The Script of Harappa and Mohenjodaro and its Connection with Other Scripts c9.8

c9.8

The connection between Proto-Indian and Proto-Elamite is so close that Professor Sayce has suggested that the languages may be allied.¹ This I have endeavoured to test. There is no doubt that our texts are entirely proper names (and titles). If the languages are allied we may expect identity of some at least of the proper names. Now in the Proto-Elamite tablets it is possible to detect the proper names with some degree of certainty: see the analysis of Tablet No. 490 by Father Scheil on page 30 of Vol. XVII *Mémoires de la mission archéologique en Perse*. Applying his method I have collated all the proper names occurring on the tablets in this volume and vol. VI containing certain signs that could be reasonably safely identified with Proto-Indian signs to see whether in any case the same sequence of signs could be observed. The method adopted was the same as that adopted in the preparation of the tables of Proto-Indian texts. The signs selected as possible equivalents of Proto-Indian signs were ʘ, ⋈, ⋋, ⋌, ⋍, ⋎, ⋏, ⋐ ; the various bird signs; ⋑, ⋒, ⋓, ⋔, ⋕, ⋖, ⋗, ⋘, ⋙, ⋚, ⋛, ⋜, ⋝, ⋞, ⋟, ⋠, ⋡, ⋢, ⋣, ⋤, ⋥, ⋦ and their variants. Every occurrence of each of these signs in all contexts that could conceivably be proper names was tabulated. The result was that out of 355 occurrences the only sequences discernible that tallied with those of our texts were: