What was Kharosthi used for?

Material Form & Use During the following century, Kharosthi was widely used on coin inscriptions when a currency system was introduced in Gandhara after the establishment of the short-lived Indo-Greek kingdom.

What is Brahmi and Kharosthi?

The Brahmi writing system, or script, appeared as a fully developed universal one in South Asia in the third century BCE, and is a forerunner of all writing systems that have found use in South Asia with the exception of the Indus script of the third millennium BCE, the Kharosthi script, which originated in what today …

How are Brahmi and Kharosthi deciphered?

Most of the Prakrit inscriptions were written in the Brahmi script. The deciphering of Kharosthi script was facilitated by find of coins of Indo-Greek kings who ruled over the area during 2nd to 1st BC. These coins contain the names of kings written in Greek and Kharoshti scripts.

Who Deciphered Brahmi Kharosthi?

James Prinsep FRS
James Prinsep FRS (20 August 1799 – 22 April 1840) was an English scholar, orientalist and antiquary. He was the founding editor of the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal and is best remembered for deciphering the Kharosthi and Brahmi scripts of ancient India.

Who introduced kharosthi script India?

An abugida, it was introduced at least by the middle of the 3rd century BCE, possibly during the 4th century BCE, and remained in use until it died out in its homeland around the 3rd century CE. It was also in use in Bactria, the Kushan Empire, Sogdia, and along the Silk Road.

How do Abugidas work?

An abugida is defined as “a type of writing system whose basic characters denote consonants followed by a particular vowel, and in which diacritics denote other vowels”. The fundamental principles of an abugida apply to words made up of consonant-vowel (CV) syllables.

How was Brahmi deciphered?

Brahmi, the main script used in ancient India mainly from 3rd century BC to 6th century AD, is considered as the core script for genesis of other modern Indian scripts according to experts. The script was deciphered by Prinsep, the founding editor of Journal of Asiatic Society of Bengal, in 1837.

When did the first epigraphy issue in India?

The earliest undisputed deciphered epigraphy found in India are the Edicts of Ashoka of the 3rd century BCE, in the Brahmi script.

How is the Brahmi script different from Kharosthi?

Kharosthi was contemporary with the Brahmi script, an Indian writing system widely used in most of India outside the northwest region where Kharosthi remained dominant. While the influence of the Brahmi script increased and spread beyond India, the Kharosthi script remained confined to specific locations.

Where was the Kharosthi script used in ancient India?

The Kharosthi script, also spelled Kharoshthi or Kharoṣṭhī, was an ancient Indian script used in ancient Gandhara (now Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan), a Mahajanapada of ancient India, to write Gandhari Prakrit and Sanskrit. It was popular in Central Asia as well.

What kind of material was the Brahmi script written on?

Brahmi and Kharosthi script in use. Brahmi script is written from left to right and was used to write on a variety of materials such as stone, terracotta and metal. Kharosthi was based on the Aramaic script used by the Achaemenid Empire which controlled north-western India around the fifth century B.C.

Where was the Brahmi script before the Ashoka pillars?

According to Trigger, Brahmi was in use before the Ashoka pillars, at least by 4th or 5th century BCE in Sri Lanka and India, while Kharoṣṭhī was used only in northwest South Asia (eastern parts of modern Afghanistan and neighboring regions of Pakistan) for a while before it died out in ancient times.