Stature of body Meluhha hieroglyphs 48 in Indus writing catalogs of metalwork processes

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Ligature: Stool or plank/seat

Sign 43:

Kur. kaṇḍō a stool. Malt. kanḍo stool, seat. (DEDR 1179) Rebus: kaṇḍ 'fire-altar'

(Santali) kāṇḍa ‘tools, pots and pans and metal-ware’ (Marathi) + kāṭi 'body stature;

Rebus: fireplace trench. Thus, furnace for metals in mint. Thus, fire-altar metalware

furnace.

Ligature: crab, claws

Sign 36: kāṭi 'body stature; Rebus: fireplace trench. Thus, furnace for metals

in mint + kamaḍha ‘crab’ Rebus: kammaṭa ‘mint, coiner’. ḍato = claws

of crab (Santali) Rebus: dhātu ‘mineral ore’. Thus mineral ore mint, coiner.

Archer. Ligature one bow-and-arrow hieroglyph

kamaḍha ‘archer, bow’ Rebus: kammaṭa ‘mint, coiner’. + kāṭi 'body stature; Rebus:

fireplace trench. Thus, furnace for metals in mint.

Sign 29 Archer. Ligature two bow-and-arrow hieroglyphs

kamaḍha ‘archer, bow’ Rebus: kammaṭa ‘mint, coiner’. dula 'two' Rebu: dul 'cast metal'.

Thus metal castings mint. + kāṭi 'body stature; Rebus: fireplace trench. Thus, furnace for

metal castings in mint.

Ligature hieroglyph: 'lid of pot' aḍaren ‘lid of pot’ Rebus: aduru ‘

unsmelted, native metal’ + kāṭi 'body stature; Rebus: fireplace trench. Thus

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furnace for aduru, unsmelted, native metal. Ligatures: water-carrier + lid of pot

Sign 14: kuṭi ‘water-carrier’ Rebus: kuṭhi

‘smelter/furnace’+

kāṭi 'body stature; Rebus: fireplace trench +

aḍaren

‘lid of pot’ Rebus: aduru ‘unsmelted, native metal’ + kāṭi 'body stature;

Rebus: fireplace trench. Thus furnace for aduru, unsmelted, native metal. Thus, furnace-smelter for unsmelted, native metal.

Ligature: water-carrier

Sign 12: kuṭi ‘water-carrier’ Rebus: kuṭhi ‘smelter/furnace’+ kāṭi 'body stature; Rebus:

fireplace trench. Thus, smelter furnace.

Ligatures: water-carrier + notch

Sign 13: kuṭi ‘water-carrier’ Rebus: kuṭhi ‘smelter/furnace’+ kāṭi 'body stature; Rebus:

fireplace trench. + खााडा [ khāṇḍā ] m A jag, notch, or indentation (as upon the edge of

a tool or weapon)(Marathi). Rebus: kāṇḍa ‘tools, pots and pans and metal-ware’

(Marathi) + kāṭi 'body stature; Rebus: fireplace trench. + kāṭi 'body =stature; Rebus:

fireplace trench. Thus, smelter-furnace metalware.

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Ligatures: water-carrier (as in Sign 12) + rim of jar

Ligature: rim of jar Rebus: kanda kanka 'fire-trench account,

karṇi supercargo' Tu. kandůka, kandaka ditch, trench. Te. kandakamu id.

Konḍa kanda trench made as a fireplace during weddings. Pe. kanda fire

trench. Kui kanda small trench for fireplace. Malt. kandri a pit. (DEDR 1214).

'rim-of-jar' hieroglyph Rebus: kanka (Santali) karṇika ‘scribe’(Sanskrit) kuṭi ‘water-

carrier’ Rebus: kuṭhi ‘smelter/furnace’.+kāṭi 'body stature; Rebus: fireplace

trench. Thus, smelter furnace account, supercargo.

Ligature 'two spoked wheels'

Spokes-of-wheel, nave-of-wheel āra 'spokes' Rebus: āra ‘brass’. cf. erka = ekke (Tbh. of

arka) aka (Tbh. of arka) copper (metal); crystal (Kannada) Glyph: eraka’nave of wheel’

Rebus: eraka ‘copper’; cf. erka = ekke (Tbh. of arka) aka (Tbh. of arka) copper (metal);

crystal (Kannada) dula 'two' Rebus: dul 'cast metal'. Thus, moltencast copper castings

++ kāṭi 'body stature; Rebus: fireplace trench. Thus, furnace for copper metal castings.

Ligature hieroglyph 'corner'

kanac ‘corner’ Rebus: kañcu ‘bronze’ + kāṭi 'body stature; Rebus: fireplace trench.

Thus, furnace for bronze castings.

Ligatures: corner + notch

Sign 31: kana, kanac = corner (Santali); Rebus: kañcu = bronze (Telugu) PLUS खााडा [ khāṇḍā ] m A

jag, notch, or indentation (as upon the edge of a tool or weapon). Rebus: kāṇḍa ‘tools, pots and pans and

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metal-ware’ Thus, bronze metalware. + kāṭi 'body stature; Rebus: fireplace trench. Thus,

furnace bronze metalware castings.

Ligature hieroglyph: 'stick' or 'one'

Sign1 Hieroglyph: काठी [ kāṭhī ] f (काषट S) (or शरीराची काठी) The frame or

structure of the body: also (viewed by some as arising from the preceding

sense, Measuring rod) stature (Marathi) B. kāṭhā ʻ measure of length ʼ(CDIAL

3120).

H. kāṭhī 'wood' f. G. kāṭh n. ʻ wood ʼ, °ṭhī f. ʻ stick, measure of 5 cubits

ʼ(CDIAL 3120). + kāṭi 'body stature; Rebus: fireplace trench.The 'stick'

hieroglyph is a phonetic reinforcement of 'body stature' hieroglyph.

Alternatively, koḍ 'one' Rebus: koḍ 'workshop'+ kāṭi 'body stature; Rebus:

fireplace trench.. Thus, workplace of furnace fire-trench.

Rebus: G. kāṭɔṛɔ m. ʻ dross left in the furnace after smelting iron ore ʼ.(CDIAL

2646)

Rebus: kāṭi , n. < U. ghāṭī. 1. Trench of a fort; அகழி. 2. A fireplace in the

form of a long ditch; ககோடடையடுபபு கோடியடுபபு kāṭi-y-aṭuppu , n. < கோடி&sup6;

+. A fireplace in the form of a long ditch used for cooking on a large scale; ககோடடையடுபபு.

Rebus: S.kcch. kāṭhī f. ʻ wood ʼPa. Pk. kaṭṭha -- n. ʻ wood ʼ(CDIAL 3120).

Sign 37 Hieroglyph: WPah.kṭg. ṭōṭ ʻ mouth ʼ.WPah.kṭg. thótti f., thótthəṛ m. ʻ

snout, mouth ʼ, A. ṭhõt (phonet. thõt) (CDIAL 5853).

Rebus: tutthá n. (m. lex.), tutthaka -- n. ʻ blue vitriol (used as an eye

ointment) ʼ Suśr., tūtaka -- lex. 2. *thōttha -- 4. 3. *tūtta -- . 4. *tōtta -- 2.

[Prob. ← Drav. T. Burrow BSOAS xii 381; cf. dhūrta -- 2 n. ʻ iron filings ʼ lex.]1. N. tutho ʻ blue vitriol or sulphate of copper ʼ, B. tuth.2. K. thoth, dat.

°thas m., P. thothā m.3. S. tūtio m., A. tutiyā, B. tute, Or. tutiā, H. tūtā,

tūtiyā m., M. tutiyā m.4. M. totā m.(CDIAL 5855) Ka. tukku rust of iron; tutta, tuttu, tutte blue vitriol. Tu. tukků rust; mair(ů)suttu, (Eng.-Tu. Dict.)

mairůtuttu blue vitriol. Te. t(r)uppu rust; (SAN) trukku id., verdigris. / Cf. Skt. tuttha- blue vitriol (DEDR 3343).

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Sign 2: dula 'pair' Rebus: dul 'cast metal' + kāṭi 'body stature; Rebus:

fireplace trench. Thus furnace for metal casting. koḍ 'one' Rebus: koḍ

'workshop'. Thus, furnace workshop.

Ligature: harrow

Ligatures: harrow + notch (between legs) Allographs: Signs 18, 39

Sign 18: खााडा [ khāṇḍā ] m A jag, notch, or indentation (as upon the edge of

a tool or weapon)(Marathi). Rebus: kāṇḍa ‘tools, pots and pans and metal-

ware’ (Marathi) + kāṭi 'body stature; Rebus: fireplace trench. Thus, furnace

for metalware castings of unsmelted, native metal.

Ligature component in hieroglyph 'harrow'

Sign 19: aḍar 'harrow'; rebus: aduru 'native unsmelted metal’ (Kannada) + kāṭi 'body

stature; Rebus: fireplace trench. Thus, furnace for native metal.

Sign 20: खााडा [ khāṇḍā ] m A jag, notch, or indentation (as upon the edge of

a tool or weapon)(Marathi). Rebus: kāṇḍa ‘tools, pots and pans and metal-

ware’ (Marathi) + kāṭi 'body stature; Rebus: fireplace trench. Thus, furnace

for metalware castings of unsmelted, native metal.

Ligature hieroglyph 'currycomb'

kSign 38: hareḍo = a currycomb (Gujarati) खरारा [ kharārā ] m ( H) A

currycomb. 2 Currying a horse. (Marathi) Rebus: करडा [karaḍā] Hard from

alloy--iron, silver &c. (Marathi) kharādī ‘ turner’ (Gujarati) kāṭi 'body

stature; Rebus: fireplace trench. Thus, fireplace for hard alloy metal.

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Ligature hieroglyph 'foot, anklet'

Sign 40: toṭi bracelet (Tamil)(DEDR 3682). Jaina Skt. (IL 20.193) toḍaka- an

anklet (Sanskrit) khuṭo ʻ leg, foot ʼ, °ṭī ʻ goat's leg ʼ Rebus: khōṭā ‘alloy’ (Marathi)

Rebus: tuttha 'copper sulphate' + kāṭi 'body stature; Rebus: fireplace trench. Thus

smelted copper sulphate alloy.

Ligature hieroglyph 'rimless pot + ladle'

Sign 34: muka ‘ladle’ (Tamil)(DEDR 4887) Rebus: mu h ‘ingot’ (Santali) baṭa = a kind

of iron (G.) baṭa = rimless pot (Kannada) Thus, iron ingot.+ kāṭi 'body stature;

Rebus: fireplace trench. Thus, iron ingot furnace.

Ligatures: rimless pot + hollow or ingot

Sign 32: baṭa = rimless pot (Kannada) Rebus: baṭa = a kind of iron (G.)+ kāṭi 'body

stature; Rebus: fireplace trench. Thus, iron furnace

Sign 33: As for Sign 32 + dulo 'hole' Rebus: dul 'cast metal' Thus, furnace

iron castings.

Ligatures: rimless pot + dance step

Sign 44: meṭ sole of foot, footstep, footprint (Ko.); meṭṭu step, stair, treading, slipper

(Te.)(DEDR 1557). Rebus: meḍ ‘iron’(Munda); मढ meḍh‘merchant’s helper’

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(Pkt.) meḍ iron (Ho.) meṛed-bica = iron stone ore, in contrast to bali-bica, iron sand

ore (Munda) + kāṭi 'body stature; Rebus: fireplace trench. Thus, iron furnace.

Ligatures: rimless pot + wire mesh

Sign 35: baṭa = rimless pot (Kannada) Rebus: baṭa = a kind of iron (G.)+ kāṭi 'body

stature; Rebus: fireplace trench + akho m. ʻmesh of a netʼ Rebus: L. P. akkhā m. ʻ one end of

a bag or sack thrown over a beast of burden ʼ; Or. akhā ʻ gunny bag ʼ; Bi. ākhā, ã khā ʻ grain bag carried

by pack animal ʼ; H. ākhā m. ʻ one of a pair of grain bags used as panniers ʼ; M. ã khā m. ʻ netting in which

coco -- nuts,& c., are carried ʼ, a khẽ n. ʻ half a bullock -- load ʼ (CDIAL 17) అంకము [ aṅkemu ] ankemu.

[Telugu] n. One pack or pannier, being half a bullock load. Thus, a consignment or packload of furnace

iron castings.

Ligature: warrior + ficus religiosa

Sign 17: loa ‘ficus religiosa’ Rebus: lo ‘iron’ (Sanskrit) PLUS unique ligatures:

लोखाड [lōkhaṇḍa ] n (लोह S) Iron. लोखाडाच चण खावववण or चारण To oppress

grievously.लोखाडकाम [ lōkhaṇḍakāma ] n Iron work; that portion (of a building, machine

&c.) which consists of iron. 2 The business of an ironsmith.लोखाडी [ lōkhaṇḍī ] a (लोखाड)

Composed of iron; relating to iron. (Marathi) bhaṭa ‘warrior’ (Sanskrit) Rebus: baṭa a

kind of iron (Gujarati). Rebus: bhaṭa ‘furnace’ (Santali) Thus, together, th ligatured

hieroglyph reads rebus: loa bhaṭa ‘iron furnace’

Ligature 'armed body stature' or 'horned body stature'

Sign 8:bhaṭa ‘warrior’ (Sanskrit) Rebus: baṭa a kind of iron (Gujarati). Rebus: bhaṭa ‘

furnace’ (Santali) + kāṭi 'body stature; Rebus: fireplace trench. Thus, furnace for a kind

of iron.

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Ligatures: two curved lines

Sign 9: Read rebus as for Sign 8 PLUS Ligature hieroglyphs of two curved

lines

dula 'pair' Rebus: dul 'cast metal + ()kuṭila ‘bent’ CDIAL 3230 kuṭi— in

cmpd. ‘curve’, kuṭika— ‘bent’ MBh. Rebus: kuṭila, katthīl = bronze (8 parts

copper and 2 parts tin) [cf. āra-kūṭa, ‘brass’ (Sanskrit) + bhaṭa ‘warrior’

(Sanskrit) Rebus: baṭa a kind of iron (Gujarati). Rebus: bhaṭa ‘furnace’ (Santali) + kāṭi

'body stature; Rebus: fireplace trench. Thus, furnace bronze castings.

Ligature hieroglyph: 'roof' Allograph: Sign 10

Sign 5: mūdh ʻ ridge of roof ʼ (Assamese)(CDIAL 10247) Rebus: mund 'iron' + kāṭi

'body stature; Rebus: fireplace trench. Thus, furnace for iron.

Ligature hieroglyph 'flag'

Sign 4: koḍi ‘flag’ (Ta.)(DEDR 2049). Rebus 1: koḍ ‘workshop’ (Kuwi) Rebus 2:

khŏḍ m. ‘pit’, khöḍü f. ‘small pit’ (Kashmiri. CDIAL 3947). + kāṭi 'body stature; Rebus:

fireplace trench. Thus, furnace workshop.

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Sign 16:dula 'two' Rebus: dul 'cast metal' + + kāṭi 'body stature; Rebus:

fireplace trench + koḍi ‘summit of mountain' (Tamil). Thus, furnace for metal casting.

mēḍu height, rising ground, hillock (Kannada) Rebus: mẽṛhẽt, meḍ ‘iron’ (Munda.Ho.)

Thus, iron metal casting. The ligaured hieroglyph of Sign 11 is a ligature with two

mountain peaks. Hence dul meḍ ‘iron casting’

Ligature hieroglyph 'paddy plant' or 'sprout'

kolmo ‘paddy plant’ Rebus: kolami ‘smithy, forge’ Vikalpa: mogge ‘sprout, bud’ Rebus:

mu h ‘ingot’ (Santali) dolu ‘plant of shoot height’ Rebus: dul ‘cast metal’ + kāṭi 'body

stature; Rebus: fireplace trench. Thus furnace smithy or ingot furnace.

Ligature hieroglyph: 'three short strokes on a slanted stroke'

Signs 23, 24: dula 'two' Rebus: dul 'cast metal' dhāḷ ‘a slope’; ‘inclination of

a plane’ (G.); ḍhāḷiyum = adj. sloping, inclining (G.) Rebus: ḍhālako = a

large metal ingot (G.) ḍhālakī = a metal heated and poured into a mould; a

solid piece of metal; an ingot (Gujarati) + kāṭi 'body stature; Rebus:

fireplace trench' Thus ingot furnace for castings. Three short strokes: kolom 'three' Rebus: kolami 'smithy, forge'. Thus it is a place where artisans

work with furnace for metal castings.

Ligatures: Worshipper + rimless pot + scarf (on pigtail)

Signs 45, 46: A variant of ‘adorant’ hieroglyph sign is shown with a ‘rimless, broad-

mouthed pot’ which is baṭa read rebus: bhaṭa ‘furnace’. If the ‘pot’ ligature is a phonetic

determinant, the gloss for the ‘adorant’ is bhaṭa ‘worshipper’. If the ‘kneeling’ posture is

the key hieroglyphic representation, the gloss is eragu ‘bow’ Rebus: erako ‘moltencast

copper’. Thus moltencast copper furnace. + dhaṭu m. (also dhaṭhu) m. ‘scarf’ (Western

Pahari) (CDIAL 6707) Rebus: dhatu ‘minerals’ (Santali). Thus Sign 46 read rebus:

moltencast copper minerals furnace.

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Hieroglyphs: backbone + four short strokes

Signs 47, 48: baraḍo = spine; backbone (Tulu) Rebus: baran, bharat ‘mixed alloys’ (5

copper, 4 zinc and 1 tin) (Punjabi) +

gaṇḍa ‘four’ Rebus: kaṇḍ ‘fire-altar’. Thus, Sign 48 reads rebus: bharat kaṇḍ ‘fire-altar’,

furnace for mixed alloy called bharat (copper, zinc, tin alloy),

‘Backbone, spine’ hieroglyph: baraḍo = spine; backbone; the back; baraḍo thābaḍavo =

lit. to strike on the backbone or back; hence, to encourage; baraḍo bhāre thato = lit. to

have a painful backbone, i.e. to do something which will call for a severe beating

(Gujarati)bārṇe, bāraṇe = an offering of food to a demon; a meal after fasting, a

breakfast (Tulu) barada, barda, birada = a vow (Gujarati)bharaḍo a devotee of S’iva; a

man of the bharaḍā caste in the bra_hman.as (Gujarati) baraṛ = name of a caste of jat-

around Bhaṭiṇḍa; bararaṇḍā melā = a special fair held in spring (Punjabi) bharāḍ = a

religious service or entertainment performed by a bharāḍi_; consisting of singing the

praises of some idol or god with playing on the d.aur (drum) and dancing; an order of

aṭharā akhād.e = 18 gosāyi_ group; bharād. and bhāratī are two of the 18 orders of

gosāyi_ (Marathi).

S. Kalyanaraman

Sarasvai Research Center

September 20, 2014