On the Origin of the Indian Brahma Alphabet c7.s1.26

c7.s1.26

It would, of course, be possible to connect the Bhaṭṭiprolu *ṣ* with the cursive Aramaic *Samech* (Col. III) of the sixth century B. C. But then the cross bar of the Bhaṭṭiprolu sign would remain unexplained. Moreover, there would be the insuperable difficulty that the Aramaic *Beth*, *Daleth*, *Waw*, *Cheth*, *Ain*, *Qoph* and *Resh* of the sixth century are so strongly modified that they cannot be considered the prototypes of the corresponding Brāhma *ba*, *dha*, *va*, *gha*, *E*, *kha* and *ra*. It seems, therefore, advisable to assume, as must be done also in the case of *śa*, that the Hindus independently changed the form of the ancient sign, but in a manner analogous to that adopted by the Aramaeans.