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Do the graffiti marks on Tamil Nadu potsherds continue the Indus signs?

Asked 26 Oct 2026 by ·Part of If the signs are writing, which language do they record?·3 answers·0·0 following
Three answers, none aheadNone is ahead yet. See what would settle it.

Where it stands

Three answers have been proposed. None is ahead on the evidence yet. Three are still possible.

Why it matters

The Tamil Nadu government has tied its prize to the claim that Indus signs survive in later South Indian graffiti, which would support a Dravidian reading and a southern continuity⁠[1]⁠[2].

Answers 3

None of these.
Not tested enough to call either way
Evidence: none yet
Still possible
Evidence: 1 for
Still possible
Evidence: none yet
Still possible

History

  1. Sproat puts forward: the resemblances are what any two systems of simple incised marks would share by chance and by the…
  2. ETV Bharat puts forward: the Tamil Nadu graffiti marks descend from the Indus signs and show cultural continuity.
  3. ETV Bharat: a state archaeology database of more than 15,000 potsherds was compiled and the keynote claimed about 60 per…For: The Tamil Nadu graffiti marks descend from the Indus signs and show cultural continuity.
  4. Asked on this site
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