The Indus script: A challenging puzzle - Asko Parpola

The Indus script: A challenging puzzle

Abstract

The Indus script used by the Harappan civilization around 2600-1800 B.C. remains little understood, but is by no means a 'hopeless case' as some authorities have maintained. The vexed problems concerning the nature of the script, the identity of the underlying language, and the methods and present state of decipherment are briefly discussed. (For overviews with different emphases, see Parpola 1975 and 1979, with bibliographies). The focus of this paper is on aspects that are of special interest to archaeologists, including the problem of the origin of the Indus script, its forerunners and earliest examples, as well as the types of objects on which the signs occur.

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World Archaeology is the only journal established specifically to deal with archaeology on a world-wide multiperiod basis and thirty years after it was founded it remains the leader in its field. Each issue is dedicated to one theme of current interest and the papers adopt a broad comparative approach, looking at important issues on a global scale. The members of the editorial board and the advisory board represent a wide range of interests and expertise and this ensures that the papers published in World Archaeology cover a wide variety of subject areas. Recent issues illustrate the variety of material published in World Archaeology, they have included volumes dedicated to new developments in archaeological science, the application of social theory to archaeology, the archaeology of art and major syntheses of such important topics as trade and exchange. Future issues will range just as widely.

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