAT CEE / FISH / 4 BLADE PINWHEEL (some scholars read two "men" here, a common occurrence on Gulf seals but rare in Indus script). |
Moving on to another topic, signs sometimes appear doubled, a
situation that Wells interprets as a distinct sign. That is, GRID is one sign for Wells but
DOUBLE GRIDS is a different sign, not a repetition of the first. It is not entirely clear whether Wells is
correct, although the KP concordance does show some doubled occurrences to be
independent signs. Confusing the issue,
occasionally a sign is even repeated three or more times. Again, it is not entirely clear how this
should be interpreted (possibly as pseudo-numerical notation). The signs that occur doubled include:
·
MAN (H-427, M-1236, M-1370, KP 9902 shown side
by side but not touching; KP 2561, K-69-75, KP 3386, KP 9851, KP 1084 shown
touching; cf. BM 123059 and other Gulf seals where DOUBLE MAN is more common)
(10 total)
·
FISH (KP 2592, H-230, H-815, KP 2436, H-85,
M-868, KP 588, M-355) (8 total)
·
STANDING BIRD (WITH WING) (KP 1338) (1 only)
·
FEATHERED DUCK HEAD (KP 1083, M-471) (2 total)
·
FORK (x3 KP 2795, x4 KP 2803, x4 M-1123, x3 KP
6001A; not in the KP concordance Rjd-1, L-37) (6 total)
·
CARPET RAKE (C-6) (1 only)
·
COMB (M-1224, M-311, KP 1545, KP 2035, M-373,
M-108, M-967, KP 101, M-1134, M-317) (10 total)
·
SKEWERED CHEVRON (KP 2581/BM Dk 10049) (1 only)
·
BI-QUOTES (may be distinct symbols since doubled
form shows one in high position, one in medial or low position) (H-141, H-472,
M-658) (3 total)
·
FOUR QUOTES (KP 4434) (1 only)
·
ROOF (K-121, KP 3717 both stacked; x3 C-40
stacked; KP 2800 x4 stacked; M-1384? x7 stacked) (5 total)
·
**DOUBLE QUOTES UNDER CHEVRONS (always doubled)
(L-98, M-650, H-232, KP 2200, KP 3067, KP 2631, KP 2224, KP 1391) (8 total)
·
STACKED TWELVE (H-14, K-69-75, L-115) (3 total)
·
*THREE POSTS (though this could be interpreted
as SIX POSTS) (K-4, M-734, K-22, M-1426, M-20, H-646) (6 total)
·
BOAT (H-150 x3, KP 2436, M-355) (3 total)
·
CEE (x5 in KP concordance: KP 1072, M-136 [I see
x4 + boat], KP 3713) (3 total)
·
CEE WITH LASHES (KP 681) (1 only)
·
**DOUBLE CEES/ESSES (as an independent sign it
is always doubled, but single CEE also occurs as well as BACK CEE) (H-226-8,
M-606, KP 1419, KP 6106, M-494-5, M-1319, M-609, L-114, KP 3594, M-1014,
M-1006, M-1179, KP 1323, KP 2489, L-66, M-1181, M-326, H-781, H-783, H-931,
L-111, H-697, M-951, M-1137, M-52, KP 3657, KP 3108, M-307, H-519, BM G33,
M-890, Ad-3, M-22, M-994, M-974, M-423?, H-291, KP 656, M-843, KP 3169, H-396,
H-602, M-205, M-370, KP 4493, M-396, H-639, KP 3740, M-471, M-1292, KP 4312;
not in KP concordance but in my database: H-685, Rhd-189, Mr-8, M-422, M-423,
M-1569) (57 total)
·
**DOUBLE ZIGZAG (stacked, shown as a distinct
symbol) (M-751) (1 only)
·
DOWN HEART (H-10, M-1316, M-373) (3 total)
·
**DOUBLE CHEVRONS (M-1548-9 classed as distinct
symbol by KP; x3 KP 3737, x3 KP 3736 classed with TRIPLE TRIANGLES by KP) (3
total?)
·
*TEETH (interpreted as stacked, doubled TRIPLE
TRIANGLES with one set inverted) (M-326) (1 only)
·
SPACESHIP (M-1233) (1 only)
·
*FOOTED STOOL doubled only if REVERSED FOOTED
STOOL in combination is so classified (M-1120, L-141, K-43, L-5, KP 3583,
M-198, M-162, M-126, KP 4392, Kd-8) (10 total)
·
FOOTED EX (+/-) (KP 8069) (1 only)
·
RECTANGLE (KP 8068, x3 H-97) (2 total)
·
GRID (M-383, H-72, M-382, M-1315, M-371, KP
1424, M-1329, M-981, M-400, M-519-21, M-592, M-575-6, M-577, M-1300, KP 2292,
M-161, KP 2434, KP 2612, H-66, M-25, M-627, M-884, KP 4507, M-488, M-401, H-29,
M-1080, KP 3651, M-321, M-45, KP 4578, M-252, M-573-4, H-415, M-745, L-134,
M-81, M-476, M-1458-9, KP 2027, H-612?, KP 2784, H-849-51, H-211, H-229,
M-1402, KP 1253, M-451, M-1427, M-4, H-49, L-136?, M-4, H-2, KP 1101, KP 1248,
M-980, KP 1159, KP 2050, H-270, M-633, KP 6168, H-612) (63 total)
·
STRIPED MALLET (H-10) (1 only)
·
TABLE (K-23, H-524) (2 total)
·
EF TOPPED EXIT (M-1262) (1 only)
·
CUP (x3 H-764-5, x2 KP 3309, x3 M-494-5, x2 KP
2035, KP 4383, KP 1477, KP 1475; not shown in KP Rhd-57-65, overlapping
Rhd-66-68; double? in M-1431, H-690) (11 total?)
·
POT (BM G52/Laursen 23 a Gulf seal from Iran) (1
only)
·
CIRCLE (L-117, H-995g, H-1012g, KP 2598, KP
5051, KP 1253, K-40) (7 total)
·
CIRCLED FORK (M-916, M-424) (2 total)
·
CIRCLED DOT (H-798, H-142?, M-926, M-953, M-853,
M-1429, KP 5071, KP 2713) (8 total)
·
CARTWHEEL (M-1384, KP2798, KP 2796, M-111, KP
2427, KP 2119/M-1384?, H-176, M-933, KP 2427) (9 total)
·
*CROSSED EYES (if seen as double stacked circled
vees) (H-183-4, M-12, KP 2349) (3 total)
Thus, the majority of signs do not occur doubled. Of those that do, some occasionally occur
repeated three or more times (up to seven times, in the case of stacked
ROOFS). For most of the repeating signs,
doubling is less common than single occurrences, but there is one sign that is
always doubled (DOUBLE QUOTES UNDER CHEVRONS).
 |
| Indus seal H-66 with inscription: FLAG / STRIPED LOOP UNDER CHEVRON / DOUBLE GRIDS (one of the more common duplicated signs, though GRID does occur as a single sign in some cases). |
Some of the signs in this list may not be truly doubled
(marked here with a single asterisk). If
stacking is merely a space-saving measure then perhaps DOUBLE ZIGZAGS, CROSSED
EYES, and TEETH are indeed doubled signs and, if so, it may be significant that
none of these occurs in the more common side-by-side doubling
configuration. If stacking is indeed
doubling, then perhaps I should add FIGURE EIGHT as an instance of a doubled
CIRCLE (and STACKED TRIPLE CIRCLES as a tripling of the same sign). However, I am aware of no researcher who considers stacked symbols to be equivalent to two signs side by side.
Those signs marked with two asterisks in the above list are classified as
independent signs by Wells and by Koskenniemi and Parpola (KP).
Thus, DOUBLE CEES seems to function as a sign independently of the
single CEE or BACK CEE. Wells considers
all such doubles to be independent signs, but the KP
concordance does not show this same grouping in most cases.
 |
| Inscriptions on two Egyptian scarabs of the 12th to 14th dynasties. On left, "the mayor of Reshuu, Iu-bena" (note 3 chicks); on right, "the royal ornament, Mu-nu-ab" (showing 3 posts, 3 water glyphs) (after Newberry 2002: plate XV, nos. 14 and 15, transl. p. 140). |
Besides this type of doubling, where the two copies of a
sign are side by side, there are some instances of non-contiguous duplication
of a sign within an inscription. This is
more interesting, since it hints at a feature one normally expects to find in
phonetic scripts, i.e., essentially random repetition of signs. For example, in Egyptian hieroglyphs, it is
quite easy to find examples of the repetition of the bread loaf (a small half
circle). Not only do such loaves appear
doubled, side by side, but they also occur two or more times in a single
inscription where they are not contiguous.
The loaf is a phonetic symbol most of the time, representing the t sound.
If Indus script contains any phonetic information, we would expect to
see the same kind of random appearance of phonetic signs. So, what does this look like? Confining the discussion to Egyptian scarabs
(beetle-shaped objects with inscriptions on the base that were sometimes used
as seals), we may note the following inscriptions (from Newberry 2002):
·
“The Hereditary Chieftainess, the Royal
Princess, Anket-nefret-uben” (plate IX, no. 35, 4th to 12th
dynasties, with five non-contiguous loaves, two non-contiguous arms, and two
non-contiguous zigzags);
·
“The Great Royal Wife who is united to the
beauty of the White Crown, Nub-hetep-tha” (plate XII, no. 26, 12th
to 14th dynasties, with 2 non-contiguous loaves);
·
“May the King give an offering to Ptah-seker for
the ka of the Uart of the Ruler’s Table, Nushu” (plate XIII, no. 8, 12th
to 14th dynasty officials, with 3 non-contiguous loaves and 2
non-contiguous zigzags);
·
“The Great One of the Southern Tens, Ptah-hetep”
(plate XIV, no. 8, 12th to 14th dynasty officials
continued, with 2 non-contiguous loaves as well as two stacked medj/roofs and 2 non-contiguous
squares/mats);
·
“The Eldest Royal Daughter, Ptah-ur-bau” (plate
XVII, no. 1, 12th to 14th dynasty officials continued,
with 4 non-contiguous loaves as well as 3 ba
birds side-by-side and partly overlapping along with 3 short posts side by side
beneath them);
·
“The Good God, Uazed” (plate XXIII, no. 8,
Hyksos period, with no less than five repetitions of the ankh around the outside of the main inscription in an essentially
decorative pattern).
Repetition of glyphs clearly serves a decorative rather than
phonetic function in some instances, as demonstrated in the last example
cited. Other cases show popular, “lucky”
glyphs such as ankh (meaning “life”)
or nefer (meaning “beauty” among
other things) repeated twice or more on the periphery of an inscription. At times, it is not clear whether glyphs should
be read or not, as e.g., a scarab of the Hyksos period with apparently four neb baskets interspersed with three
zigzags (plate XXIV, no. 4). It is
possible that these are phonetic symbols, to be read as a name, Neben 3 times
with an extra neb (to mean “lord”)
for good measure. But it is also
possible that all these glyphs are purely decorative.
 |
| An unreadable scarab from the Hyksos period, with repetitions of symbols (3 or 4 nb baskets, 3 water glyphs, 2 ankhs on either side) (after Newberry 2002: plate XXIV, no. 4). |
It may be of interest to note that a glyph was sometimes duplicated
side by side for grammatical and/or phonetic reasons (twice for dual number pronounced
–y, three times for the plural pronounced
–w).
Occasionally there are even four contiguous repetitions, as in the name Nefer-neferu-aten (another name of
Nefertiti, great royal wife of Akhenaten) (see plate XXXI, no. 30). In this case neferu is “spelled” with three repetitions of the nefer glyph, with the additional nefer at the beginning of the name
requiring a fourth nefer symbol. But there were alternative ways of
representing the same type of phonetic repetition. This is seen in examples of Kheper-kheperu-ra (another name of Ay,
pharaoh after Tutankhamen) (plate XXXI, no. 34). Here there are only two heper (or kheper)
beetles, with three short posts beneath to convey the plural concept and
phonetic –u/w.
This occurrence of repeated symbols within an inscription in
both contiguous and non-contiguous positions is a hallmark of true writing. One of the major arguments against seeing the
Indus script as a fully developed writing system is that the non-contiguous
repetition does not occur (Farmer, Sproat, and Witzel 2004: 31-36). There are some occurrences of non-contiguous
repetitions, though: FISH (4
inscriptions), CORN HOLDER (1), COMB (4), BI-QUOTES (1), SINGLE QUOTE (1),
SINGLE POST (4), TWO POSTS (18), PINCH (2), THREE QUOTES (2), THREE POSTS (2),
BARBELL ON POST (1), CEE (4), GRID (1), STRIPED FAT LEG LAMBDA (1), SPEAR (1),
FAT EX (2), CROSSROADS EX (1), GRID (1), BLANKET (1), DEE-SLASH (1), POT (26), POTTED
ONE (1), FORK (1), EARPHONES (1), CIRCLE (2), CARTWHEEL (3). With the exception of two signs (2 POSTS and POT),
these occur so seldom, it seems almost an accident to find this type of repetition.
Thus, it is highly unlikely that any phonetic
information is contained in these inscriptions.
APPENDIX
SIGNS DUPLICATED IN INSCRIPTIONS
FISH: KP 1237 (AITCH / LAMBDA / FISH / PRAWN / FISH // BIRD // TRI-FORK TOPPED
POT / POT)
KP 1588 (FISH / OVERLAPPING CIRCLES / 2 POSTS // POT // FISH
/ CRAB / FOOTED STOOL // PINWHEEL)
H-364 (RAKE / FISH // SPEAR //
FISH)
KP 698 (AITCH / LAMBDA / FISH /
CARTWHEEL / SINGLE QUOTE // FISH // SPEAR)
CORN HOLDER: M-1057 (... / SINGLE POST / CUPPED SPOON / FISH / TABLE / SINGLE QUOTE //
CORN
HOLDER // MAN // CORN HOLDER)
COMB: KP 3296 (SQUARE / CEE / COIL // COMB // PRAWN // COMB)
M-1224 (OVERLAPPING CIRCLES / 2 POSTS // POST / MAN / COMB //
DIAMOND UPON DOUBLE EXES / STACKED 6 / TRI-FORK // DOUBLE COMBS)
H-213-4 (CORN HOLDER // COMB /
SPEAR / COMB // 2 POSTS / CUP)
KP 4453 (CORN HOLDER // COMB /
SPEAR / COMB // 3 POSTS / CUP)
BI-QUOTES: K-10 (STRIPED FAT LEG LAMBDA / BI-QUOTES // MALLET / VEE IN DIAMOND /
STRIPED FAT
LEG LAMBDA / BI-QUOTES
// PRAWN / ZEE / CROSSROADS EX // POT)
SINGLE QUOTE: Collon 608 (BI-RAKE // BEARER WITH SHOULDER YOKE // SINGLE QUOTE //
STACKED 12
/ DOUBLE BELTED DOUBLED AITCH / SINGLE QUOTE // STRIPED FAT
CEE / FLYING ANT)
SINGLE POST: KP 2427 (DEE-SLASH / SINGLE POST / BI-QUOTES // SINGLE POST / STACKED 12
/ DOUBLE
CARTWHEELS / STRIPED FAT LEG LAMBDA)
M-1151 (SINGLE POST / SINGLE QUOTE // SINGLE POST / POTTED 2
/ CAGED WHISKERED FISH) (could also be interpreted as QUOTE BETWEEN POSTS /
POTTED 2 / CAGED WHISKERED FISH, without repetition)
KP 2587 (DIAMOND / SINGLE POST // VEE IN DIAMOND / BI-QUOTES
// WHISKERED FISH / DOT IN FISH // SPEAR // SINGLE POST / 3 QUOTES // POT
HATTED BEARER)
M-1055 (... / SINGLE POST / BI-QUOTES // BUGS ON STRIPED LEAF
/ LOOP ARMED MAN HOLDING SLASH / DIAMOND / SINGLE POST)
2 POSTS: M-1159 (2 POSTS / EARPHONES ON BI-FORK / BI-QUOTES // 2 POSTS / FISH /
CAGED DOT IN
FISH)
L-87 (BI-QUOTES // CROSS-HATCHED CIRCLE / PINCH // 2 POSTS /
FISH / MARKED FISH / OVERLAPPING CIRCLES / 2 POSTS // POT)
KP 700 (2 POSTS / OVERLAPPING CIRCLES / 2 POSTS // 2 POSTS)
(or OVERLAPPING CIRCLES BETWEEN DOUBLE POSTS // 2 POSTS without repetition)*
M-494-5 (POTTED 1 / DOUBLE CEES WITH EAR / 2 POSTS /
CARTWHEEL / 2 POSTS / STACKED 7 / DOUBLE CEES / RAKE / WINGED MAN // POT //
SNOWFLAKE / ANKH / POTTED 1 // BEARER WITH SHOULDER YOKE // BIRD BETWEEN PARENS
/ OVERLAPPING CIRCLES / 2 POSTS // CIRCLED FORK / CRAB / HAIRY HUNCHBACK // POT
/ BEARER // TRIPLE CUPS / TRI-FORK)*
M-1117 (DEE-SLASH / PANTS / 2 POSTS / DIAMOND / 2 POSTS)*
H-598 (CRAB IN LOOP TOPPED DUBYA / PRAWN / ZEE / BI-QUOTES //
WHISKERED FISH / BLANKET WITH TICKS, QUOTES, & CEE // POT // 2 POSTS /
CARTWHEEL / 2 POSTS)*
C-30 (STACKED 5 / LOOP ARMED MAN HOLDING SLASH / 2 POSTS /
CARTWHEEL / 2 POSTS)*
M-190 (2 POSTS / OVERLAPPING CIRCLES / 2 POSTS // POT HATTED
BEARER)*
H-569 (... / POTTED 1 / 2 POSTS / FISH / WHISKERED FISH /
OVERLAPPING CIRCLES / 2 POSTS // POT)
KP 3095 (2 POSTS / FISH / 2 POSTS / FAT EX IN DIAMOND)*
M-957 (2 POSTS / BATTERY / 2 POSTS / BI-QUOTES // CUPPED
SPOON // BI-FORK TOPPED POT / POT)*
KP 2027 (2 POSTS / BLANKET WITH TICKS / MAN HOLDING DEE-SLASH
/ FEATHERED DUCK HEAD / BI-QUOTES // DOUBLE GRIDS / 2 POSTS / TRI-FORK)
M-38 (2 POSTS / BLANKET WITH TICKS / MAN HOLDING DEE-SLASH /
TRI-FORK / BI-QUOTES // FISH UNDER CHEVRON / WHISKERED FISH / 2 POSTS / FISH /
PRAWN / ZEE / CROSSROADS EX // POT)
H-322 (ODD STACKED / 2 POSTS // POT / COMB // 2 POSTS / CUP)
KP 2615 (DEE-SLASH / PANTS / 2 POSTS / DIAMOND / 2 POSTS)*
H-340 (STACKED 3 / OVERLAPPING CIRCLES / 2 POSTS / DOTTED
WINDOW / ... // 2 POSTS / CUP)
KP 2456 (DOOR WITH KNOB // POT // 2 POSTS / CAGED FISH // 2
POSTS / PRONGS ON VEE IN DIAMOND)
M-746 (2 POSTS / MALLET / TRI-FORK / POTTED ONE / 2 POSTS /
FISH / TABLE // POT)
PINCH: M-626 (FAT EX / PINCH // PRAWN / ZEE
/ CROSSROADS EX // POT // FAT EX / PINCH // CIRCLED FORK // POT // MAN HOLDING
DEE-SLASH / BUD / CAGED OVERLAPPING CIRCLES)
M-682 (FAT EX / PINCH // PRAWN / ZEE / CROSSROADS EX // POT
// FAT EX / PINCH // CIRCLED FORK // POT // ...)
3 QUOTES: Rhd-15 (?) (3 QUOTES / 4 QUOTES / 3 QUOTES) (or 3 QUOTES / 7 QUOTES sans
repetition)
M-500 (LOOP ARMED MAN HOLDING SLASH / CAGED MALLET // COMB //
3 QUOTES / SINGLE QUOTE // CROSSROADS EX / 3 QUOTES / CUP)
3 POSTS: H-911 (BI-RAKE / MALLET / 3 POSTS // PRAWN / 3 POSTS)
H-776 (FOOT / 3 POSTS / POTTED 2
/ CIRCLED FORK // POT // 3 POSTS / CUP)
BARBELL ON POST: M-326 (BOAT / PINCH // POTTED 1 / FISH UNDER CHEVRON / DOUBLE CEES // POT
// CARTWHEEL / 3 QUOTES / EX / STRIPED BISECTED TOP //
BARBELL ON POST / POSTS & SLASH / BARBELL ON POST / 5 POSTS // BARBELL //
TEETH / OVERLAPPING CIRCLES // VEE IN DIAMOND / MAN HOLDING DEE-SLASH /
TRI-FORK)
CEE: M-331 (RECTANGLE / BOAT WITH OAR
& STERN POST / SKEWERED CHEVRON BETWEEN BACK CEE & CEE // 4 QUOTES /
HORN / STACKED 5 // CEE / STRIPED FAT CHEVRON / DOWN HEART / CEE // 3 QUOTES //
SINGLE QUOTE / CEE)*
B-24 (CEE / STRIPED FAT CHEVRON / DOWN HEART / CEE // POT
HATTED BEARER / COMB / MAN // BACK CEE & CEE)*
H-474 (CEE / STRIPED FAT CHEVRON
/ FAT CHEVRON / CEE / POTTED 3)
M-391 (FOOT / STACKED STOOLS WITH MID POST / VEE IN DIAMOND /
BI-QUOTES // CIRCLED FORK / MARKED FISH / 3 QUOTES / CEE / CIRCLE / CEE // POT
// COMB BELTED ASTERISK / SLASHES IN OVERLAPPING CIRCLES / QUAD-FORK) (or
CIRCLE BETWEEN CEES without repetition)
GRID: H-612 (... // POT // DOUBLE GRIDS / DEE-SLASH / MALLET / DEE-SLASH // POT
// CARTWHEEL /
BI-QUOTES // STRIPED TRIANGLE / GRID // POT) [also DEE-SLASH]
STRIPED FAT LEG
LAMBDA: K-10 (STRIPED FAT LEG LAMBDA / BI-QUOTES // MALLET / VEE IN
DIAMOND
/ STRIPED FAT LEG LAMBDA / BI-QUOTES // PRAWN / ZEE /
CROSSROADS EX // POT)
SPEAR: LOOP ARMED MAN HOLDING SLASH / DOUBLE BOATS // SPEAR // AITCH / VEE IN
DIAMOND /
BI-QUOTES // DOUBLE FISHES / SKEWERED CHEVRON // SPEAR)
CROSSROADS EX: M-501 (FOOTED STOOL / PINCH // CROSSROADS EX // POT // BED / CROSSROADS
EX)
FAT EX: M-626 (FAT EX / PINCH // PRAWN / ZEE / CROSSROADS EX // POT // FAT EX /
PINCH // CIRCLED FORK // POT // MAN HOLDING DEE-SLASH / BUD / CAGED OVERLAPPING
CIRCLES)
M-682 (FAT EX / PINCH // PRAWN / ZEE / CROSSROADS EX // POT
// FAT EX / PINCH // CIRCLED FORK // POT // ...)
GRID: M-627 (FISH / TABLE / GRID / POTTED ONE / STRIPED LOOP UNDER CHEVRON /
DOUBLE GRIDS)
BLANKET: M-396 (FOOTED STOOL / PINCH // FISH UNDER CHEVRON / BLANKET / RAYED
CIRCLE /
DOUBLE CEES / CIRCLED DOT / MARKED FISH / BLANKET / ANT)
DEE-SLASH: H-612 (... // POT // DOUBLE GRIDS / DEE-SLASH / MALLET / DEE-SLASH // POT
//
CARTWHEEL / BI-QUOTES // STRIPED TRIANGLE / GRID // POT)
POT: M-494-5 (POTTED ONE / DOUBLE CEES
WITH EAR / CARTWHEEL BETWEEN DOUBLE POSTS / STACKED 7 / DOUBLE CEES / RAKE /
WINGED MAN // POT // SNOWFLAKE / ANKH / POTTED ONE // BEARER WITH SHOULDER YOKE
// BIRD BETWEEN PARENS / OVERLAPPING CIRCLES / 2 POSTS // CIRCLED FORK / CRAB /
HAIRY HUNCHBACK // POT / BEAR // TRIPLE CUPS / TRI-FORK)
M-1202 (OVERLAPPING CIRCLES / SQUIRREL // POT // RAKE /
WINGED MAN // POT // CIRCLE // MAN HOLDING POST // BARBELL ON POST / 5 POSTS)
M-782 (TRIPLE BRICK // POT //
SINGLE QUOTE // CAGED TETRAPOD // POT)
H-806-8 (FISH UNDER CHEVRON / FISH / HAIRY HUNCHBACK // POT
// VEE IN DIAMOND / BI-QUOTES // WHISKERED FISH / FAT CHEVRON // POT)
M-1452 (CIRCLED FORK / MARKED FISH / HAIRY HUNCHBACK // POT
// MALLET / QUAD-FORK // POT)
M-625 (... / FOOTED STOOL / PINCH // PRAWN / ZEE // POT //
HAIRY HUNCHBACK / POT)
KP 8470 (FISH / TABLE // POT // HAIRY HUNCHBACK / POT)
M-638 (MALLET // POT / POTTED 3 / FISH UNDER CHEVRON /
WHISKERED FISH / STACKED 12 / FAT CHEVRON // POT)
M-980 (RAKE / WINGED MAN // POT // QUOTE UNDER MAN / ZEE /
REN-LAMBDA / FOOTED STOOL / DOUBLE GRIDS // POT)
KP 8904 (CIRCLED VEE / BI-QUOTES // HAIRY HUNCHBACK // POT //
HUNCHBACK // BI-FORK TOPPED POT / POT)
KP 3416 (CARTWHEEL // POT // WATERY 7 // POT)
M-1429 (CIRCLED FORK / 3 QUOTES / FISH // POT // DOUBLE
CIRCLED DOTS // POT / MAN)
Ad-4 (FLAIL // POT // FISH UNDER CHEVRON / STRIPED TRIANGLE /
STACKED 7 // POT)
M-127 (HAIRY HUNCHBACK // POT // FISH UNDER CHEVRON // POT //
FOOTED STOOL WITH HAIRY LEGS & ATTACHED TRI-FORK)
KP 1093 (WHISKERED FISH // POT // DUCK IN POND // POT //
TRI-FORK TOPPED POT / POT)**
M-165 (2 POSTS / TRI-FORK / POTTED ONE / SINGLE QUOTE //
TRI-FORK TOPPED POT / POT // SIDE FLYING BIRD // POT // CIRCLED VEE)
M-1129 (BOAT / SPACESHIP // POT // CORN HOLDER // STRIPED
BOWTIE // POT)
M-1202 (OVERLAPPING CIRCLES / SQUIRREL // POT // RAKE /
WINGED MAN // POT // MAN HOLDING POST / BARBELL ON POST / 5 POSTS)
H-811 (AY / BOAT / BI-QUOTES // HAIRY HUNCHBACK // POT //
VEST // POT // SQUIRREL)
KP 1435 (BATTERY // POT // EX UNDER TABLE // CRAB / STACKED 7
/ BATTERY // POT // EX UNDER TABLE)
M-882 (SPACESHIP / CRAB // POT // MALLET / TRI-FORK // POT //
TRIPLE BRICK)
M-665 (BATTERY / BUD / BI-QUOTES // CORN HOLDER / TRIPLE
TRIANGLES / CRAB // POT // BLANKET WITH TICKS, DASHES, CEE // POT / TRI-FORK
& VEE IN DIAMOND)
KP 1215 (VEE IN DIAMOND / SPACESHIP // POT // OVERLAPPING
CIRCLES / 2 POSTS // POT)
KP 8074 (FOOTED STOOL WITH MID EARS // POT // CIRCLED FORK /
TRI-FORK / PINCH // POT)
M-1429 (CIRCLED FORK / 3 QUOTES / FISH // POT // DOUBLE
CIRCLED DOTS // POT / MAN)
KP 4467 (... // POT // CARTWHEEL / BI-QUOTES // ... // POT //
CUP / TRI-FORK & VEE IN DIAMOND)
POTTED ONE: (POTTED ONE / TRI-FORK / POTTED ONE /
SINGLE POST / CUPPED SPOON / 3 POSTS //
SPEAR // 3 POSTS / CUP)
FORK: M-1310 (FISH UNDER CHEVRON / MALLET / FORK // POT // SINGLE QUOTE // 4
QUOTES / FORK)
EARPHONES: M-1397 (SQUARE AY / STRIPED FAT CEE / CUPPED SPOON / EARPHONES // CUPPED
SPOON / EARPHONES)
BARBELL ON POST: M-326 (BOAT / PINCH // POTTED ONE /
FISH UNDER CHEVRON / DOUBLE CEES //
POT // CARTWHEEL / 3 QUOTES / EX / STRIPED BISECTED TOP //
BARBELL ON POST / POSTS & SLASH / BARBELL ON POST / 5 POSTS // BARBELL //
TEETH / OVERLAPPING CIRCLES // VEE IN DIAMOND / MAN HOLDING DEE-SLASH /
TRI-FORK)
CIRCLE: C-20
(STRIPED TRIANGLE / CIRCLE / SINGLE POST / CIRCLE // BEARER) (or SINGLE POST
BETWEEN
CIRCLES without repetition)
M-777 (FOOTED STOOL / PINCH //
FISH UNDER CHEVRON // SPEAR // CIRCLE / TABLE / CIRCLE)
(or TABLE BETWEEN CIRCLES without repetition)
CARTWHEEL: M-634 (CARTWHEEL / LOOP ARMED MAN HOLDING SLASH / CARTWHEEL / CIRCLED
BISECTED RECTANGLE / CARTWHEEL / SINGLE QUOTE // RAKE / FISH
// POT // EX UNDER TABLE)
M-108 (CARTWHEEL / FOOTED STOOL / CRAB / LAMBDA / FISH /
CARTWHEEL // DOUBLE COMBS)
H-506 (CARTWHEEL / BI-QUOTES // CARTWHEEL / STRIPED MALLET /
CORN HOLDER / PANTS)
REFERENCES
Farmer, Steve, Richard Sproat, and Michael
Witzel. 2004. “The Collapse of the Indus Script Thesis: The Myth of a Literate Harappan
Civilization” in Electronic Journal of Vedic
Studies 11 (2): 19-57.
Koskenniemi, Kimmo and Asko Parpola.
1982. A Concordance to the Texts in the Indus
Script. Helsinki: Dept. of Asian and African Studies, University of Helsinki.
Mahadevan, Iravatham. 2011. The Indus Fish Swam in the Great Bath: A New
Solution to an Old Riddle. Bulletin of
the Indus Research Centre No. 2. Chennai, India: Roja Muthiah Research Library.
Newberry, Percy E. 2002. Egyptian Scarabs. Mineola, New York: Dover (reprint of 1906 work published by Archibald Constable and Co., London, entitled Scarabs: An Introduction to the Study of Egyptian Seals and Signet Rings).
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