A tribute to Lamberg-Karlovsky.

Wealth accounting
ledgers of paṭṭaḍe, phaḍā, 'metals manufactories' of
Sarasvati Civilization in Indus Script Corpora
This monograph demonstrates

1. that circular work platforms of Harappa are phaḍā, 'metals manufactories' of artisans of the
Veda tradition of Sarasvati Civilization. phaḍā is cognate: Ta. paṭṭaṭai, paṭṭaṟai anvil, smithy,
forge. Ka. paṭṭaḍe, paṭṭaḍi anvil, workshop. Te. paṭṭika, paṭṭeḍa anvil; paṭṭaḍa workshop. Cf.
DEDR 86 Ta. aṭai.(DEDR 3865);
2. that the rows circular work platforms constituted Harappa Market Street, with circular/arched
roofs in the tradition of mudhif roofs and roofs of houses in Veda tradition; and
3. that the miniature tablets of Harappa carried accounting ledger entries to compile wealth-
accounting ledgers on seals handed together with cargo of shipments of metalwork products to
seafaring merchant/helmsman/steersman. Some miniature tablets were shaped like the metal
products such as sickle, razor. See h236A,B.

Twenty-two miniature tablets with inscriptions on three sides of each tablet discovered at
Harappa are records of products produced in workshops which are roofed circular work
platforms which are organized in rows of a market street of Harappa. (The thesis about roofed
platforms is elaborated further in this monograph using a textual reconstruction of form and
function of Vedic houses detailed by Louis Renou. It is suggested that the circular working
platforms and warehouses of Harappa had roofs comparable to those inferred for Vedic houses.)

Almost all known techniques of a copper-bronze technology practised in Sarasvati

civilization

This is a tribute to an insightful observation made by CC Lamberg-Karlovsky in 1965 in his PhD

thesis, University of Pennsylvania which summarized the metallurgical technologies of the
civilization:" Through the objects recovered from the Indus sites, the techniques of hammering,
alloying, raising, hollowing, sinking, open- and close-mold casting, cire Perdue, riveting,
lapping, soldering, and ‘running on’ are known to have been practiced...The rather extensive
inventory of the metallic implements found in India and Pakistan covers almost all known
techniques of a copper-bronze technology.” (CC Lamberg-Karlovsky, 1967, Archaeology and
metallurgical technology in prehistoric Afghanistan, India and Pakistan, in: American
Anthropologist, 69, 1967, p.152, p.160)
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1525/aa.1967.69.2.02a00020/epdf

This observation of Lamberg-Karlovsky is validated by the cumulative archaeological studies

and explorations of scores of sites by archaeologists, during the last 52 years since 1965.
Stunning perspective images of discoveries from archaeological sites convey a thousand words
of the cumulative archaeological record of the civilization and the function of miniature tablets in
the invention of wealth accounting systems of the Bronze Age by artisan and seafaring merchant
guilds of Meluhha.

1
2
Metal manufactories of significant scale and size, have been discovered in Mohenjo-daro,
Harappa, Chanhudaro, Kalibangan, Dholavira, Rakhigarhi, Binjor. Discoveries of over 2000 sites
on Sarasvati River Basin which was a navigable waterway explain the contributions made by the
civilization in terms of trade transactions over an extensive area spanning the Ancient Near East
and Ancient Far East with Sarasvati River Basin acting as the epicentre of civilizational
intermediation to disseminate emerging Tin-Bronze and Cire perdue metallurgical revolution
which gained pace from 3rd millennium BCE.

3
A 'Sheffield of Ancient India: Chanhu-Daro's metal working industry 10 X photos of copper
knives, spears, razors, axes and dishes.
Illustrated London News 1936 - November 21st

This magazine which reported the discovery of Chanhudaro by Ernest Mackay and called the site
'Sheffield of Ancient India.'

Cire perdue (lost-wax) techniques of metalcasting

4
 Leopard weight. Shahi Tump. H.16.7cm;
dia.13.5cm; base dia 6cm; handle on top. Lead, cire perdue.

Bronze statue of a girl c.2500 BC, now

displayed at Karachi Museum, Pakistan. Original publication: Ernest Mackay, Further

5
Excavations at Mohenjo-Daro, 1927-31, New Delhi (1937-38). Ernest Mackay discovered this
during his final full season of 1930-31 at DK-G area in a house, Mohenje-daro.
ārātrika n. ʻ the ceremony of waving a lamp in front of an image at night ʼ AVPariś., ʻ the lamp
so waved ʼ Śaṁkara [*ārātri -- ]Pk. ārattiya -- n.; K. āratī f. ʻ a special kind of address to a god ʼ;
S. āratī f. ʻ the ārātrika ceremony ʼ, P. ārtī, Ku. ārti; N. ārati ʻ the song sung at this ceremony ʼ;
A. B. ārati ʻ the ceremony ʼ, Or. āratī, āḷati; Bi. ārtī ʻ a lamp with four or five wicks used in a
temple ʼ; Aw. ārati ʻ the ceremony ʼ, H. ārtī f., ārtā m. ʻ marriage ceremony in which a lamp is
waved ʼ; G. M. ārtī f. ʻ the ceremony ʼ, M. ārat f.(CDIAL 1315)*ārātri or *ārātra -- (1) ʻ
evening ʼ, (2) ʻ from after night, i.e. morning ʼ. [rāˊtri -- ].(1) K. arāth, dat. arātas m. ʻ nightfall,
evening ʼ. -(2) Bshk. árat ʻ morning ʼ (or poss. ʻ one night ʼ NTS xviii 125), Tor. (Barth) "ẓhāt" ʻ
morning ʼ.
(CDIAL 1314)

Place of Origin: Mohenjodaro

Materials: Bronze
Dimensions: 10.5 x 5 x 2.5 cm.
Acc. No. 5721/195, National Museum, Delhi

6
 The dance pose of the Dancing Girl of Mohenjodaro is used
as a hypertext on this Bhirrana potsherd incription. This constitutes orthography of a dance
step. meḍ,'dance step' rebus: meḍ 'iron' (Mu.Ho.) med,'copper' (Slavic languages)

Origin of the gloss med 'copper' in Uralic languages may be explained by the word meD (Ho.) of
Munda family of Meluhha language stream:

Sa. <i>mE~R~hE~'d</i> `iron'. ! <i>mE~RhE~d</i>(M).

Ma. <i>mErhE'd</i> `iron'.

Mu. <i>mERE'd</i> `iron'.

~ <i>mE~R~E~'d</i> `iron'. ! <i>mENhEd</i>(M).

Ho <i>meD</i> `iron'.

Bj. <i>merhd</i>(Hunter) `iron'.

KW <i>mENhEd</i>

@(V168,M080)

http://www.ling.hawaii.edu/austroasiatic/AA/Munda/ETYM/Pinnow&Munda

— Slavic glosses for 'copper'

Мед [Med]Bulgarian

7
Bakar Bosnian

Медзь [medz']Belarusian

Měď Czech

Bakar Croatian

KòperKashubian

Бакар [Bakar]Macedonian

Miedź Polish

Медь [Med']Russian

Meď Slovak

BakerSlovenian

Бакар [Bakar]Serbian

Мідь [mid'] Ukrainian[unquote]

http://www.vanderkrogt.net/elements/element.php?sym=Cu

Miedź, med' (Northern Slavic, Altaic) 'copper'.

One suggestion is that corruptions from the German "Schmied", "Geschmeide" =

jewelry. Schmied, a smith (of tin, gold, silver, or other metal)(German) result in med ‘copper’.

Toda hut with reed roof.

8
 Sanchi sculptural frieze. Temples with roofs.

Hut. Islamkot. Thar Parkar. Sind. Pakistan.

Mud huts. Cholistan. Pakistan.

Roofed circular hut. Bharhut sculptural frieze.

It is possible that the circular working platforms had comparable roof structures.

The inscriptions on these miniature tablets constitute the accounting entries in wealth-accounting

9
ledgers on seals. How the segements of inscriptions are extracted into wealth categories recorded
on a unicorn seal h1682, is demonstrated in this monograph.

It is reasonable to assume that there was a central structure in Harappa analogous to the 'multi-
storied' temple of Harappa where the seal inscriptions were composed using the accounting
ledger entries gathered from the miniature Harappa tablets.

House A1 may have been a temple or palace of an important leader. Two doorways lead to a
narrow courtyard at a lower level. A double staircase leads to an upper courtyard surrounded by
several rooms. This house had numerous seals and fragments of a stone sculpture depicting a
seated man wearing a cloak over the left shoulder.

10
https://www.harappa.com/indus6/doublestaircase44.html

h1682A This accounting system clearly demonstrates the form and function of the
Indus Script hypertexts and hieroglyphs which convey meanings related to metalwork
technologies practised by the artisans and seafaring merchants of Harappa.

The Veda tradition is exemplified by the circular platforms with circular mudhif type roofs
which can be seen even today in marshes of Iraq in the doab of Tigris-Euphrates rivers. The
houses are called tuhul cognate with Meluhha word: S. ṭhul(h)u m. ʻ tower ʼ; L. ṭhulh,
mult. thūl m. ʻ tower, walled village ʼ (CDIAL 13710). These are -- Ext. -- ll -- to the base
word: stūˊpa m. ʻ tuft of hair, crest ʼ RV., ʻ mound ʼ Hcat., ʻ main beam of house ʼ ĀpGr̥. [*stu -

11
- 3]Pa. thūpa -- m. ʻ tomb, stūpa ʼ, thūpi -- kata -- ʻ heaped up ʼ; Pk. thūva -- m. ʻ heap ʼ;
Wg. štu ʻ pillar, post ʼ; L. thūā m. ʻ thorn of date tree ʼ; H. thūā m. ʻ boundary pillar of mud,
heap, clod ʼ; -- Aś.ng. thube, KharI. thuba, thuva ʻ stūpa ʼ: or < *stuba -- .

This explains the stupa found in Mohenjodaro which may be an accumulation of heaps of sands
and stones after extracting the metals from the smelting operations in kilns -- the metal
manufactories of Mohenjodaro..

https://www.mohenjodaroonline.net/index.php/about-mjd

12
 "The Ma’dan or Marsh Arabs
inhabit the marshy area at the junction of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Iraq. They are a
semi-nomadic tribal people with their own distinct culture, whose way of life has changed very
little in the past couple thousand years. Their whole way of life revolves around the marshes –
they live in floating houses made entirely of reeds harvested from the open water and Qasab, a
kind of giant grass that looks like bamboo, which can grow as tall as 25 feet (7.6 meters)."
https://www.zmescience.com/other/feature-post/mesopotamian-venice-lost-floating-homes-iraq/

13
Mudhif and three reed banners

The Uruk trough. From Uruk (Warka), southern Iraq. Late Prehistoric period, about 3300-3000
BC

Sumerian mudhif facade, with uncut reed

fonds and sheep entering, carved into a gypsum trough from Uruk, c. 3200 BCE (British
Museum WA 12000). Photo source.

See also: Expedition 40:2 (1998), p. 33, fig. 5b Life on edge of the marshes.
Fig. 5B. Carved gypsum trough from Uruk. Two lambs exit a reed structure identifical to the
present-day mudhif on this ceremonial trough from the site of Uruk in northern Iraq. Neither the
leaves or plumes have been removed from the reds which are tied together to form the arch. As a
result, the crossed-over, feathered reeds create a decorative pattern along the length of the roof, a
style more often seen in modern animal shelters built by the Mi'dan. Dating to ca. 3000 BCE, the
trough documents the extraordinry length of time, such arched reed buildings have been in use.
(The British Museum BCA 120000, acg. 2F2077)Another black & white view of the trough.

14
Figure 15.1. Sealing with representations of reed structures with cows, calves, lambs, and ringed
bundle “standards” of Inana (drawing by Diane Gurney. After Hamilton 1967, fig. 1)

Three rings on reed posts are three dotted circles: dāya 'dotted circle' on dhā̆vaḍ priest of 'iron-
smelters', signifies tadbhava from Rigveda dhāī ''a strand (Sindhi) (hence, dotted circle shoring
cross section of a thread through a perorated bead);rebus: dhāū, dhāv ʻa partic. soft red
ores'. dhāˊtu n. ʻ substance ʼ RV., m. ʻ element ʼ MBh., ʻ metal, mineral, ore (esp. of a red
colour) ʼ Mn., ʻ ashes of the dead ʼ lex., ʻ *strand of rope ʼ (cf. tridhāˊtu -- ʻ threefold ʼ
RV., ayugdhātu -- ʻ having an uneven number of strands ʼ KātyŚr.). [√dhā]Pa. dhātu -- m. ʻ
element, ashes of the dead, relic ʼ; KharI. dhatu ʻ relic ʼ; Pk. dhāu -- m. ʻ metal, red chalk ʼ;
N. dhāu ʻ ore (esp. of copper) ʼ; Or. ḍhāu ʻ red chalk, red ochre ʼ (whence ḍhāuā ʻ reddish ʼ;
M. dhāū, dhāv m.f. ʻ a partic. soft red stone ʼ (whence dhăvaḍ m. ʻ a caste of iron -- smelters
ʼ, dhāvḍī ʻ composed of or relating to iron ʼ); -- Si. dā ʻ relic ʼ; -- S. dhāī f. ʻ wisp of fibres added
from time to time to a rope that is being twisted ʼ, L. dhāī˜ f.(CDIAL 6773)

Cylinder seal impression, Uruk period, Uruk?, 3500-2900

BCE. Note a load of livestock (upper), overlapping greatly (weird representation), and standard
'mudhif' reed house form common to S. Iraq (lower).

Cattle Byres c.3200-3000 B.C. Late Uruk-Jemdet Nasr period. Magnesite. Cylinder seal. In the
lower field of this seal appear three reed cattle byres. Each byre is surmounted by three reed
pillars topped by rings, a motif that has been suggested as symbolizing a male god, perhaps
Dumuzi. Within the huts calves or vessels appear alternately; from the sides come calves that
drink out of a vessel between them. Above each pair of animals another small calf appears. A
herd of enormous cattle moves in the upper field. Cattle and cattle byres in Southern
Mesopotamia, c. 3500 BCE. Drawing of an impression from a Uruk period cylinder seal. (After
Moorey, PRS, 1999, Ancient mesopotamian materials and industries: the archaeological
evidence, Eisenbrauns.)

15
 A cow and a stable of reeds with sculpted

columns in the background. Fragment of another vase of alabaster (era of Djemet-Nasr) from
Uruk, Mesopotamia.

• Fragment of a stele, raised standards. From Tello.

• Hieroglyphs: Quadrupeds exiting the mund (or mudhif) are pasaramu, pasalamu ‘an animal, a
beast, a brute, quadruped’ (Telugu) పసరము [ pasaramu ] or పసలము pasaramu. [Tel.] n. A
beast, an animal. గోమహిషహాతి.
• A cow and a stable of reeds with sculpted columns in the background. Fragment of another vase
of alabaster (era of Djemet-Nasr) from Uruk, Mesopotamia. Limestone 16 X 22.5 cm. AO 8842,
Louvre, Departement des Antiquites Orientales, Paris, France. Six circles decorated on the reed
post are semantic determinants of Glyphआर [ āra ] A term in the play of इटीद ां डू,--the number
six. (Marathi) आर [ āra ] A tuft or ring of hair on the body. (Marathi) Rebus: āra ‘brass’. क ाँ ड् ।
क ण्डः m. the stalk or stem of a reed, grass, or the like, straw. In the compound with dan 5 (p.
221a, l. 13) the word is spelt kāḍ. The rebus reading of the pair of reeds in Sumer standard
is: khānḍa ‘tools, pots and pans and metal-ware’.
•
•

Rebus: pasra = a smithy, place where a black-smith works, to work as a blacksmith; kamar pasra
= a smithy; pasrao lagao akata se ban:? Has the blacksmith begun to work? pasraedae = the

16
 blacksmith is at his work (Santali.lex.) pasra meṛed, pasāra meṛed = syn. of koṭe meṛed = forged
iron, in contrast to dul meṛed, cast iron (Mundari.lex.) పసారము [ pasāramu ]
or పసారు pasārdmu. [Tel.] n. A shop. అంగడి.
• http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2014/01/meluhha-standard-compares-with-nahal.html
• Both hieroglyphs together may have read rebus: *kāṇḍāra: *kāṇḍakara ʻ worker with reeds or
arrows ʼ. [kāˊṇḍa -- , kará -- 1] L. kanērā m. ʻ mat -- maker ʼ; H. kãḍerā m. ʻ a caste of bow --
and arrow -- makers ʼ.(CDIAL 3024). Rebus: kaṇḍa 'fire-altar'. khaṇḍa 'implements'
(Santali) लोखांड (p. 423) lōkhaṇḍa n (लोह S) Iron. लोखांडक म (p. 423) lōkhaṇḍakāma n Iron
work; that portion (of a building, machine &c.) which consists of iron. 2 The business of an
ironsmith. लोखांडी (p. 423) lōkhaṇḍī a (लोखांड) Composed of iron; relating to iron.

•
• The Toda mund, from, Richard Barron, 1837, "View in India, chiefly among the Nilgiri Hills'.
Oil on canvas. The architecture of Iraqi mudhif and Toda mund -- of Indian linguistic area -- is
comparable.

A Toda temple in Muthunadu Mund near Ooty, India.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toda_people

17
The hut of a Toda Tribe of Nilgiris, India. Note the decoration of the front wall, and the very
small door.

Rebus Meluhha readings: kōṭhā 'warehouse' kuṭhāru 'armourer,

PLUS kole.l'temple' rebus: kole.l 'smithy, forge' PLUS ḍhāla 'flagstaff' rebus: ḍhālako 'large
ingot'. Thus, the message is: armoury, smithy, forge ingots.

m0702 Text 2206 showing Sign 39, a glyph which compares with the Sumerian mudhif
structure.
- ढ लक ठी [ ḍhālakāṭhī ] f ढ लख ां ब m A flagstaff; esp.the pole for a grand flag or standard.
ढ ल [ ḍhāla ] 'flagstaff' rebus: dhalako 'a large metal ingot (Gujarati) ḍhālakī = a metal heated
and poured into a mould; a solid piece of metal; an ingot (Gujarati). The mudhif flag on the
inscription is read rebus: xolā 'tail' Rebus: kole.l 'smithy, temple'. The structure is goṭ 'catttle-
pen' (Santali) rebus: koṭṭhaka 'warehouse'. [kōṣṭhāgāra n. ʻ storeroom, store ʼ Mn. [kṓṣṭha -- 2,

18
agāra -- ]Pa. koṭṭhāgāra -- n. ʻ storehouse, granary ʼ; Pk. koṭṭhāgāra -- , koṭṭhāra -- n. ʻ
storehouse ʼ; K. kuṭhār m. ʻ wooden granary ʼ, WPah. bhal. kóṭhār m.; A. B. kuṭharī ʻ apartment
ʼ, Or. koṭhari; Aw. lakh. koṭhārʻ zemindar's residence ʼ; H. kuṭhiyār ʻ granary ʼ; G. koṭhār m. ʻ
granary, storehouse ʼ, koṭhāriyũ n. ʻ small do. ʼ; M. koṭhār n., koṭhārẽ n. ʻ large granary ʼ, -- °rī f.
ʻ small one ʼ; Si. koṭāra ʻ granary, store ʼ.WPah.kṭg. kəṭhāˊr, kc. kuṭhār m. ʻ granary, storeroom
ʼ, J. kuṭhār, kṭhār m.; -- Md. kořāru ʻ storehouse ʼ ← Ind.(CDIAL 3550)]
Rebus: kuṭhāru 'armourer,

Field symbol is zebu (bos indicus). pōḷa 'zebu, bos indicus'

rebus: pōḷa 'magnetite, ferrite ore' [pōlāda] 'steel'.
Text 1330 (appears with Zebu glyph) showing Sign 39. Pictorial motif: Zebu (Bos indicus) This
sign is comparable to the cattle byre of Southern Mesopotamia dated to c. 3000 BCE. Rebus
Meluhha readings of gthe inscription are from r. to l.: kole.l 'temple' rebus: kole.l 'smithy,
forge' PLUS goṭ 'cattle-pen' rebus: koṭṭhāra 'warehouse' PLUS sal 'splinter' rebus: sal
'workshop' PLUS aya 'fish' rebus: aya 'iron' ayas 'alloy metal' PLUS kuṭika— 'bent' MBh.
Rebus: kuṭila, katthīl = bronze (8 parts copper and 2 parts tin) PLUS kanka, karṇika कर्णि क 'rim
of jar' rebus: karṇī 'supercargo, a representative of the ship's owner on board a merchant ship,
responsible for overseeing the cargo and its sale'. Read together with the fieldsymbol of the
zebu,the message is: magnetite ore smithy, forge, warehouse, iron alloy metal, bronze
merchandise (ready for loading as cargo).

goṭ = the place where cattle are collected at mid-day (Santali); goṭh (Brj.)(CDIAL 4336). goṣṭha
(Skt.); cattle-shed (Or.) koḍ = a cow-pen; a cattlepen; a byre (G.) कोठी cattle-shed (Marathi)
कोांडी [ kōṇḍī ] A pen or fold for cattle. गोठी [ gōṭhī ] f C (Dim. of गोठ ) A pen or fold for calves.
(Marathi)

koṭṭhaka1 (nt.) "a kind of koṭṭha," the stronghold over a gateway, used as a store -- room for
various things, a chamber, treasury, granary Vin ii.153, 210; for the purpose of keeping water in
it Vin ii.121=142; 220; treasury J i.230; ii.168; -- store -- room J ii.246; koṭthake pāturahosi
appeared at the gateway, i. e. arrived at the mansion Vin i.291.; -- udaka -- k a bath -- room, bath
cabinet Vin i.205 (cp. Bdhgh's expln at Vin. Texts ii.57); so also nahāna -- k˚ and piṭṭhi -- k˚,
bath -- room behind a hermitage J iii.71; DhA ii.19; a gateway, Vin ii.77; usually in cpd. dvāra --
k˚ "door cavity," i. e. room over the gate: gharaŋ satta -- dvāra -- koṭṭhakapaṭimaṇḍitaŋ "a
mansion adorned with seven gateways" J i.227=230, 290; VvA 322. dvāra -- koṭṭhakesu āsanāni
paṭṭhapenti "they spread mats in the gateways" VvA 6; esp. with bahi: bahi -- dvārakoṭṭhakā
nikkhāmetvā "leading him out in front of the gateway" A iv.206; ˚e thiṭa or nisinna standing or
sitting in front of the gateway S i.77; M i.161, 382; A iii.30. -- bala -- k. a line of infantry J i.179.
-- koṭṭhaka -- kamma or the occupation connected with a storehouse (or bathroom?) is mentioned
as an example of a low occupation at Vin iv.6; Kern, Toev. s. v. "someone who sweeps away
dirt." (Pali)

कोांडण kōṇḍaṇa, 'cattlepen', Mesopotamia Rebus: kundaṇa 'fine gold'

One-horned young bulls and calves are shown emerging out

of कोांडण kōṇḍaṇa cattlepens heralded by Inana standards atop the mudhifs. The Inana standards

19
are reeds with three rings. The reed standard is the same which is signified on Warka vase c.
3200–3000 BCE.
Sumerian mudhif and Sohgaura copper plate signify Indus Script hypertexts of
metalwork https://tinyurl.com/yczjracd
कोांडण kōṇḍaṇa, 'cattlepen', Mesopotamia Rebus: kundaṇa 'fine gold'

Sohgaura coper plate inscription.

ca. 7th cent.BCE Pre-Mauryan. The Indus Script hypertext on this copper plate inscription shows
shapes of two warehouses which compare with the structures shown in Louis Renou's article and
consistent with the underlying model of the Sumerian mudhif or Nilgiri mund, 'temple' or
hut. Kur. nubb three persons; mūnd three things.(DEDR 5052). It is possible to interpret the three
long linear strokes as Hieroglyph: mūnd ‘three things’ rebus: mund ‘workplace of artisans,
temple’. This complements the reading: kolom ‘three’ rebus: kolimi ‘smithy,
forge’; kole.l ‘temple’, kole.l ‘smithy, forge’.

The products produced by artisans working on the platforms of Harappa are linked to Indus
Script wealth accounting system through miniature tablets of Harappa with Meluhha inscriptions
which are written documents, metalwork accounting ledgers.

I suggest that in the perspective of Harappa evidence of rows of circular platforms that the work
platforms constituted Vedic houses.

The rows of circular work platforms, together with smelters/furnaces,

constitute paṭṭaḍe, फड phaḍā 'metals manufactory' of Harappa.

The row of platforms constitute the hāˋṭ, hàṭṭi 'market, workshop'.

A possible reconstruction of the circular platform with a roofing like a mudhif (munda) is
provide by the figures drawn by Louis Renou to signify a Vedic house. Such a roofed structure
can be imagined on each of the circular platforms on the Harappa hāˋṭ, hàṭṭi 'market, workshop'.
A group of such markets which are workshops, constitute an āvaṇa, 'a traders' village'.

20
http://alhurrya.com/archives/30876 A row of Mudhifs, marshes of Iraq.

21
 284 x 190 mm. Close up view of a Toda hut,
with figures seated on the stone wall in front of the building. Photograph taken circa 1875-1880,
numbered 37 elsewhere. Royal Commonwealth Society Library. Cambridge University Library.
University of Cambridge.

A note on the mudhif shape of the roof of a Vedic house. See:

Louis Renou's 'The Vedic House', Res, Anthropology and Aesthetics 34 (1998): 143-61. (In this
format this lacks endnotes; a complete version is available from JSTOR)

The Vedic House

22
Louis Renou, Michael W. Meister and Carrie LaPorte
RES: Anthropology and Aesthetics
No. 34 (Autumn, 1998), pp. 142-161
Published by: The University of Chicago Press on behalf of the Peabody Museum of
Archaeology and Ethnology

http://www.jstor.org/stable/20140412

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haṭṭa m. ʻ market, fair ʼ Pañcat., haṭṭī -- f. ʻ petty market ʼ lex. Pk. haṭṭa -- m. ʻ shop, bazar ʼ, °ṭī -
- , °ṭigā -- f. ʻ little shop ʼ; Kho. (Lor.) heti (= -- ṭ -- ?) ʻ shop ʼ, Sh. hăṭí f.; K. aṭ, dat. aṭas m. ʻ
market ʼ (hāṭh m. ← H.); S. haṭu m. ʻ shop ʼ, °ṭī f. ʻ small shop ʼ, L. haṭṭ m., °ṭī f.; P. haṭṭ f. ʻ
shop ʼ, haṭṭā m. ʻ collection of shops ʼ; WPah.pāḍ haṭī ʻ shop ʼ, jaun. hāṭ; N. A. hāṭ ʻ market,
bazar ʼ, A. hāṭī ʻ row of residential houses attached to a school or religious foundation ʼ; B. hāṭ ʻ
shop, market ʼ; Or. hāṭa, haṭā ʻ market ʼ, Bi. hāṭ, Mth. hāṭ, haṭiā, Bhoj. hāṭ, OAw. hāṭa f.;
H. hāṭ f. ʻ market, shop ʼ, OMarw. hāṭi f., G. hāṭ f., M. hă ṭ m.*haṭṭavāṇija -- ; *caturhaṭṭa -- ,
*lōhahaṭṭika -- . Addenda: haṭṭa -- : WPah.kṭg. hāˋṭ f., hàṭṭi f. ʻ shop, workshop ʼ, J. hāṭṭī f.; --
cmpd. OP. haṭatāri f. (+ tāḍa -- 2 ʻ bolt ʼ) ʻ closing shops in mourning or protest ʼ, P.

42
H. haṛtāl f.(CDIAL 13944) *haṭṭavāṇija ʻ shopkeeper ʼ. [haṭṭa -- , vāṇija --
]WPah.paṅ. haṭwāṇī ʻ shopkeeper ʼ.(CDIAL 13946)

āpaṇá m. ʻ market, shop ʼ MBh. [√paṇ] Pa. āpaṇa -- m.; NiDoc. av́ana ʻ market (?) ʼ but Burrow
KharDoc 77 ← OPers āvahana ʻ village ʼ; Pk. āvaṇa -- m. ʻ market, shop ʼ; Si. avaṇa, avuṇa ʻ
market ʼ; -- K. wān m. ʻ shop ʼ (→ Sh. koh. wān m.) rather < āpāna -- 1. āpaṇiká -- ; *kāpaṇa --
. āpaṇiká ʻ relating to a market ʼ, m. ʻ trader ʼ lex. [āpaṇá -- ]Pa. āpaṇika -- m., Pk. āvaṇiya --
m.(CDIAL 1191, 1192)

A breathtaking view of the circular work platforms of Harappa is seen like a market street of
Bronze Age metals repertoire. These work platforms find expression on Indus Script Corpora
which document details of the wealth accounting of metals manufactories which are supported
artisans working on a variety of smelters and furnaces.

43
Warehouses with storage platforms for metalwork, Harappa

The circular platforms are located to the south of the storage platforms of warehouses (so-called
granary or Great Hall).

44
 Harappa 1999, Mound F, Trench 43: Period 5
kiln, plan and section views.

The discovery of seal h1682A from Harappa thanks to HARP (Kenoyer and Meadow)

A remarkable accounting process was indicated by the archaeologists Kenoyer and Meadow who
unearthed a set of 22 tablets with identical inscriptions and a seal recording a part of this
inscription. This seal (h1682A) also had hieroglyphs of young bull + lathe, together with five
'signs' composed of two signs from the tablets and three other signs. The first two signs on the
seal (read from right) are taken from the inscriptions on one side of the 22+6 tablets (which had
three sides with three inscriptions).
45
 h1682A (Black and white)

Three additionals signs on Seal h1682A, in addition to the two signs taken from 22+6 tiny tablets
are read rebus:
ख ां ड [khāṇḍā] A division of a field. (Marathi) खां डणें (p. 192) [ khaṇḍaṇēṃ ] v c (खांडन S) To
break; to reduce into parts (Marathi) Rebus: khāṇḍā ‘metal tools, pots and pans’ (Marathi)
Ku. lokhaṛ ʻiron tools ʼ; H. lokhaṇḍ m. ʻ iron tools, pots and pans ʼ; G. lokhãḍ n. ʻtools, iron,
ironwareʼ; M. lokhãḍ n. ʻ iron ʼ(CDIAL 11171).

dula 'two' Rebus: dul 'cast metal'. Thus, the two divisions of field denoted by two rectangles with
divisions are read together: dul khāṇḍā ‘castings, metal tools, pots and pans’

kolom 'three' Rebus: kolimi 'smithy, forge'.

The first two signs read from right are explained as follows, since they are taken from the
inscriptions on one side of 22 tiny tablets:kuṭhi kaṇḍa kanka 'smelting furnace account (scribe),
supercargo' PLUS kolimi 'smithy, forge'

Together, the five signs on the seal read: dul khāṇḍā kolami 'castings, metal tools, pots and pans
-- smithy' PLUS kuṭhi kaṇḍa kanka kolami 'smelting furnace account (scribe) supercargo --
smithy'.

Hieroglyphs: lathe PLUS young bull rebus: 'caravan' PLUS turner: sãghāṛɔ 'lathe', Rebus:
sanghāta 'caravan'खोांड [ khōṇḍa ] m A young bull, a bullcalf. (Marathi) గోద [ gōda ] gōda. [Tel.]
n. An ox. A beast. kine, cattle.(Telugu) koḍiyum (G.) rebus: koḍ ‘workshop’ (G.) B. kõdā ‘to
turn in a lathe’; Or. kū̆nda ‘lathe’, kũdibā, kū̃ d ‘to turn’ (→ Drav. Kur. kū̃ d ‘lathe’) (CDIAL
3295)

Hieroglyph: sãgaḍ, 'lathe' (Meluhha) Rebus 1: sãgaṛh , 'fortification' (Meluhha). Rebus

2:sanghAta 'adamantine glue'. Rebus 3: sangāṭh सांग ठ् 'assembly, collection'. Rebus
4: sãgaḍa 'double-canoe, catamaran'.

Hieroglyph: one-horned young bull: खोांड (p. 216) [ khōṇḍa ] m A young bull, a bullcalf.
Rebus: क द
ों kōnda ‘engraver, lapidary setting or infixing gems’ (Marathi)

Hieroglyph: one-horned young bull: खोांड (p. 216) [ khōṇḍa ] m A young bull, a bullcalf.

46
Rebus: क द ों kōnda ‘engraver, lapidary setting or infixing gems’ (Marathi) ख दगिरी [ khōdagirī ]
f Sculpture, carving, engraving.

Miniature tablets of Harappa with ledger entries for a wealth accounting system

The miniature tablets of Harappa with inscriptions denote products coming out of furnace,
smelter or smithy. Each furnace, smelter or smithy can be called artisans' workplace or
workshop.

Tablets are account tokens of products produced in workshops. Seals consolidate or aggregate
the information provided on tablets to prepare technical details for bills of lading -- to be handed
to supercargo for shipment (caravan).

Thus, the purport of tablets and seals is explained as an accounting process. Miniature tablets
provide information to prepare a bill of lading on a seal which is handed over to the caravan
leader by sealing the packages with the seal inscription as a technical record of contents of the
packages or shipment.

Trench 54 area in Harappa yielded tablets of very small sizes. Many incised miniature tablets of
Harappa with script are of the size of a thumb-nail. These tablets of Harappa are about 1 cm.
square with Harappa script inscriptions on both sides.

https://www.harappa.com/indus3/184.html

47
An additional six copies of these tablets, again all with the same inscriptions, were found
elsewhere in the debris outside of perimeter wall [250] including two near the group of 16 and
two in debris between the perimeter and curtain walls. Here all 22 tablets are displayed together
with a unicorn intaglio seal from the Period 3B street inside the perimeter wall, which has two of
the same signs as those found on the tablets.
https://www.harappa.com/indus5/79.html

h1682. A unicorn intaglio seal was discovered from the street inside the perimeter
wall.

This seal has two of the same signs as those found on one of the three sides of a set of 22 three-
sided miniature tablets (with inscriptions on all three sides) found between the perimeter andc
curtain walls.

Each of the 22 tablets is composed of three sides with inscriptions: Side A, Side B, Side C

Tablet Side A signifies kolimi, 'smithy-forge', smelter-supercargo (i.e., supercargo

responsible for shipment of smelted products from the smelter)

This is the hypertext from the tablet which is entered on the seal which
technically accounts for, catalogues and documents the cargo for shipment.

The hypertext on the left is composed of hieroglyph1 and hieroglyph 2.

48
Hieroglyph 1: kuṭi ‘water carrier’ (Te.) Rebus: kuṭhi ‘smelter furnace’ (Santali) kuṛī f. ‘fireplace’
(H.); krvṛI f. ‘granary (WPah.); kuṛī, kuṛo house, building’(Ku.)(CDIAL 3232) kuṭi ‘hut made of
boughs’ (Skt.) guḍi temple (Telugu)

Hieroglyph 2: kárṇaka m. ʻ projection on the side of a vessel, handle ʼ ŚBr. [kárṇa --

]Pa. kaṇṇaka -- ʻ having ears or corners ʼ; Wg. kaṇə ʻ ear -- ring ʼ NTS xvii 266; S. kano m. ʻ
rim, border ʼ; P. kannā m. ʻ obtuse angle of a kite ʼ (→ H. kannā m. ʻ edge, rim, handle ʼ);
N. kānu ʻ end of a rope for supporting a burden ʼ; B. kāṇā ʻ brim of a cup ʼ, G. kānɔ m.;
M. kānā m. ʻ touch -- hole of a gun ʼ.(CDIAL 2831). kanka ‘Rim of jar’ (Santali); karṇaka rim
of jar’(Skt.) Rebus: karṇaka ‘scribe’ (Te.); gaṇaka id. (Skt.) (Santali) kāraṇika m. ʻ teacher ʼ
MBh., ʻ judge ʼ Pañcat. [kā- raṇa -- ] Pa. usu -- kāraṇika -- m. ʻ arrow -- maker ʼ; Pk. kāraṇiya --
m. ʻ teacher of Nyāya ʼ; S. kāriṇī m. ʻ guardian, heir ʼ; N. kārani ʻ abettor in crime ʼ; M. kārṇī m.
ʻ prime minister, supercargo of a ship ʼ, kul -- karṇī m. ʻ village accountant ʼ.(CDIAL
3058). karṇadhāra m. ʻ helmsman ʼ Suśr. [kárṇa -- , dhāra -- 1]Pa. kaṇṇadhāra -- m. ʻ helmsman
ʼ; Pk. kaṇṇahāra -- m. ʻ helmsman, sailor ʼ; H. kanahār m. ʻ helmsman, fisherman ʼ.(CDIAL
2836). Thus, the 'rim-of-jar' glyph connotes: furnace account (scribe), supercargo.

The hypertext on the right is hiroglyph, 'three long linear strokes'

Hieroglyph: kolom 'three' Rebus: kolimi 'smithy'

Variants for Sign 15 (Mahadevan)

Variants (Parpola)

49
 Example of water-carrier hieroglyph as Indus script. Seal
impression, Ur (Upenn; U.16747) Seal impression, Ur (Upenn; U.16747); dia. 2.6, ht. 0.9 cm.;
Gadd, PBA 18 (1932), pp. 11-12, pl. II, no. 12; Porada 1971: pl.9, fig.5; Parpola, 1994, p. 183;
water carrier with a skin (or pot?) hung on each end of the yoke across his shoulders and another
one below the crook of his left arm; the vessel on the right end of his yoke is over a receptacle
for the water; a star on either side of the head (denoting supernatural?). The whole object is
enclosed by 'parenthesis' marks. The parenthesis is perhaps a way of splitting of the ellipse
(Hunter, G.R., JRAS, 1932, 476). An unmistakable example of an 'hieroglyphic' seal.

The inscription on the Ur circular seal is deciphered goṭa dul meḍ kuṭhi 'laterite, iron (cast metal),
tin smelter furnace'. [kuṭhi 'smelter' furnace for iron/ kuṭila, 'tin (bronze)metal; kuṭila, katthīl =
bronze (8 parts copper and 2 parts tin) [cf. āra-kūṭa, ‘brass’ (Samskritam)]
Sign 15 occurs togethe with a notch-in-fixed fish hieroglyph on Harappa 73 seal:

Harappa seal (H-73)[Note: the hieroglyph ‘water carrier’ pictorial of

Ur Seal Impression becomes a hieroglyph sign] Hieroglyph: fish + notch: aya
'fish' + khāṇḍā m A jag, notch Rebus: aya 'metal'+ khāṇḍā ‘tools, pots and pans, metal-
ware’. kuṭi 'water-carrier' Rebus: kuṭhi 'smelter'. खोांड (p. 216) [khōṇḍa] m A young bull, a
bullcalf; खोांड [ khōṇḍā ] m A क ां बळ of which one end is formed into a cowl or hood. खोांडर ां [
khōṇḍarūṃ ] n A contemptuous form of खोांड in the sense of क ां बळ -cowl (Marathi); kōḍe
dūḍabull calf (Telugu); kōṛe 'young bullock' (Konda) rebus: kõdā ‘to turn in a lathe’ (Bengali)
[The characteristic pannier which is ligatured to the young bull pictorial hieroglyph is a
synonym खोांड 'cowl' or 'pannier').खोांडी [ khōṇḍī ] f An outspread shovelform sack (as formed
temporarily out of a क ां बळ , to hold or fend off grain, chaff &c.) ] खोांड (p. 216) [ khōṇḍa ] m A
young bull, a bullcalf.(Marathi) खोांडर ां [ khōṇḍarūṃ ] n A contemptuous form of खोांड in the

50
sense of क ां बळ -cowl.खोांड [ khōṇḍā ] m A क ां बळ of which one end is formed into a cowl or
hood. खोांडी [ khōṇḍī ] f An outspread shovelform sack (as formed temporarily out of a क ां बळ , to
hold or fend off grain, chaff &c.)

Hieroglyph: kōḍ 'horn' Rebus: kōḍ 'place where artisans work, workshop' কুঁ দন, কক দ ুঁ ন [
kundana, kōndana ] n act of turning (a thing) on a lathe; act of carving (Bengali) क त री or
̐ ̐
क ां त री (p. 154) [ kātārī or kāntārī ] m (क तणें ) A turner.(Marathi)

Rebus: खोदक म [ khōdakāma ] n Sculpture; carved work or work for the carver.
खोदर्गरी [ khōdagirī ] f Sculpture, carving, engraving: also sculptured or carved work.खोदणें [
khōdaṇēṃ ] v c & i ( H) To dig. 2 To engraveखोदीांव [ khōdīṃva ] p of खोदणें Dug. 2 Engraved,
carved, sculptured. http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2015/04/excavations-at-dholavifra-1989-
2005-rs.html
The intimations of a metals turner as a scribe are also gleaned from the gloss: खोड खोड or डी [
khōḍākhōḍa or ḍī ] f (खोडणें ) Erasing, altering, interlining &c. in numerous places: also the
scratched, scrawled, and disfigured state of the paper so operated upon; खोडीांव [ khōḍīṃva
] p of खोडणें v c Erased or crossed out.Marathi). खोडपत्र [ khōḍapatra
] n Commonly खोटपत्र.खोटपत्र [ khōṭapatra ] n In law or in caste-adjudication. A written
acknowledgment taken from an offender of his falseness or guilt: also, in disputations, from the
person confuted. (Marathi) Thus, khond 'turner' is also an engraver, scribe.

That a metals turner is engaged in metal alloying is evident from the gloss: खोट [ khōṭa ] f A
mass of metal (unwrought or of old metal melted down); an ingot or wedge. Hence 2 A lump or
solid bit (as of phlegm, gore, curds, inspissated milk); any concretion or clot. खोटीच Composed
or made of खोट, as खोटीचें भ ां डें.
It will be seen from Sign 15 that the basic framework of a water-carrier hieroglyph (Sign 12) is
superscripted with another hieroglyph component, Sign 342: 'Rim of jar' to result in Sign 15.
Thus, Sign 15 is composed of two hieroglyph components: Sign 12 'water-carrier' hieroglyph;
Sign 342: "rim-of-jar' hieroglyph (which constitutes the inscription on Daimabad Seal 1).

kaṇḍ kanka ‘rim of jar’; Rebus: karṇaka ‘scribe’; kaṇḍ ‘furnace, fire-altar’. Thus the
ligatured Glyph is decoded: kaṇḍ karṇaka ‘furnace scribe'

51
 Variants of Sign 342 'Rim-of-jar' orthography

Daimabad Seal 1 (Sign 342: Two hieroglyph components: jar

with short-neck and rim-of-jar) -- distringuished from broad-mouthed rimless pot which is
another Sign hieroglyph.

Each hieroglyph component of Sign 15 is read in rebus-metonymy-layered-meluhha-

cipher: Hieroglyph component 1: kuṭi 'woman water-carrier' rebus: kuṭhi 'smelter' furnace for
iron/kuṭila, 'tin metal'. Hieroglyph component 2: kanka, kārṇī-ka 'rim-of-jar' rebus: kanka, kārṇī-
ka m. ʻsupercargo of a shipʼ 'scribe'.

Ligatured hieroglyph 15 using two ligaturing components: 1. water-carrier; 2. rim-of-jar. The

‘rim-of-jar’ glyph connotes: furnace account (scribe). Together with the glyph showing ‘water-
carrier’, the ligatured glyphs of kuṭi ‘water-carrier’ + ‘rim-of-jar’ can thus be read as: kuṭhi kaṇḍa
kanka ‘smelting furnace account (scribe)’.

Decipherment of the message on this side of the tablet: kolom 'three'

rebus: kolimi 'smithy, forge' PLUS kuṭi 'water-carrier' rebus: kuṭhi 'smelter' PLUS karṇīka 'rim-
of'jar' rebus: karṇī, supercargo'. In short, the hypertext on this side of the tablet signifies:
'smelter-smithy supercargo'.

The inscriptions on three sides of each of the 22 tablets were as shown below:

52
Three groups of tablets discovered at Harappa in 1997. 22 tablets were clustered in 3 groups to
show styles of writing/incision indicating three distinct scribes at work. "Group of incised baked
steatite tablets. A group of 16 three-sided incised baked steatite tablets, all with the same
inscriptions, were uncovered in mid- to late Period 3B debris outside of the curtain wall.

53
Harappa 1995-7: MoundE, HARP Trench 11: steatite seal and incised steatite tablets (After Fig.
4. Harappa 1995-1997: Mounds E and ET; Trench 11: steatite seal H96-2796/6874-01 and
incised steatite tablets (22) with the same inscriptions). "The last 2 signs of this seal are the same
as those on one side of the 22 tablets (taking three strokes as a single sign)...Each tablet is three-
sided with the inscription on each side comprising a single more complex sign accompanied by
three or four simple strokes." The tablets are "incised with script that was to be read directly
from the tablet." (Note by J. Mark Kenoyer & Richard H. meadow on Inscribed objects from
Harappa excavations: 1986-2007 in: Asko Parpola, BM ande and Petteri Koskikallio eds., 2010,
CISI, Vol.3: New material, untraced objects, and collections outside India and Pakistan, Part 1:
Mohenjo-daro and Harappa, Helsinki, Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia, (pp.xliv to lviii), p.
xliv http://www.harappa.com/indus/Kenoyer-Meadow-2010-HARP.pdf)

Tablet Side B Hypertext signifies bronze, bellmetal from smithy, forge

Side B has two hieroglyphs

54
 kolom 'three' rebus: kolimi 'smithy, forge'

kanac 'corner' rebus: kancu 'bronze, bellmetal'

Pk. kaṇṇiā -- f. ʻ corner, pericarp of lotus ʼ; Paš. kanīˊ ʻ corner ʼ(CDIAL 2849) kana, kanac
'corner' Rebus: kancu 'bronze, bellmetal' (Telugu) kaṁsá1 m. ʻ metal cup ʼ AV., m.n. ʻ bell --
metal ʼ Pat. as in S., but would in Pa. Pk. and most NIA. lggs. collide with kāˊṁsya -- to which
L. P. testify and under which the remaining forms for the metal are listed. 2. *kaṁsikā -- .1.
Pa. kaṁsa -- m. ʻ bronze dish ʼ; S. kañjho m. ʻ bellmetal ʼ; A. kãh ʻ gong ʼ; Or. kãsā ʻ big pot of
bell -- metal ʼ; OMarw. kāso (= kã -- ?) m. ʻ bell -- metal tray for food, food ʼ; G. kãsā m. pl. ʻ
cymbals ʼ; -- perh. Woṭ. kasṓṭ m. ʻ metal pot ʼ Buddruss Woṭ 109.

Tablet Side C signifies furnace in kaṇḍa 'fire-altar'

Side C has two hieroglyphs

gaṇḍaka m. ʻ a coin worth four cowries ʼ lex., ʻ method of counting by fours ʼ W. [← Mu.
Przyluski RoczOrj iv 234]S. g̠aṇḍho m. ʻ four in counting ʼ; P. gaṇḍā m. ʻ four cowries ʼ; B. Or.
H. gaṇḍā m. ʻa group of four, four cowries ʼ; M. gaṇḍā m. ʻ aggregate of four cowries or pice
ʼ.With *du -- 2: OP. dugāṇā m. ʻ coin worth eight cowries ʼ.(CDIAL 4001). Rebus: kaṇḍa ‘fire-
altar (Santali)

55
baṭa = wide-mouthed pot Rebus: bhaṭ 'kiln, furnace' (Hindi.Maithili) bhráṣṭra n. ʻ frying pan,
gridiron ʼ MaitrS. [√bhrajj]Pk. bhaṭṭha -- m.n. ʻ gridiron ʼ; K. büṭhü f. ʻ level surface by kitchen
fireplace on which vessels are put when taken off fire ʼ; S. baṭhu m. ʻ large pot in which grain is
parched, large cooking fire ʼ, baṭhī f. ʻ distilling furnace ʼ; L. bhaṭṭh m. ʻ grain -- parcher's oven
ʼ, bhaṭṭhī f. ʻ kiln, distillery ʼ, awāṇ. bhaṭh; P. bhaṭṭh m., °ṭhī f. ʻ furnace ʼ, bhaṭṭhā m. ʻ kiln ʼ;
N. bhāṭi ʻ oven or vessel in which clothes are steamed for washing ʼ; A. bhaṭā ʻ brick -- or lime -
- kiln ʼ; B. bhāṭi ʻ kiln ʼ; Or. bhāṭi ʻ brick -- kiln, distilling pot ʼ; Mth. bhaṭhī, bhaṭṭī ʻ brick --
kiln, furnace, still ʼ; Aw.lakh. bhāṭhā ʻ kiln ʼ; H. bhaṭṭhā m. ʻ kiln ʼ,bhaṭ f. ʻ kiln, oven, fireplace
ʼ; M. bhaṭṭā m. ʻ pot of fire ʼ, bhaṭṭī f. ʻ forge ʼ.S.kcch. bhaṭṭhī keṇī ʻ distil (spirits) ʼ.(CDIAL
9656).

The three sides of each of the 22 miniature tablets read the messages:

Tablet Side A signifies kolimi, 'smithy-forge', smelter-supercargo (i.e., supercargo responsible

for shipment of smelted products from the smelter)

Tablet Side B Hypertext signifies bronze, bellmetal from smithy, forge

Tablet Side C signifies furnace in kaṇḍa 'fire-altar'

Wealth accounting categories signified by inscriptions on three sides of miniature tablets

Eah side of the three sides of a miniature tablet thus constitutes a wealth category.

Side A is accounting wealth category of smelted products from smithy, forge.

Side B is accounting wealth category of brone, bellmetal from smithy, forge.
Side C is accounting wealth category detailing the source of the products signified on Sides A
and B.

56
The following examples are of 8 copper tablets recovered in Harappa by HARP project. A third
glyph on these tablets is an oval sign -- like a metal ingot -- and is ligatured with an infixed
sloping stroke: ḍhāḷiyum = adj. sloping, inclining (G.) The ligatured glyph is read rebus as:
ḍhālako = a large metal ingot (G.) ḍhālakī = a metal heated and poured into a mould; a solid
piece of metal; an ingot (G.) The inscription on these tablets is in bas-relief:

Rebus reading of h1827A: khareḍo = a currycomb (G.) Rebus: kharādī ' turner'
(G.) karṇīka, kanka 'rim of jar' rebus: kaṇḍa kanka 'smelting furnace account
(scribe), karṇī, supercargo' baraḍo 'spine' Rebus: bharata भरत 'alloy of pewter, copper,
tin'.(Frequency of occurrence 41) Note: Frenquency is in reference to Mahadevan corpus. The
occurrences will be more if HARP discoveries are reckoned. The string of three hieroglyphs
signifies bharata भरत 'alloy of pewter, copper, tin'.ready as supercargo (for seafaring merchants)
and for turners in smithy. Side h1827B: kanac 'corner' rebus: kanac, kancu 'bronze' ḍhāla 'flag'
rebus: ḍhālako = a large metal ingot (G.) ḍhālakī = a metal heated and poured into a mould; a
solid piece of metal; an ingot (G.) koḍi 'flag' rebus: koḍ 'workshop' dāṭu 'cross'
rebus; dhatu 'mineral' dula 'pair' rebus: dul 'cast metal' baṭa 'rimless pot' rebus: bhaṭa 'furnace'.
Thus, bronze workshop mineral casting out of furnace.

This hypertext string of 3 hieroglyphs has some variants in messaging by replacing the third
hieroglyph (Sign 176 in this case). Such variant strings are 8 copper tablets with raised script
which replaces Sign 176 with a dotted oval (like an ingot) or h2200A where Sign 176 is replaced
by fish+fin hieroglyph with a linear stroke added

fish fins khambhaṛā 'fin' rebus: kammaṭa 'mint, coiner,

coinage' PLUS baraḍo 'spine' rebus: bharata 'alloy of pewter, copper, tin' PLUS karṇṇīka 'rim of
jar' rebus: karṇī 'supercargo' PLUS koḍa 'one' rebus: koḍ 'workshop' (This last hieroglyph is also
read as khareḍo = a currycomb (G.) Rebus: kharādī ' turner' (Gujarati).

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Faience tablet (H2001-5082/2920-02) made from two colors of faience was found eroding from
the Trench 54 South workshop area. Identical tablets made from two colors of faience were
recovered in Area J, at the south end of Mound AB, in the excavations of Vats during the
1930s. gaṇḍa 'four' rebus: khaṇḍa 'implements' baṭa 'rimless pot' rebus: bhaṭa 'furnace' baraḍo =
spine; backbone (Tulu) Rebus: baran, bharat ‘mixed alloys’ (5 copper, 4 zinc and 1 tin)
(Punjabi) ayo 'fish' rebus: aya 'iron' ayas 'metal'.

ayo 'fish' rebus: aya 'iron' ayas 'metal' karṇīka, kanka 'rim of jar' rebus: kaṇḍa
kanka, karaṇīka 'smelting furnace account (scribe), karṇī, supercargo' baraḍo 'spine' Rebus:
भरत 'alloy of pewter, copper, tin'. Thus, metal alloy of copper, pewter, tin, ready as supercargo--
from implement furnace., supercargo' baraḍo 'spine' Rebus: bharata भरत 'alloy of pewter,
copper, tin'.

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 Copper tablet (H2000-
4498/9889-01) with raised script found in Trench 43 of Harappa. The raised script has apparently
been achieved during casting in a
mould. Source: http://www.harappa.com/indus4/351.html http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/201
5/08/indus-script-corpora-cipher-hypertexts.html

Over 8 such tablets have been found in Harappa. These uniquely forged copper tablets cast in a
mould and inscribed with a raised script inscription were found in circular platforms of Harappa.

The three glyphs on the ingots are read in sequence: ḍhālako kasērā kaṇḍa kanka 'metal ingot,
metal work, furnace scribe, supercargo, steersman'.

This is a professional calling card of the artisan engaged in metal work.

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Yadav, Nisha, 2013, Sensitivity of Indus Script to type of object, SCRIPTA, Vol. 5 (Sept. 2013),
pp. 67-103

khareḍo = a currycomb (G.) Rebus: kharādī ' turner' (G.) karṇika, kanka 'rim of
jar' rebus: kaṇḍa kanka 'smelting furnace account (scribe), karṇī, supercargo' baraḍo 'spine'
Rebus: भरत 'alloy of pewter, copper, tin'.(Frequency of occurrence 41) Note: Frenquency is in
reference to Mahadevan corpus. The occurrences will be more if HARP discoveries are
reckoned. The string of three hieroglyphs signifies भरत 'alloy of pewter, copper, tin'.ready as
supercargo (for seafaring merchants) and for turners in smithy.

baṭa 'rimless pot' rebus: baṭa 'iron' bhaṭa 'furnace' PLUS dula 'two' rebus: dul 'cast
metal' Thus, cast metal furnace (Frequency of occurrence: 74)

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 baṭa 'rimless pot' rebus: baṭa 'iron' bhaṭa 'furnace' PLUS kolom 'three'
rebus: kolimi 'smithy'. Thus smithy furnace (Frequency of occurrence: 111)

baṭa 'rimless pot' rebus: baṭa 'iron' bhaṭa 'furnace' PLUS gaṇḍa 'four'
rebus: khaṇḍa 'implements'. Thus implements furnace (Frequency of occurrence: 50)

The Venn diagram can be explained in the context of metalwork at Harappa, a site which has
reported tiny steatite inscribed tablets and also almost all 'seal impressions' used as tablets in the
Indus Script Corpora. भरत 'alloy of pewter, copper, tin'.ready as supercargo (for seafaring
merchants) and for turners in smithy is sourced from three workspots: 1. smithy furnace; 2. cast
metal furnace; 3. implements furnace.

Many examples of such smultiple inscriptions on Harappa tablets have been noted by Meadow
and Kenoyer (Meadow, Richard H. and Jonathan Kenoyer, 1997, The ‘tinysteatite seals’ (incised
steatitetablets) of Harappa: Some observations ontheir context and dating in: Taddei, Maurizio
and Giuseppe de Marco, 2000, South Asian Archaeology, 1997, Rome, Istituto Italiano per
l’Africa e l’Oriente.After Fig. 3, p.12 Harappa 1995-1997: Mounds E and ET; molded terracotta
tablets).

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ArthaŚāstra of Cāṇakya (Kauṭilya) of ca. 6th century BCE, provides a lead on the possible
organizational structure of the guilds of Harappa of 3rd millennium BCE, which worked with the
metals manufactories and circular work platforms. Some intimations are gleaned from the
messages on 8000+ Indus Script Inscriptions.

Mines, factories and superintendents

"The Arthashastra dedicates Topics 30 through 47 discussing the role of government in setting
up mines and factories, gold and precious stone workshops,commodities, forest
produce,armory,standards for balances and weight measures,[84] standards for length and time
measures,customs,agriculture,liquor,abattoirs and courtesans, shipping,domesticated animals
such as cattle, horses and elephants along with animal welfare when they are injured or too
old,pasture land,military preparedness and intelligence gathering operations of the state."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthashastra

https://tinyurl.com/ydexhneu

ArthaŚāstra of Cāṇakya (Kauṭilya)

The full text of ArthaŚāstra at Wikisource (First English translation, 1915 by R Śāmāśāstry)
https://www.scribd.com/document/361257551/Artha%C5%9A%C4%81stra-of-
C%C4%81%E1%B9%87akya-Kau%E1%B9%ADilya
ArthaŚāstra of Cāṇakya (Kauṭilya) by Srini Kalyanaraman on Scribd
Harappa Tablets (2016) by Srini Kalyanaraman on Scribd

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