The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is set to host an international brainstorming conference from August 20 to 22, aimed at exploring ways to decipher the Indus Valley script. 

• The conference, titled “Decipherment of the Indus Script: Current Status and the Way Forward,” will bring together experts from India and abroad who are actively researching the Harappan civilization. 
• In January 2025, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has also announced a $1 million prize for deciphering the script.

About the Indus Valley Script

• The Indus script is a collection of symbols that appear primarily on diverse materials, including seals, pottery, bronze tools, stoneware bangles, bones, shells, ivory, steatite, bronze, and copper tablets.
• Undeciphered Nature: Despite extensive research and several hypotheses, the script has not been successfully deciphered, and its true meaning and connection to languages remain unknown.
• Pictogram-Based Writing: The script is written using pictograms, often accompanied by animal or human motifs. 
  • Some scholars suggest  that the script could be “logo-syllabic,” meaning it may combine both logograms (symbols representing words) and syllabic components (symbols representing sounds).
• Boustrophedon Style: It employs the boustrophedon writing style, alternating between right-to-left in one line and left-to-right in the next.
• Decimal System: The numeral system is based on the decimal system, with single downward strokes representing units and semicircles representing tens.
• Seals and Animal Motifs: Seals typically feature the script at the top and an animal motif in the center, often serving identification and administrative purposes.
• Functionality: Seals may have been used as amulets or talismans, but their primary function was to mark trade goods for identification.
• Trade Connections: Clay tags bearing the Indus script have been discovered in Mesopotamia, indicating the extensive trade networks of the Indus Valley Civilisation.
• Narrative Imagery: The script often combines text with depictions of humans, animals, and mythical creatures, hinting at possible religious or liturgical significance.

Challenges in Decipherment

• Short Texts: Indus texts are generally brief, averaging five characters, with the longest text containing only 26 characters.
• Absence of Bilingual Texts: Unlike the Rosetta Stone for Egyptian hieroglyphs, no bilingual inscriptions have been discovered to aid in deciphering the Indus script.

Significance of Deciphering IVC Script

• Cultural Insights:
  • Provides clarity on societal structure, economy, and daily life in the IVC.
  • Strengthens connections between IVC and Tamil Dravidian heritage.
• Historical Understanding:
  • Confirms IVC’s precedence over Aryan civilization.
  • Strengthens the hypothesis of a Dravidian language being spoken.
• Academic Recognition:
  • Encourages global collaboration among linguists, archaeologists, and technologists.
  • Promotes Tamil Nadu as a hub for historical research and scholarship.

About Indus Valley Civilization

• Historical Importance: One of the world’s oldest urban civilizations, discovered in 1924 by Sir John Marshall.
• Language Mystery: The script remains undeciphered even after 100 years, hindering a complete understanding of its culture and society.
• Cultural Parallels: Archaeologists have found connections between Indus graffiti marks and Tamil Nadu’s symbols, suggesting links to Dravidian culture.

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