Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c21.s16.t6: 2.16.6 Orthographic evidence
Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c21.s16.t6
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2.16.6 Orthographic evidence
c21.s16.t6.1
A method of dating uniquely applicable only to Tamil-Brāhmī is the relative chronology of the three successive (though overlapping) stages of orthographic conventions known as TB-I to III.
c21.s16.t6.2
It is now becoming possible to fix absolute dates also by this method, as all the three orthographic stages have also been found in excavated pottery inscriptions whose dates have been determined by other methods.¹
c21.s16.t6.3
The Early Tamil-Brāhmī inscriptions have some orthographic peculiarities like the use of *ī* for *i*, *ū* for *u*, etc., not continued in the Late Period. Their presence indicates an earlier date which is generally corroborated by palaeographic evidence.²