Since the publication of the concordances of the inscriptions of the Indus seals many people have been working on the solution of the riddle presented by their 5000-years-old script. At first sight the task does not appear too difficult, as there are pictograms that can easily be recognized. A lot of signs are geometric, but this does not seem to be an insurmountable obstacle either, as they are often combined with the pictograms. The decipherments that were based on these similarities resulted, however, only in the reading of some inscriptions as more or less obscure names, sometimes not even a phonetic value could be given. Nevertheless they are often presented as complete decipherments to the public. On this account, the pretension that the Indus script is deciphered meets with increasing suspicion and is exposed to ridicule even. Many scholars working in this field are nowadays of the opinion that the Indus script is altogether indecipherable, if not a bilingual of considerable size turns up. The approach to a decipherment presented in this volume makes avail of a short bilingual from Failaka, but its master-key is the discovering of the symbolic and the linguistic connection of the Indus signs with the R̥g-Veda. More than 200 inscriptions, among them the longest and those with the most interesting motifs, have been decoded here by setting them word after word in relation to R̥g-Vedic mantras. The results that were gained by this method of comparison for the pictographic and phonetic values of the Indus signs are surprising and far beyond the most daring phantasy, i.e. beyond the analytic limits of thought. This approach is the opposite of subjectivism. The signs of all inscriptions have been found in this way have been collected in a sign-dictionary improved for a great deal in the present edition. By the deciphering of the Indus signs many problems of the R̥g-Veda could be solved too and new insights be won, for example in the question of the age of the Veda and the origin of its myths or the nature of the Soma plant.

Studies of seals and sealing practices have traditionally investigated aspects of social, political, economic, and ideological systems in ancient societies throughout the Old World. Previously, scholarship has focused on description and documentation, chronology and dynastic histories, administrative function, iconography, and style. More recent studies have emphasized context, production and use, and increasingly, identity, gender, and the social lives of seals, their users, and the artisans who produced them. Using several methodological and theoretical perspectives, this volume presents up-to-date research on seals that is comparative in scope and focus. The cross-cultural and interdisciplinary approach advances our understanding of the significance of an important class of material culture of the ancient world. The volume will serve as an essential resource for scholars, students, and others interested in glyptic studies, seal production and use, and sealing practices in the Ancient Near East, Egypt, Ancient South Asia and the Aegean during the 4th-2nd Millennia BCE.

What the Indologists missed in deciphering the Indus seal inscriptions was the understanding of the basic contours of the script and that they not only meant mere words but flowing sentences. The incredible ideas emerging from the peculiarity of the images employed in writing on being diligently identified through the rebus method leads to defining the current social and religious roots prevalent in India. All the seal inscriptions amazingly follow the phonetic, syntactic and semantic principles; and also redefine the existence of superstructures, trade and economy, which altogether help to brand the Harappan Civilization as a literate society.

"Indus Seals (2600-1900 BCE) Beyond Geometry: A New Approach to Break an Old Code" is a pioneering work which draws attention to the languages and culture of the Indus region for a better understanding of its ancient Indus seals. The signs and symbols inscribed on the seals are considered to be an ancient script which is yet to be deciphered.However, the seals are also imbued with images of animals, humans, deities, trees and unidentifiable objects. Hence, apart from depicting the script they also symbolize an assortment of social, cultural and ideological content which requires a holistic approach for its interpretation. This book looks for clues in three latent sources to establish the socio-cultural context of the seal images: it seeks ancient words retained in the Sindhi language and relates them to the seal images; it highlights the symbols of Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism on the seals and traces the roots of the philosophy of nonviolence in ancient Indus cities; and it examines the geometric principles and patterns of seals to study the significance of geometry in the Indus Civilization. The book, through a few examples, demonstrates that these seemingly diverse means can eventually converge to present a clearer picture of a small fraction of the seal iconography. Hence, the book also emphasizes to explore more sources to understand the multiple facets of the seals."Indus Seals (2600-1900 BCE) Beyond Geometry: A New Approach to Break an Old Code" is Talpur's third book on the Indus Civilization. It is a companion to her last book "Moen jo Daro: Metropolis of the Indus Civilization (2600-1900 BCE)" and it is an update to her previous research covered in "Evidence of Geometry in Indus Valley Civilization," her first book on this subject.

The decipherment of the unique Indus script has remained controversial as there is no uniformity or logic established in its interpretation. The prominence of a mythical one horned bull that never existed does indicate it is beyond what has been understood till date. This research is focused on, (1) Understanding the significance of the bull, the other animal representations, and the symbols of the script that are inscribed, (2) The interpretation of seals depicting human figures in activity, and (3) Demystifying the curiosity in answering prominent questions that arise when one examines the seals with an open mind such as: Why many seals have single horned bull and some have double horned humped bull picture? Why the bulls are not depicted as eating anything from the manger in front? Why the bull in each seal is associated with different symbols and what do these unique symbols indicate? Why the manger has different design patterns and, supported on a slender pedestal? Are these seals a part of a continuum or is it explicit?In an endeavor to find answers to these questions, the research work had to cross several domains until such time the connectivity got established between the three aspects like the bull, the structure of manger, and the different symbols inscribed. The work started with locating which part of Vedas had the maximum reference to a bull. Many hymns of Rigveda have reference to bull addressing it as a priest. The symbols on seals appeared to be totally based on these Vedic contents. While trying to develop a rationale on the Indus seals, and the symbols inscribed, the symbol similar to the bird-altar caught my attention and wondered why a symbol that was almost similar to a bird altar was used in the symbols of the Indus seal? This prompted me into a study about Yajnas. Through a comparative study of seals it got revealed that the significance of the bull in the seal, is well related to the significance of the bull in Vedic Hymns. The inscriptions on Indus seals are symbolic and symbolography is its presentation. Symbolography is the representation of ideas through signs, a movement which guides for a full understanding or discussion about the underlying aspect. As the study progressed, the coded information of the seals and their significance got interpreted, establishing the fact that the interpretation is holistic and well correlated to the Vedas. Based on all the above, the book has been structured into three parts: Section A is the: Ingredients of a Seal. It has information about the various aspects that are involved in a Yajna ritual as without a background of these, the understandings of seals become confusing. It familiarizes the reader with the significance of single horned bull, double horned bull, rhinoceros, the elephant representations in the seals, and the significance of tigers. The symbolic representation of deities and the significance of the designs on the manger like structure are discussed.The Section B is the: The glossary of symbols. This gives the key information about 260 individual symbols. Their vocabulary is explained with definitions along with the picture of the seal from which it has been drawn.Section C is: Analysis of Seals. In this part, over one-hundred and sixty seals are analysed in detail. The symbols as well as the pictorial parts are dealt with an analysis of each seal.The appendix part of this book provides interesting information about topics like (1) The geometry involved in the symbols, (2) The various fire altars depicted in seals, (3) The significance of the designs of the ladles depicted in bottom part of the tail of the animal representations, and (4) The pictures of the Harappan site are proved to the Yajna shala of Soma rituals, which are hitherto believed to be the 'great public bath of Harappa'. The book proves most interesting to unveil all the mystery behind the Indus seals.

This is the fourth volume of the Ancient Pakistan - An Archaeological History. It deals with a number of issues of the Indus Civilization, which are primarily of theoretical importance. The main topics that have been discussed are the social and political organization of the Harappan society, the Harappan religion, the Indus script and language, the beginning and the end of this vast civilization, and the recent attempts in creating some myths around the Indus Civilization. Since this volume is primarily dedicated to the theoretical and the abstract, descriptive material is kept to a minimum.

This pioneering book with many interesting illustrations provides new Vedic interpretation for the Indus valley seals or the Harappan seals, with a particular emphasis on the single horned bull and the manger like structure. The analysis builds a strong linkage for the significance of bull to the manger like structure, hither to not explored. The book focuses on a scientific approach on how the words of Vedas got created, how it got structured with meter into poetry. The book presents a hypothesis on how over 10500 verses of Rig Veda and other Vedas were memorized while maintaining the purity of the composition in an ancient period when no script existed.

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.

Scientists discover Y-DNA haplogroups O2a and mt-DNA haplogroup M4a in the Rakhigarhi ancient DNA. These haplogroups are associated with the speakers of Austro-Asiatic languages such as Mundari, Santali and Khasi. These haplogroups and related languages are also present in Southeast Asia. In India, speakers of these languages are currently found mostly in Central and East India. Even though a prominent philologist of Harvard University, Mr. Michael Witzel, has argued the case for a language close to Munda (which he calls para-Mundari) being one of the languages of the erstwhile Indus Valley, a finding of this nature will come as a surprise to most others. So if the genetics do find haplogroups O and M4a in Rakhigarhi, some of our current understanding of Indian history may have to be revised. Tony Joseph in The Hindu, December 23, 2017

This book offers a critical synthesis of the archaeology of South Asia from the Neolithic period (c.6500 BCE), when domestication began, to the spread of Buddhism accompanying the Mauryan Emperor Asoka's reign (third century BCE). The authors examine the growth and character of the Indus civilisation, with its town planning, sophisticated drainage systems, vast cities and international trade. They also consider the strong cultural links between the Indus civilisation and the second, later period of South Asian urbanism which began in the first millennium BCE and developed through the early first millennium CE. In addition to examining the evidence for emerging urban complexity, this book gives equal weight to interactions between rural and urban communities across South Asia and considers the critical roles played by rural areas in social and economic development. The authors explore how narratives of continuity and transformation have been formulated in analyses of South Asia's Prehistoric and Early Historic archaeological record.