Question

Imagine your school is hosting an exhibition on the Harappan civilization and you are responsible for the section on the Harappan script. Which three aspects of it would you explain to the visitors ?

Hint:

Key points for the Harappan Script: - It is undeciphered and contains roughly 375 to 400 pictographic signs. - It was written from right to left. - It was used for trade and administrative tracking on seals, tablets, and pottery.

Answer 1

As the presenter for the Harappan script pavilion, the following three core aspects should be highlighted to visitors to explain its enigmatic ture:
• An Undeciphered, Pictographic Character: Unlike contemporary Egyptian or Mesopotamian scripts, the Harappan writing system remains undeciphered. It was not alphabetical but pictographic, using distinct symbols to represent whole words, ideas, or syllables. The script features anywhere between 375 and 400 unique signs, making it highly complex.
• Boustrophedon Direction of Writing: Archaeological alysis of the spacing on inscribed objects shows that the script was written from right to left. On longer inscriptions, it sometimes follows a *boustrophedon* pattern, meaning it altertes from right-to-left on the first line to left-to-right on the second line. This is evident from seals where characters are cramped on the left side, showing the scribe ran out of room.
• Widespread Practical Applications on Diverse Mediums: The writing was not restricted to formal monuments. It appears on a wide variety of daily artifacts, including stone seals, copper tablets, bone rods, pottery rims, weight metrics, and even a massive wooden display board uncovered at Dholavira. This widespread use suggests the script was an active tool for regulating trade, authenticating property, and tracking administrative transactions.