Скачать или смотреть Introduction of the Ancient Scripts । प्राचीन लिपियों का परिचय । Prof Shivram Bhat ।

Ancient scripts constitute the foundational technologies of written communication and are indispensable to the study of philology, epigraphy, paleography, and cultural history. The earliest known writing systems emerged in the late 4th millennium BCE, notably Mesopotamia with Sumer’s cuneiform and in Egypt with hieroglyphic script. These systems evolved from pictographic representations into complex logosyllabic and syllabic structures, enabling administrative record-keeping, religious codification, and literary production.

In South Asia, the earliest deciphered script is the Indus Valley script (c. 2600–1900 BCE), which remains undeciphered despite extensive scholarship. Subsequently, the Brahmi script (3rd century BCE onward) became the progenitor of most Indic scripts, including Devanagari, Tamil, and Bengali. The decipherment of Brahmi by James Prinsep in 1837 marked a milestone in Indian epigraphy, unlocking the edicts of Ashoka.

Ancient scripts are not merely graphic systems; they encode linguistic structure, sociopolitical authority, and intellectual traditions. Their study reveals patterns of language change, cultural exchange, and technological innovation, forming a critical basis for reconstructing early civilizations and preserving manuscript heritage.

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