Notes From the Chapter Bibliography - 4. Alphanumeric Notation and the Calendrical-Musical Kosmos
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Notes From the Chapter Bibliography
The following paragraphs of notes from the author for Chapter 4 include quotations/sourced facts from the following Bibliography Items. Can you help us work them into the body of Chapter 4?
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Bibliography Items
J.V. Kinnier Wilson, “The Case for Accountancy,” in B.B. Lal and S.P. Gupta, Frontiers of the Indus Civilization (New Delhi: 1984), pp. 173–178.
B.B. Lal and S.P. Gupta (eds.), Frontiers of the Indus Civilization (New Delhi: 1984).
Iravatham Mahadevan, “Terminal Ideograms in the Indus Script,” in Gregory L. Possehl (ed.), Harappan Civilization: A Contemporary Perspective (New Delhi: 1982), pp. 311–317.
Asko Parpola, “Interpreting the Indus Script,” in B.B. Lal and S.P. Gupta, Frontiers of the Indus Civilization (New Delhi: 1984), pp. 179–191.
Hudson’s Notes on These Bibliography Items
J.V. Kinnier Wilson[1]Verify CitationOriginally this said “He noted” and it was unclear to whom this refers. Did we get this right? noted that the earliest Indus writing is mainly economic record-keeping, presumably by public officials. On the “miniature seals,” numerals are invariably present. Also frequent are animal signs, which Kinnier Wilson suspected may represent calendrical constellations just as in the modern zodiac or perhaps years (as in the Chinese year of the rat, etc.). This would explain why all the extant Indus inscriptions are so short.
In any case, all Bronze Age scripts, from cuneiform to Linear B, have to do with bookkeeping in one form or another.
Likewise, Asko Parpola[2] (1984: p. 181) observed that the great majority of Indus inscriptions are seals, used by officials for administration and trade. And Iravatham Mahadevan[3] (1982: p. 313) found one of the most frequent signs the “jar” sign. This accounts for about a 10th of total sign occurrences, usually as a postfix.
MahadevanVerify CitationOriginally this said “He suspected” and based on context we guessed this meant Mahadevan. Is this correct? suspected that it is “a sacrificial vessel used in priestly ritual,” or perhaps a suffix attached to names to denote priestly status. Or it might be simply an administrative measure to distribute commodities.
The “bearer” sign has similar positional and functional characteristics. “The term ‘bearer’ is applied idiomatically in Indian languages to be a person who ‘shoulders’ any responsibility or ‘bears’ the ‘burden’ of any office.” Thus the Sanskrit word for husband, “bhartr,” (literally one who sustains or maintains) is from the root “bhr,” “to bear.”Verify CitationCan someone with access to the original text(s) verify where the quote starts, stops, and continues, if at all?
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- ↑ J.V. Kinnier Wilson, “The Case for Accountancy,” in B.B. Lal and S.P. Gupta, Frontiers of the Indus Civilization (New Delhi: 1984), pp. 173–178.
- ↑ Asko Parpola, “Interpreting the Indus Script,” in B.B. Lal and S.P. Gupta, Frontiers of the Indus Civilization (New Delhi: 1984), pp. 179–191.
- ↑ Iravatham Mahadevan, “Terminal Ideograms in the Indus Script,” in Gregory L. Possehl (ed.), Harappan Civilization: A Contemporary Perspective (New Delhi: 1982), pp. 311–317.
