India offers reward for decoding ancient Indus Valley script

In its article, Euronews has recently highlighted an exciting challenge for archaeologists and linguists. 

A life-changing reward of $1 million awaits the person who can crack the code of a 5,300-year-old Indus language. The challenge is real, but so is the reward—although deciphering this ancient script won’t be easy. 

The government of Tamil Nadu, a state in southeastern India, has announced a 960,000-euro-prize for anyone able to unlock the mysteries of the Indus Valley civilization’s written language. According to the BBC, Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister, MK Stalin, revealed the prize following the publication of a study that identified potential similarities between the Indus symbols and inscriptions found on local pottery. 

The Indus Valley civilization, also referred to as the Harappan civilization, thrived 5,300 years ago in what is now north-west India and Pakistan. Its people were farmers and traders, and they developed one of the earliest urban societies in history. The cause of the civilization's sudden collapse remains a mystery, with no evidence of warfare or natural disasters to explain the decline. 

The writing system, composed of signs and symbols, includes around 4,000 short inscriptions, mostly etched onto small objects like seals and pottery. Theories suggest connections to early Brahmi scripts, Indo-Aryan languages, and Sumerian. Decoding this script could unlock important insights into the civilization’s governance and belief systems. 

Yet, despite numerous attempts by linguists and archaeologists, the Indus script continues to evade interpretation. Anyone happen to have a Rosetta Stone or an Enigma machine nearby? Or perhaps the contact info for one of Champollion’s descendants? Let us know!

By Naila Huseynova