Joe Cribb
580 California St., Suite 400
San Francisco, CA, 94104
Chinese lead ingots with barbarous Greek inscriptions, in Coin Hoards, vol.IV (London 1978), pp.76-8
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Inscribed tin ingots of Haifa, Hishule Carmel Late Bronze shipwrecks are Mlecchita vikalpa hypertexts of seafaring merchants
Inscribed tin ingots of Haifa, Hishule Carmel Late Bronze shipwrecks are Mlecchita vikalpa hypertexts of seafaring merchants The hypothesis of this monograph is that Meluhha seafaring merchants reached Canaan region (Haifa, Hishule Carmel) during Late Bronze Age (c. 14th cent. BCE) delivering copper and tin ingots. The evidence for transport of oxhide ingots (tin or copper) is provided on a Mohenjo-daro prism tablet with Mlecchita vikalpa hypertexts. This hypothesis is tested deciphering inscribed tin ingots of Late Bronze shipwrecks at Haifa, Hishule Carmel. The cipher texts are Mlecchita vikalpa hypertexts of Meluhha seafaring merchants who use Indus Script hieroglyphs. I agree with the conclusion of Vasiliki Kassianidou: “The Bronze Age metals’ trade has been a subject of paramount concern to many scholars, even so many questions remain unanswered and there is clearly a lot that remains to be learned. I do believe that what is critically needed is a detailed study of the marks on all metal ingots, not just the ones from Uluburun but also those from Cyprus, Crete, Sardinia, and elsewhere, by an expert in very much the same way as it was done for pottery.” Such a detailed study will resolve the contentions of Iberian or Cypro-Minoan scripts and the validity of the readings suggested in mlecchita vikalpa (Meluhha cipher). Two inscribed tin ingots from Hishule Carmel After Galili et al, pp. 29, 30 (Galili, E., Shmueli, N. and M. Artzy, 1986, Bronze Age ship’s cargo of copper and tin. The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology and Underwater Exploration 15/1, pp. 25-37 Comparable hieroglyphs composed as hypertexts are found in examples of copper tablets with Indus Script inscriptions. Indus Script inscriptions on 14 examples of copper tablets inscribed on two sides (C6 figure) Indus Script inscriptions on 7 examples of copper tablets inscribed on two sides (B19 figure) These two sets of inscriptions include the following hypertext (hieroglyph components) (with variants): The hieroglyph components in these hypertext variants are: 1. dhāḷ, 'slanted stroke' 2. khāṇḍā, 'notch, jag' Both together signify rebus: dhāḷako 'ingot' PLUS khaṇḍa 'implement'. dhāḷ 'slanted stroke' A. ḍhaliba ʻto leanʼ, B. ḍhalā; Or. ḍhaḷibā ʻto inclineʼ(CDIAL 5581) Rebus: dhāḷako 'large ingot'(Gujarati) खांड (p. 116) khāṇḍa f (खंड S) A break or opening in a dam or mound; a crack or fissure in a wall &c. 2 A jag, indentation, denticulation. 3 A gap in the teeth; a notch खांडा (p. 116) khāṇḍā A jag, notch, or indentation (as upon the edge of a tool or weapon). Rebus: khaṇḍa 'metal implements' as in:lokhaṇḍa ^ adaren 'lid' rebus: aduru 'native metal' | koḍa 'one' rebus: koḍ 'workshop' Thus, the two sets of hypertexts on the tin ingots of Hishule Carmel are read rebus in Meluhha: 1. dhāḷako 'ingot' PLUS khaṇḍa 'implement'. 2. aduru 'native metal' PLUS koḍ 'workshop' These two examples of tin ingots are also cited in: Kassianidou, Vasiliki, 2003, The trade of tin and island of copper, in: Alessandra Giumlia-Mair & Fulvia Lo Schiavo, 2003, Le probleme de l’etain a l’origine de la metallurgie, The problem of early tin, Bronze Age in Europe and the Mediterranean, Colloque/Symposium 11.2, 2-8 Sept. 2001, University of Liege, Acts of the XIVth UISPP Congress, Archaeopress, Oxford, England, pp.109-119 https://www.academia.edu/4038201/The_trade_of_tin_and_the_island_of_copper Map of Cyprus showing Middle and Late Bronze Age sites and sites where copper oxhide ingots have been found (After Fig. 1 in Kassianidou, Vasiliki, 2003) Map of the Mediterranean showing sites where copper oxide and tin ingots have been found (After Fig. 2 in Kassianidou, Vasiliki, 2003) After the publication in 1977, of the two pure tin ingots found in a shipwreck at Haifa, Artzy published in 1983 (p.52), two more ingots found in a car workshop in Haifa which wasusing the ingots for soldering broken radiators. Artzy's finds were identical in size and shape with the previous two; both were also engraved with two marks. In one of the ingots, at the time of casting, a moulded head was shown in addition to the two marks. Artzy compares this head to Arethusa. (Artzy, M., 1983, Arethusa of the Tin Ingot, Bulletin of the American School of Oriental Research, 250, p. 51-55). Artzy went on to suggest the ingots may have been produced in Iberia and disagreed with the suggestion that the ingot marks were Cypro-Minoan script. I suggest an alternative to with both suggestiosns identifying the script as Iberian or Cypro-Minoan script. I suggest that the script is Sindhu-Sarasvati (Indus) Script. My monograph on this conclusion has been published in Journal of Indo-Judaic Studies, Vol. 1, Number 11 (2010), pp.47-74 — The Bronze Age Writing System of Sarasvati Hieroglyphics as Evidenced by Two “Rosetta Stones” By S. Kalyanaraman (Editor of JIJS: Prof. Nathan Katz)http://www.indojudaic.com/index.php?option=com_contact&view=contact&id=1&Itemid=8 All these hieroglyphs on the three tin ingots of Haifa are read rebus in Meluhha: Hieroglyph: ranku = liquid measure (Santali) Hieroglyph: raṅku m. ʻa species of deerʼ Vās., rankuka id., Śrīkaṇṭh. (Samskrtam)(CDIAL 10559). Rebus: ranku ‘tin’ (Santali) raṅga3 n. ʻ tin ʼ lex. Pk. raṁga -- n. ʻ tin ʼ; P. rã̄g f., rã̄gā m.ʻpewter, tinʼ (← H.); Ku. rāṅ ʻ tin, solder ʼ, gng. rã̄k; N. rāṅ, rāṅo ʻ tin, solder ʼ, A. B. rāṅ; Or. rāṅga ʻ tin ʼ, rāṅgā ʻ solder, spelter ʼ, Bi. Mth. rã̄gā, OAw. rāṁga; H. rã̄g f., rã̄gā m. ʻ tin, pewter ʼ; Si. ran̆ga ʻ tin ʼ. (CDIAL 10562) Hieroglyph: dāṭu = cross (Telugu) Rebus: dhatu = mineral ore (Santali) Rebus: dhāṭnā ‘to send out, pour out, cast (metal)’ (Hindi)(CDIAL 6771). Hieroglyph: mũh 'a face' Rebus: mũh, 'ingot' or muhã 'quantity of metal produced at one time from the furnace’ (Santali) Thus, two tin ingots reported from Haifa contain the following plain texts: raṅku m. ʻa species of deerʼ PLUS dāṭu = cross rebus: plain text: ranku 'tin' PLUS dhatu 'cast mineral' Thus, together, the plain text reads:tin mineral casting raṅku m. ʻliquid measureʼ PLUS dāṭu = cross rebus: plain text: ranku 'tin' PLUS dhatu 'cast mineral' Thus, together, the plain text reads: tin mineral casting. The ingot reported from a Haifa car repair workshop contains the following plain text: raṅku m. ʻliquid measureʼ PLUS dāṭu = cross PLUS mũh 'a face' rebus: plain text: ranku 'tin' PLUS dhatu 'cast mineral' PLUS mũh, 'ingot'. Thus, together, the plain text reads: tin mineral cast ingot Late Bronze Canaan (regions and sites) - Titus Israel Museum. Metal ingots from coast of Kefar Samir, Neve Yam, Hishule Carmel, 14th-13th c. BCE. TB032014147.jpg One side of Mohenjo-daro tablet with Indus Script hieroglyphs/inscriptions on all three sides This suggestion is reinforced by the fact that a Mohenjo-daro prism tablet shows on one side a boat carrying oxhide ingots, establishing the Meluhha-Cypriot link. The administrative unit in Cyprus transacting seafaring trade in copper and tin ingots may have acted as intermediaries for trade from Meluhha or community of Meluhha traders settled in Cyprus handling imports from Meluhha. Meluhha had received the tin (cassiterite) from the largest tin belt of the globe in Ancient Far East in the basins of Himalayan rivers, Irrawaddy-Salween, Mekong River Basins which had accumulated cassiterite as placer deposits after grinding down granite rocks of the river basins. "Secondly it is probable that, both metals necessary in the making or bronze, were distributied by an administrative complex centred on Cyprus. Although the source of the tin is unknown, it passed through Cyprus where it received the markings, which are also found on copper ingots of LBA date." (p.46) Maddin, R. Wheeler, TS and JD Muhly, 1977, Tin in the ancient Near East, Old questions and new finds. Expedition 19/2, p. 35-47 What was an ox-hide called in the contact area of Ancient Near East of the Bronze Age where such large ingots were found (including the shipwrecks of Uluburn and Cape Gelidonya)? The objective of this addendum is to answer this question based on deciherment of Indus Script Corpora of inscriptions. The ox-hide ingot was called ḍhāla 'large ingot'. Artisans who use this word belong to the Prakrtam Indian sprachbund (linguistic area).Whether these Prakrtam speakers had colonies in Cyprus calls for further researches becauee a large number of ox-hide ingots have been discovered in Cyprus and other parts of Ancient Near East.Mirror: http://tinyurl.com/jnnf8n4
de Lisle, C. (2015) "Coins and Ancient History" The New Collection 10: 96-110
An introduction to the ways in which coins can help us reconstruct the ancient past, touching on chronology, iconography, metrology, and distribution.
Decipherment of Mohenjodaro two-sided tablet m481 (National Museum, Delhi, NM 153); maritime metals cargo of wealth resources
This is an extraordinary inscribed object and credit goes to both Asko Parpola and Iravatham Mahadevan who have diligently captured the full text and hieroglyphs which compose the hypertext of the Indus Script inscription. The field symbol is a cobrahood reclining on a low platform; the hieroglyphs are: cobrahood, low platform. The text of the message is on two lines from two sides of the tablet transcribed in Mahadevan concordance. The second line of Side B (two hieroglyphs/hyprtext) has the field symbol. Side A has 6 signs which constitute hieroglyphs/hypertexts. . Line 1: ḍato 'claws or pincers of crab' (Santali) rebus: dhatu 'ore' (Santali). badhi 'to ligature, to bandage, to splice' Rebus: badhi 'worker in iron and wood' badiga 'artificer' (Kannada) Variants of Sign 123 orthography Sign 387 is a hypertext of two hieroglyphs: lozenge shape; rice plant; the Meluhha rebus readings are: mũh 'lozenge-shape' rebus: mũhã̄ = the quantity of iron produced at one time in a native smelting furnace of the Kolhes; iron produced by the Kolhes and formed like a four-cornered piece a little pointed at each end (Santali) PLUS kolmo 'rice plant' rebus: kolimi 'smithy, forge'. Thus, smithy/forge of ingots. Sign 342 karṇaka कर्णक m. 'rim of jar' Rebus:karaṇa, scribes were recording accounting ledgers of wealth created by artisans; kanahār ʻhelmsman'; कारणीक kāraṇīka 'supercargo' (a representative of the ship's owner on board a merchant ship, responsible for overseeing the cargo and its sale). Sign 9 is hypertext composed of two hieroglyphs: 1. pair; 2. curved lines; 3. standing person with quivers (warrior) dula 'pair' rebus: dul 'metal casting' PLUS kuṭi 'curve' Rebus 1: kuṭila, katthīl = bronze (8 parts copper and 2 parts tin) PLUS bhaṭā 'warrior' Rebus: bhaṭā 'furnace. Thus, bronze furnace'. The standing person with spread legs: कर्णक m. du. the two legs spread out AV. xx , 133 'spread legs'; (semantic determinant) Rebus: kanahār 'helmsman', कारणीक kāraṇīka 'supercargo'; karaṇa 'scribe' Hieroglyph of 'kneeling adorant' or 'worshipper' with pot offering: baṭa 'rimless pot' Rebus bhaṭa 'furnace' PLUS బత్తుడు battuḍu, பத்தர் pattar 'worshipper' Rebus: பத்தர்⁵ pattar , n. perh. vartaka. Merchants; வியாபாரிகள்; பத்தர்² pattar , n. < T. battuḍu. A caste title of goldsmiths; தட்டார் பட்டப்பெயருள் ஒன்று.Thus, goldsmith merchant guild furnace. Thus, Line 1 is a catalogue of maritime merchants' metalwok catalogue or ledger of mineral ores, bronze metal castings wealth resources and maritime cargo of wealth products. Line 2: Hypertext composed of Sign 383 hypertext of 3 hieroglyphs and Sign 341 hieroglyph: hoof Sign 383 is hypertext of three hieroglyphs: 1. lozenge shape, 2. oval sign (seed), 3. currycomb. The rebus readings are: 1. Lozenge shape: mũh 'lozenge-shape' rebus: mũhã̄ = the quantity of iron produced at one time in a native smelting furnace of the Kolhes; iron produced by the Kolhes and formed like a four-cornered piece a little pointed at each end (Santali) 2. Hieroglyph: small ball or seed: *gōṭṭa ʻ something round ʼ. [Cf. guḍá -- 1. -- In sense ʻ fruit, kernel ʼ cert. ← Drav., cf. Tam. koṭṭai ʻ nut, kernel ʼ, Kan. goṟaṭe &c. listed DED 1722]K. goṭh f., dat. °ṭi f. ʻ chequer or chess or dice board ʼ; S. g̠oṭu m. ʻ large ball of tobacco ready for hookah ʼ, °ṭī f. ʻ small do. ʼ; P. goṭ f. ʻ spool on which gold or silver wire is wound, piece on a chequer board ʼ; N. goṭo ʻ piece ʼ, goṭi ʻ chess piece ʼ; A. goṭ ʻ a fruit, whole piece ʼ, °ṭā ʻ globular, solid ʼ, guṭi ʻ small ball, seed, kernel ʼ; B. goṭā ʻ seed, bean, whole ʼ; Or. goṭā ʻ whole, undivided ʼ, goṭi ʻ small ball, cocoon ʼ, goṭāli ʻ small round piece of chalk ʼ; Bi. goṭā ʻ seed ʼ; Mth. goṭa ʻ numerative particle ʼ; H. goṭ f. ʻ piece (at chess &c.) ʼ; G. goṭ m. ʻ cloud of smoke ʼ, °ṭɔm. ʻ kernel of coconut, nosegay ʼ, °ṭī f. ʻ lump of silver, clot of blood ʼ, °ṭilɔ m. ʻ hard ball of cloth ʼ; M. goṭā m. ʻ roundish stone ʼ, °ṭī f. ʻ a marble ʼ, goṭuḷā ʻ spherical ʼ; Si. guṭiya ʻ lump, ball ʼ; -- prob. also P. goṭṭā ʻ gold or silver lace ʼ, H. goṭā m. ʻ edging of such ʼ (→ K. goṭa m. ʻ edging of gold braid ʼ, S. goṭo m. ʻ gold or silver lace ʼ); M. goṭ ʻ hem of a garment, metal wristlet ʼ.*gōḍḍ -- ʻ dig ʼ see *khōdd -- .Addenda: *gōṭṭa -- : also Ko. gōṭu ʻ silver or gold braid ʼ.(CDIAL 4271) Rebus: L. khoṭ f. ʻ alloyʼ,°ṭā ʻ alloyed ʼ, awāṇ. khoṭā ʻ forged ʼ; P. khoṭ m. ʻ base, alloy ʼG. khoṭũ ʻ alloyedʼ; M. khoṭā ʻ alloyed ʼ(CDIAL 3931) 3. Hieroglyph: currycomb: khareḍo 'a currycomb' (Gujarati) Rebus: 1. karaḍā खरडें 'daybook'; 2. karaḍā 'hard alloy of iron, silver etc.)(Marathi) Rebus 1: खरडा kharaḍā m (खरडणें) Scrapings (as from a culinary utensil). 2 Bruised or coarsely broken peppercorns &c.: a mass of bruised मेथ्या &c. 3 also खरडें n A scrawl; a memorandum-scrap; a foul, blotted, interlined piece of writing. 4 also खरडें n A rude sketch; a rough draught; a foul copy; a waste-book; a day-book; a note-book. खरडनिशी kharaḍaniśī f Scrawling, scribbling, bad writing. खरडनीस kharaḍanīsa c खरडनिशा a (खरड & P) A scrawler or bad writer. Rebus 2: करडा karaḍā Hard from alloy--iron, silver &c. (Marathi) Thus, the hypertext Sign 383 with three hieroglyphs, signifies daybook of alloy ingots from furnace. The 'hoof' hieroglyph has 63 orthographic variants in Indus Script Corpora. Sign 341 variants List of 63 inscriptions (ASI 1977 Mahadevan Concordance) which contain Sign 341 variants is provided in Sixty-three Indus Script inscriptions, wealth-account ledgers of ṭãksāḷ, ṭaksāḷī 'mint-master' repertoire of metalwork https://tinyurl.com/ups26mt Sign 341 of the inscription m481 signifies, 'ṭāṅka ‘hoof' read Meluhha rebus as ṭaṁka, 'stamped coin', mint': Kui tāŋgu (pl. tākaka) hoof. tāka (tāki-) id.; n. act of walking; ? (K.) Kuwi (F.) tākali, (S.) tākinai, (Isr.) tāk- (-it-) to walk. ? (DEDR 3151) ṭaṅka3 (a) ʻ *rod, spike ʼ, (b) m. ʻ leg ʼ lex. 2. ṭaṅga -- 3 m. ʻ leg ʼ lex. [Orig. ʻ stick ʼ? Cf. list s.v. *ḍakka -- 2]1. (a) K. ṭang m. ʻ projecting spike which acts as a bolt at one corner of a door ʼ; N. ṭāṅo ʻ rod, fishing rod ʼ, ˚ṅi ʻ measuring rod ʼ; H. ṭã̄k f. ʻ iron pin, rivet ʼ (→ Ku. ṭã̄ki ʻ thin iron bar ʼ).(b) Pk. ṭaṁka -- m., ˚kā -- f. ʻ leg ʼ, S. ṭaṅga f., L. P. ṭaṅg f., Ku. ṭã̄g, N. ṭāṅ; Or. ṭāṅka ʻ leg, thigh ʼ, ˚ku ʻ thigh, buttock ʼ.2. B. ṭāṅ, ṭeṅri ʻ leg, thigh ʼ; Mth. ṭã̄g, ṭãgri ʻ leg, foot ʼ; Bhoj. ṭāṅ, ṭaṅari ʻ leg ʼ, Aw. lakh. H. ṭã̄g f.; G. ṭã̄g f., ˚gɔ m. ʻ leg from hip to foot ʼ; M. ṭã̄g f. ʻ leg ʼ.*uṭṭaṅka -- 2, *uṭṭaṅga -- .ṭaṅka -- 4 ʻ peak, crag ʼ see *ṭakka -- 3.Addenda: ṭaṅka -- 3. 1(b): S.kcch. ṭaṅg(h) f. ʻ leg ʼ, WPah.kṭg. (kc.) ṭāṅg f. (obl. -- a) ʻ leg (from knee to foot) ʼ.(CDIAL 5428) Rebus: ṭaṅkaśālā -- , ṭaṅkakaś˚ f. ʻ mint ʼ lex. [ṭaṅka -- 1, śāˊlā -- ]N. ṭaksāl, ˚ār, B. ṭāksāl, ṭã̄k˚, ṭek˚, Bhoj. ṭaksār, H. ṭaksāl, ˚ār f., G. ṭãksāḷ f., M. ṭã̄ksāl, ṭāk˚, ṭãk˚, ṭak˚. -- Deriv. G. ṭaksāḷī m. ʻ mint -- master ʼ, M. ṭāksāḷyā m. Addenda: ṭaṅkaśālā -- : Brj. ṭaksāḷī, ˚sārī m. ʻ mint -- master ʼ.ṭaṅga -- 3 ʻ leg ʼ(CDIAL 5434) ṭaṅka1 m.n. ʻ weight of 4 māṣas ʼ ŚārṅgS., ʻ a stamped coin ʼ Hit., ˚aka -- m. ʻ a silver coin ʼ lex. 2. ṭaṅga -- 1 m.n. ʻ weight of 4 māṣas ʼ lex. 3. *ṭakka -- 1. [Bloch IA 59 ←Tatar tanka (Khot. tanka= kārṣāpaṇa S. Konow Saka Studies 184)]1. Pk. ṭaṁka -- m. ʻ a stamped coin ʼ; N. ṭã̄k ʻ button ʼ (lw. with k); Or. ṭaṅkā ʻ rupee ʼ; H. ṭã̄k m. ʻ a partic. weight ʼ; G. ṭã̄k f. ʻ a partic. weight equivalent to 1/72 ser ʼ; M. ṭã̄k m. ʻ a partic. weight ʼ.2. H. ṭaṅgā m. ʻ a coin worth 2 paisā ʼ.3. Sh. ṭăk m. ʻ button ʼ; S. ṭako m. ʻ two paisā ʼ, pl. ʻ money in general ʼ, ṭrakaku ʻ worth two paisā ʼ, m. ʻ coin of that value ʼ; P. ṭakā m. ʻ a copper coin ʼ; Ku. ṭākā ʻ two paisā ʼ; N. ṭako ʻ money ʼ; A. ṭakā ʻ rupee ʼ, B. ṭākā; Mth. ṭakā, ṭakkā, ṭakwā ʻ money ʼ, Bhoj. ṭākā; H. ṭakā m. ʻ two paisā coin ʼ, G. ṭakɔ m., M. ṭakā m.*uṭṭaṅka -- , *ṣaṭṭaṅka -- , ṭaṅkaśālā -- .Addenda: ṭaṅka -- 1 [H. W. Bailey in letter of 6.11.66: Khot. tanka is not = kārṣāpaṇa -- but is older Khot. ttandäka ʻ so much ʼ < *tantika -- ](CDIAL 5426) Thus, Line 2 of the inscription reads: metals mint PLUS daybook of alloy ingots from furnace. That the reference is to the metals mint is reinforced by the semantic determinative of the field symbol of cobra hood on a low platform which signifies Meluhha rebus: फड phaḍa 'metals manufactory'. Thus, Line 2 of the inscription together with the field symbol of cobrahood on low platform signifies: metals manufactory of metals mint PLUS daybook of alloy ingots from furnace. I suggest that the partly reclining serpent on a low platform under a tree is vividly portrayed with the cobra-hood.pāṭa 'low seat' PLUS फड phaḍa 'cobrahood' rebus: फड phaḍa 'metals manufactory'.
ZHOU Weirong - Numismatics and the History of Smelting, vol. 2 (contents page in English)
English version of the contents page of Qianbixue yu yezhu shi (2) – by ZHOU Weirong et al (Beijing: Kexue chubanshe, 2015). ISBN 978-7-03-043381-7 周卫荣等著 《钱币学与冶铸史》 北京：科学出版社，2015年。
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