Indus Seals (2600-1900 Bce) Beyond Geometry: A New Approach to Break an Old Code

by Parveen Talpur, G.A. Allana (Foreword by), Subhash Kak (Foreword by)

Overview

"Indus Seals (2600-1900 BCE) Beyond Geometry: A New Approach to Break an Old Code" is a pioneering work which draws attention to the languages and culture of the Indus region for a better understanding of its ancient Indus seals. The signs and symbols inscribed on the seals are considered to be an ancient script which is yet to be deciphered. However, the seals are also imbued with images of animals, humans, deities, trees and unidentifiable objects. Hence, apart from depicting the script they also symbolize an assortment of social, cultural and ideological content which requires a holistic approach for its interpretation. This book looks for clues in three latent sources to establish the socio-cultural context of the seal images: it seeks ancient words retained in the Sindhi language and relates them to the seal images; it highlights the symbols of Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism on the seals and traces the roots of the philosophy of nonviolence in ancient Indus cities; and it examines the geometric principles and patterns of seals to study the significance of geometry in the Indus Civilization. The book, through a few examples, demonstrates that these seemingly diverse means can eventually converge to present a clearer picture of a small fraction of the seal iconography. Hence, the book also emphasizes to explore more sources to understand the multiple facets of the seals. "Indus Seals (2600-1900 BCE) Beyond Geometry: A New Approach to Break an Old Code" is Talpur's third book on the Indus Civilization. It is a companion to her last book "Moen jo Daro: Metropolis of the Indus Civilization (2600-1900 BCE)" and it is an update to her previous research covered in "Evidence of Geometry in Indus Valley Civilization," her first book on this subject.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781483582061
Publisher:	BookBaby
Publication date:	09/30/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	242
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Parveen Talpur is a Pakistani American writer, historian and archaeologist. Her career in writing and archaeology began simultaneously as she tailored her research reports to feature articles for publication in two of the most prestigious English language newspapers 'Dawn' and the 'Pakistan Times'. She writes nonfiction and fiction and has to her credit many feature articles, three television documentary scripts and five books. In 2014 Talpur published her well-illustrated book "Moen jo Daro: Metropolis of the Indus Civilization (2600-1900)," which is widely acclaimed for her narrative writing. She has now published its companion book "Indus Seals (2600-1900 BCE) Beyond Geometry: A New Approach to Break an Old Code." From 1990-1997 Talpur had been a visiting scholar at Cornell University, New York where she worked on the decipherment of ancient cryptic symbols discovered from Indus Valley Civilization. The results of her research were first published in Wisconsin Archaeological Reports Vol. 3, 1994. Later they were published as a book 'Evidence of Geometry in Indus Valley Civilization 2500-1500 B.C.' (Institute of Sindhology, University of Sindh, Jamshoro. 1995).Talpur has taught at Cornell University, Binghamton University and Elmira College. She also undertook a year-long educational trip in 2007 to Pakistan, where she taught at the Pakistan Study Centre, University of Sindh, Jamshoro

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements xvii

Foreword 1 G.A. Allana 1

Foreword 2 Subhash Kak 9

Introductory Note 12

Abbreviations: 17

Part 1 Story of the Indus Seals 19

Seals through the Millennia 21

Crossing Paths with Buddhism 43

History of the Decipherment of Seals 57

Part 2 A New Approach to Break an Old Code 81

Seal Images and Buddhism 83

Seal Images and the Sindhi Language 109

Seal Images and Geometry 165

Appendix: Wordlist of the Old Sindhi Words 185

Endnotes 196

Select Bibliography 215