Metal and writing in the Bronze Age Indus Valley
The earliest possible stable writing systems of the "Bronze Age" evolved in the age of metal. Metal and the early writing systems are inseparable, Sanskrit of all the Indo-European languages has a clear correlation with Mesopotamian words for metal (found on link Bronze Age Trade and Writing System of Meluhha). Thus tracing the words formed by the different Sanskrit names for metal happened to be a 'given' decipherment route. That and the work of Dr. Srinivasan Kalyanaraman have made this decipherment possible. A quote from his website 'Bronze Age Trade and Writing System of Meluhha' (link to the right); "Two shipwrecks were found with tin ingots; one was in Haifa, Israel and another was in Cape Gelidonya, Southern Turkey (Anatolia). Two tin ingots found in Haifa, Israel contained epigraphs incised on the ingots. The epigraphs were roughly like these ( including the ligatures): considering that both the ingots were almost the same weight and had the same purity of tin, it may be surmised that the two glyphs preceding the 'X' were glyphonyms (that is, glyphs connoting the same message)".
On Dr. Srinivassan Kalyanaraman's site 'Bronze Age Trade and Writing System of Meluhha, Page 18 there are two pictures of two tin ingots. Both Ingot's have Indus Valley writing on them. The ingot on the right I believe to be 'pattra-kutila' = 'tin ingot' the one on the left is a variant of the sign I found for Bhadra (from Bhadrapada the constellation), the ingot on the lift is Gurupattra = tin. Gurupattra is one combination word while Pattra kutila is two separate words, both convey 'tin ingot'. Pattra (the 'X' glyph found on both ingots) means; a leaf for "writing on" or "a plate of metal". I have shown on this site a relationship with the names of Sanskrit star constellations and the sentence structure of the Indus valley seals. Writing in the Indus Valley used the pictorial images of the constellations for their; alphabet, names of their seasons, and the names of planets. The Pattra glyph is a variant of the pada glyph from the suffix of bhadra-pada. A link to the pada glyph web page 13 to the right. Through Sanskrit gradation of word pada can become pati the 'X' glyph.
pada n. (rarely m.) a step , pace , stride ; a footstep , trace , vestige , mark , the foot itself. RV.
pati 1 m. (cf. 1. %{vat} ; when uncompounded and meaning " husband " instr. %{pa4tya} ; dat. %{pa4tye} ; gen. abl. %{pa4tyur} ; loc. %{pa4tyau} ; but when meaning " lord , master " , and ifc. regularly inflected with exceptions ; cf. Pa1n2. 1-4 , 8 ; 9 ) a master , owner , possessor , lord , ruler , sovereign RV.
paTh cl. 1. P. (Dha1tup. ix , 45) %{paThati} , to read or repeat aloud , to recite , rehearse TA1r. MBh. &c.
paTha m. reading , recitation (? see comp. ) ; N. of a serpent-demon MBh.
patha m. a way , path , road , course , reach MBh. Ka1v. &c. (generally ifc. for %{pathin} ; cf. Pa1n2.5-4 , 74).
pATha m. ( %{paTh}) recitation , recital Ka1v. ; reading , perusal , study (esp. of sacred texts).
pathikRt mfn. making a way or road , preparing a way RV. AV.
paTTa m.(fr.%{pattra}?) a slab , tablet (for painting or writing upon) MBh. (esp. a copper plate for inscribing royal grants or orders.
Above pada starts as a step then pati is master or lord which becomes pater father. PaTh and paTha is to read or repeat this leads to Pattra to write (the pattra glyph is a variant of the pada sign and not gradation ). Than patha a way, path, road, course this is the visual representation of the glyph pada. The "X" glyph shows up in the Greek Linear B for father. Link to Linear B and Cypriot evolution from the Indus Valley script. In the Santali language the p becomes b; bat. meaning road.
Guru means; heavy , weighty RV., how Guru relates to Badrapada is through Gurubha meaning ' Brihaspati's constellation ' (Jupiter's constellation) and Guru means; Brihaspati ( Jupiter ). Kutila = %{gati} and gati through gradation is Ghata = %{kumbha}; a pitcher , earthen water-jar , the sign Aquarius is in the same latitude as Badra-pada and it can be interpreted as the thrones-path. Kumbha is from a system like our horoscope constellations with 12 constellations and Bhadra-pada is the suffix of the 25Th and 26Th constellation of the Saptarisa system with 28 constellations. I want to comment here on the Vedic observation of Jupiter 'Guru' meaning; heavy or weighty , this is profound for such an early date, it is like gola that translates to globe in English, Thus they believed the earth to be round and Jupiter to be the heaviest planet!
glau a round lump AV. vi , 83 , 3 ; the moon L. ; camphor W. ; the earth L.
gola m. (=%{guDa}) " a ball" see %{-krIDA} ; globe (as the celestial globe or as the globe of the sun or of the earth) Su1ryas.
The first ingot with the Kutila glyph which appears visually to be a; pitcher , earthen water-jar or liquid measure. Kutila = %{tagara}, tagaraka is an antelope, visually the Guru glyph as noted by Dr. Srinivasan Kalyanaraman; " There are two distinct glyphs on two pure ingots. One is antelope , ran:ku the other is lipuid measure , ran:ku. Hence both glyphs connote tin, ran:ku. All these ran:ku meanings are in the Santali language and also in some Bharatiya languages". The Santali language is a surviving language of the ancient Melukkca, from the mleccha region. With many references to Melukkca from the Akkadians of Mesopotamia (as the people of the black-lands).
kuTila mf(%{A})n. bent , crooked , curved lines , crisped , curled Ka1tyS3r. MBh. &c. ; dishonest , fraudulent Pan5 cat. Vet. &c.. ; m. he-goat with particular marks VarBr2S. ; (%{A}) f. (scil. %{gati} ) a particular period in the retrograde course of a planet Su1ryas. ; of a river (v.1. for %{kuTikA}) R. ; of the river Sarasvati ! L. ; (%{A} , %{am}) fn.N. of a metre (containing four lines of fourteen sylables each) ; (%{am}) n. N. of a plant (=%{tagara} , %{kuJcita} , %{vakra}) L. ; a kind of perfume L. ; tin W
ghaTi 2in comp. for %{-Tin}.
gurupattra n. tin L. ; (%{A}) f. the tamarind tree L.
On the site 'Bronze Age Trade and Writing System of Meluhha' page 28 their are two ingots below them are images of seal impressions and copper plates (with the Indus script on them). On the ingots Guru and Kutila are on separate ingots, on seal m-13336a Guru and Kutila are in the same sentence (next to each other). Guru means; Jupiter and Kutila means; tin and a particular period in the retrograde course of a planet. On the seal after Guru Kutila (the Indus writing is right to left) their are two dashes that I have found to mean the light half of the month I previously thought it meant; dvi; two or dvy; 'day' after the two dashes are six dashes, thus; 'day six of the retrograde course of Jupiter In the light half of the lunar month). On most pages in the main index link Indoeurohome you can find references to the two dashes meaning day. The next image is the copper plate m-1341; the first glyph I have found to mean adite or Aditya (I found it proceeded the Rahu or rohina glyph the Daitya Rahu as in Ruhaditi ) and daitya-guru is the planet Venus, and agian the glyph Kutila, thus Venus in a period of retrograde. Copper plate m0522A the first glyph I originally thought to be the number five (how I got the number 14 Sirius) and the fifth constellation is AgrahAyaNa (same constellation as Mriga-siras). The plate reads; aGra and Guru, Guru through gradation can be giri or giri = %{guru} thus aG-giri is aGgiras; the planet Jupiter, possible having somthing to do with the constellation Gemini (AgrahAyaNa is Gemini). Sign 251 on the same page = kutila = %{vakra} the scorpion, the glyph is a variant of the kutila glyph with a scorpion inside it, a scorpion is visakha thus vakra. Below girisAra is tin and the Malaya mountains and Malayagiri mountains is a very rich mineral deposit of India. Tin in the Indus Valley Bronze Age may have come from the mountain range (giri) at the south-eastern end of the Caspian Sea, the Indus culture was present at Tepe Hissar , Namazga-Tepe and Alty-Tepe. This area around Tepe Hissar is the oldest known tin mining of the Middle East. (link to map to the right)
AgrahAyaNa %{as} , m.= %{agra-hAyaNa} (q.v.) Pa1n2. 5-4 , 36 Comm. ; (%{l} f. (g. %{gaurA7di} q.v. ; scil. %{paurNamAsI}) the day of full moon in the month Agraha1yan2a S3a1nskhS3r. &c. ; (ifc. ind. %{-Ni} or %{-Nam} Pa1n2. 5-4 , 110) ; a kind of Pa1ka-yajn5a &c.; N. of the constellation Mr2iga-s3iras L.
giri 3 m. (for %{gari} , Zd. {gairi} cf. %{guru4} , %{ga4rIyas}; mountain
aGgiras , %{As} m. N. on a R2ishi , author of the hymns of RV. ix , of a code of laws , and of a treatise of astronomy , Br2ihaspati, In astronomy he is the planet Jupiter , and a star in Ursa Major ; N. of Agni MBh.
girisAra tin L. ; N. of the Malaya mountains (in the south of India)
As noted by Dr. Srinivasan Kalyanaraman; "There are two distinct glyphs on two pure ingots. One is antelope, ran:ku. the other is liquid measure, ran:ku. Hence both glyphs connote tin, All these ran:ku meanings are in Santali language and also in some bharatiya languages" The Santali language is a surviving language of the ancient Melukkca of the mleccha region. With many references to Melukkca with the Akkiadians of Mesopotamia. They were referred to as the people of the black-lands as in Krishna Melukkca (Krishna means black). An interesting development is Krishna's mythological city of Dwarka may have been found. In commentary by the Mesopotamians they said the Mlecchas lived on islands. On one such island is where the Dholavira sign-board was found, off the Mleccha coast. This is a place where further writing's may still be found. The same type of writing as on the Blade-axes and Dholavira sign-board (below). This region shows a more relaxed prohibition towards writing, the mleccha region and the capitol especially.
"If the underlying language is of the Indic family or family of bharatiya languages (?that is from the ancient Melukkca or mleccha region), a surprising result emerges. The underlying lexeme is ran:ku connotes: liquid measure, antelope and also tin". Then the glyphs; kutila , ghati and vakra visually represent a bucket of water at different levels or 'liquid measure'.
Four blade-axes found inscribed with the mleccha script
Four blade-axes found in Mohenjo-daro, DK area, this is the lower Indus Valley thus Mleccha. Archaeologically the upper and lower Indus were? different with respect to goods and services. Again from Dr. Srinivasan Kalyanaraman's site page 26 their is four blade-axes with writing on them. These blade-axes where a copper alloy (not pure copper), the four sentences on the blades start with the trident and a back-wards v on top of it, then the bucket of water glyph found to be kutila thus the mleccha or Santali; ran:ku. The ran glyph is a variant from the center of the 28Th constellation Revita and the ku is from kutila. The 'R' glyph (the trident) shows up in Linear B as both re and ru (link Linear B and Cypriot evolution from the Indus Valley script). After the ran:ku glyphs is a variant glyph I found for the constellation Sravana. The blade-axes where a copper alloy (not pure copper) what was called bell metal (called bell metal because of the sound it makes when struck 'like a bell").
Below sAraNa may have come from somewhere in the upper Indus. Where sarasvati civilization is the upper Indus Valley.
sAraNa mf(%{I}n.; (ifc. f. %{A}) producing a sound , string a note on (loc.) ib. ; a partic. process to which mineral substances (esp.quicksilver) are subjected (two others being given called %{Rtu-s-} and %{prati-sAraNa} ; %{-NA-traya}n.
sarasvatI name of river celebrated in RV. the Indus river , The name of a goddess river and her seven sisters.
kSAraNa a particular process applied to mercury Sarvad. ix ; (%{%{A}) f. accusing of adultery (cf%{A-kSArNa})L.
The last two glyphs denote two Suvarna's from the suffix of the constellation Mriga-siras, .The suvarna glyph may not be gradation because it becomes a variant glyph much like the rebus method (it became a circle). Suvarna means; a partic. weight of gold (= 1 karsha , = 16 Ma1shas , = 80 Rakktika1s , = about 175 grains troy) Mn. MBh. &c. it is also a coin (the variant circle). Suvarna may denote Afganistan where gold was originally mined because suvarNAbha is Lapis Lazuli, a famous stone for jewelly that was mined in Afganistan by the Indus culture and suvarNabhU is "gold-country" N. of a country said to be in the northeast VarBr2S.
The Dholavira sign-board
Above the four blade axes read Ran:ku sAraNa = liquid measure of bell metal, these same glyphs for sAraNa show up on the dholavira sign-board located of the Khadir island in the Kutch dictrict (since the blade axes are metal and the same glyphs appear on the sign-board it is probable that both convey somthing about metal). The sign-board starts with a glyph I found for the constellation Mula. Mukha and Mleccha are copper, the ancient name for high grade copper was named after the region of the lower Indus Valley (much like survana and girisara and sarana are all associated with the place they were mined) . The sign reads copper (high grade copper) two Suvarna's. On page 28 of the site Bronze Age trade and meluhha writing system the four blade axes were found in the Mohenjo-daro area all have the word Ran:ku from the now Santali language, below the definition of Mleccha; a person who lives by agriculture or by making weapons, thus they made tools (blade-axes). Mula means; the lowest part or bottom (the lower Indus), immediate neighborhood (again nearest neighbor the lower Indus), origin , beginning ( the lower Indus people were the probable original peoples of the Indus Valley). Mula through gradation becomes mukha 'copper', just as mula denotes a direction 'bottom or lowest' mukha denotes; direction, mouth , opening and "mouth of river" (as in the mouth of the Indus river).
mUla "firmly fixed" , a root (of any plant or tree ; but also fig. the foot or lowest part or botton of anything) RV. &c ; the edge (of the horizon) Megh. ; immediate neighbourhood (%{mama@nUtam} = to my side) R. ; basis , foundation , cause , origin , commencement , beginning (%{mUlad@Arbhya} or %{A} %{mUlat} , fron the beginning ; %{mUlAt} , from the bottom , thoroughly ; %{mUlaM} %{kranataz@ca}, right through from beginning Divy A7v.) Mn. MBh. &c (ibc.= chief principal cf. below ; ifc. = rooted in , based upon , derived from) ; a king's original or proper territory Mn. vii , (%{A} f. N. of the 17Th (or 19Th) lunar mansion AV. &c. &c. ; mfn. original , first Cat. ; =%{nija} , own , proper , peculiar L.
mukha the mouth , face , countenance RV. &c , &c. ; the bead of a bird , snout or muzzle of and animal Gr2S. Mn. MBh. &c. ; a direction , quarter (esp. ifc cf. %{diG-n-} ; mfn. turning or turned towards , facing cf. %{adho-m-}) ; the mouth or spout of a vessel Ka1tyS3r. ; opening aperture , entrance into or egress out of (gen. or comp.) MBh. Ka1v. &c. ; the mouth or embouchure (of a river) Ragh. ; there fore part , front , van (of an army) TBr. MBh. ; the upper part , head , top , tip , or point of anything VS. Br. MBh. &c. (also mfn. in comp. cf. %{payo-m-}) ; the edge (of an axe) Ka1v. ; the nipple (of a breast) Hariv. ; the surface , upper side A1ryabh. Sch. ; the chief , principal , best copper L. ; m. Artocarpus Locuchs L.
mleccha m. a foreigner , barbarian , non-Aryan , man of an outcast race , any person who does not speak Sanskr2it and does not conform to the usual Hindu1 institutions S3Br. &c. &c. (%{I} f.) ; a person who lives by agriculture or by making weapons L. ; a wicked or bad man , sinner L. ; ignorance of Sanskr2it , barbarism Nya1yam. Sch. ; n. cooper
mlecchAkhya n. called Mleccha copper L.
The glyphs after Mukha (high grade copper) are Suvarna doubled, meaning two Suvarna. After the 2 Suvarnas (the middle of sign-board) are the glyphs that are the same as the those found on the blade-axes, agian this ties the sign-board with the Santali; ran:ku sAraNa 'liquid measure bell metal'. After sAraNa is a one suvarna glyph. The blade-axes are hand crafted tools, doubled the price of just bell metal.
The last glyphs look like the decipherment Dr. Srinivasan Kalyanaraman made, he notes the veins of the leaf; dat.hi , dat.i or petioles and mid-ribs of a compound leaf after the leaflets have been plucked off, stalks of certain plants, as indianc orn, after the grain has been taken off, is Santali; dat.hi , dat.i. The Santali dhatu is a metal or mineral and dha_tu is mineral (Vedic). The Glyph is a variant of the heart glyph I found for 'Du' as in Du-Du Danishtha. After the petiole or leaf glyph is a ghyph that visually looks like a gimlet for boring or drilling 'tamar' thus toghether dat.i - tamar is the Santali dat.i, then one suvarna.
dhAtu 1 m. layer , stratum Ka1tyS3r. Kaus3. ; constituent part , ingredient (esp. [and in RV. only] ifc. , where often = "fold" e.g. %{tri-dhA4tu} , threefold &c, ; cf. %{triviSTi-} , %{sapta-} , %{su-}) RV. TS. S3Br. &c. ; element , primitive matter
dhAtrIpattra n. the leaf of Flacourtia Cataphracta L
bhudaAtirl f. earth-mother "N. of Bat2uka-bhairava L. ; Flacourtia Cataphracta
dhAtuvairin M. "metal-enemy" , sulphur L.
dhAtucUrNa n.mineral powder Sus3r.
dhAtUpala m. a mineral poison Sus3r.
upadhAtu m. a secondary mineral , simi-metal
.