Megalithic markings, megalithic graffiti marks, megalithic symbols or non-Brahmi symbols are markings found on mostly
potsherds found in
Central India
Central India is a loosely defined geographical region of India. There is no clear official definition and various ones may be used. One common definition consists of the states of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, which are included in al ...
,
South India
South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union terr ...
and
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
during the
Megalithic
A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. There are over 35,000 in Europe alone, located widely from Sweden to the Mediterranean sea.
The ...
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly ...
period. A number of scholars have tried to decipher the symbols since 1878, and currently there is no consensus as to whether they constitute
undeciphered writing or
graffiti
Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...
or symbols without any syllabic or alphabetic meaning.
History
Megalithic markings are usually found in burial sites but are also found in habitation sites as well. They are tentatively dated from 1000 BCE to 300 CE marking the transition of the proto-historic period into the historic period of South Asia. From archaeological
stratigraphy
Stratigraphy is a branch of geology concerned with the study of rock layers ( strata) and layering (stratification). It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks.
Stratigraphy has three related subfields: lithost ...
, potsherds with and without symbols are usually found at the lowest level, followed by potsherds with mixed symbols and
Brahmi
Brahmi (; ; ISO: ''Brāhmī'') is a writing system of ancient South Asia. "Until the late nineteenth century, the script of the Aśokan (non-Kharosthi) inscriptions and its immediate derivatives was referred to by various names such as 'lath' o ...
or
Tamil-Brahmi
Tamil-Brahmi, also known as Tamizhi or Damili, was a variant of the Brahmi script in southern India. It was used to write inscriptions in the early form of Old Tamil.Richard Salomon (1998) ''Indian Epigraphy: A Guide to the Study of Inscriptio ...
and eventually at the highest level potsherds are only found with Brahmi or Tamil-Brahmi etchings. From around 300 CE, they disappear from grave sites.
Relationship to Indus script
In 1960, archaeologist
B. B. Lal
Braj Basi Lal (2 May 1921 – 10 September 2022) was an Indian writer and archaeologist. He was the Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) from 1968 to 1972 and has served as Director of the Indian Institute of Advanced ...
found that 89% of the surveyed megalithic symbols had their counterparts amongst the
Indus script
The Indus script, also known as the Harappan script, is a corpus of symbols produced by the Indus Valley Civilisation. Most inscriptions containing these symbols are extremely short, making it difficult to judge whether or not they constituted ...
. He concluded that there was a commonness of culture between the
Indus Valley civilisation
The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form 2600 BCE to 1900& ...
and the later megalithic period. In 2019, archaeologists in
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...
excavated further potsherds at
Keeladi
Keezhadi ( ta, கீழடி, kīḻaṭi) is a village near the village of Silaiman, on the border between Madurai and Sivagangai districts, in Tamil Nadu, India. The Keezhadi excavation site is located in this area: excavations carried out ...
with graffiti closely resembling symbols of the Indus script.
[Department of Archaeology, Government of Tamil Nadu - Keezhadi, An urban settlement of sangam age on the banks of the river Vaigai (2019) p60-62 https://archive.org/details/keeladibookenglish18092019/page/n59/mode/2up]
Archaeological findings
In 1935 a dish dating to the 1st century BCE and bearing megalithic graffiti symbols was discovered in
Sulur
Sulur (Tamil:) is a town located in the Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu, India. It is a suburb of Coimbatore. It is the headquarters of Sulur Taluk of Coimbatore district. There are many market places and many big retail and wholesale shops ...
, near
Coimbatore
Coimbatore, also spelt as Koyamputhur (), sometimes shortened as Kovai (), is one of the major metropolitan cities in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyyal River and surrounded by the Western Ghats. Coimbat ...
in Tamil Nadu. In a 2001 publication, Mahadevan argued that the inscription on the dish contained symbols similar to those of the Indus script and also that the symbols are in same order as those of a comparable inscription on a tablet from Harappa. Mahadevan suggested that was evidence that the languages of the inscriptions were related.
In February 2006, a stone
celt
The Celts (, see pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples () are. "CELTS location: Greater Europe time period: Second millennium B.C.E. to present ancestry: Celtic a collection of Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient ...
was discovered in
Sembiyankandiyur village, near
Mayiladuthurai
Mayiladuthurai (formerly known as Mayavaram or Mayuram) is a town and district headquarter of Mayiladuthurai district in Tamil Nadu, India. The town is located at a distance of from the state capital, Chennai.
Mayiladuthurai was ruled by Medie ...
, Tamil Nadu. The celt dates to the early 2nd millennium BCE, postdating the Harappan decline, and bears markings that Mahadevan identified as being identical with symbols of the Indus script. He argued that to be evidence that the language used by the neolithic people of south India was also used by the late Harappans.
In May 2007, the
Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology
Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology (TNSDA) is the archaeology department of the Government of Tamil Nadu. Founded in 1961, the department is headed by an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer with the designation Commissioner for Ar ...
(TNSDA) found pots with arrow-head symbols during an excavation in Melaperumpallam, a village near
Puhar, Mayiladuthurai
Puhar (also known as Poompuhar) is a town in the Mayiladuthurai district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It was once a flourishing ancient port city known as Kaveri Poompattinam, which is described in Sangam literature like Silappa ...
. The symbols were reported to have a striking resemblance to seals unearthed in
Mohenjo-daro
Mohenjo-daro (; sd, موئن جو دڙو'', ''meaning 'Mound of the Dead Men';[Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...]
, in the 1920s.
See also
*
Anaikoddai seal
*
Early Indian epigraphy
* ''
South Indian Inscriptions
''South Indian Inscriptions'' is an epigraphical series that has been published by the Archaeological Survey of India in 34 volumes from 1890 through the present. The texts are supplemented with summaries and an overview of the texts, both in Eng ...
''
*
Tamil inscriptions
This is a list of archaeological artefacts and epigraphs which have Tamil inscriptions. Of the approximately 100,000 inscriptions found by the Archaeological Survey of India (2005 report) in India, about 60,000 were in Tamil Nadu
...
Notes
References
Sources
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{{Prehistoric technology
*
Ancient Indian culture
Archaeology of India
Graffiti in India
History of Tamil Nadu
History of Sri Lanka
History of Karnataka
History of Kerala
History of Andhra Pradesh
History of Telangana
Indian inscriptions
Indus Valley civilisation
Iron Age Asia
Obsolete writing systems
Proto-writing
Tamilakam
Tamil Brahmi script
Undeciphered writing systems