James Prinsep is given credit for deciphering the script used in:

[amp_mcq option1=”Ashokan Brahmi” option2=”Kharoshthi” option3=”Tamil Brahmi” option4=”Harappan Seals” correct=”option1″]

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UPSC Geoscientist – 2021

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James Prinsep, a British antiquarian and official of the East India Company, is credited with the breakthrough decipherment of the Brahmi script in 1837. This decipherment was crucial for understanding the Ashokan inscriptions found on pillars and rocks across the Indian subcontinent.

Prinsep’s decipherment of Brahmi unlocked a vast amount of historical information about the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka and his reign, providing insights into early Indian history, administration, and the spread of Buddhism.

Prinsep also made significant contributions to the decipherment of the Kharoshthi script, another ancient Indian script often found alongside Brahmi in northwestern India. The script used on Harappan seals (Indus script) remains largely undeciphered to this day. Tamil Brahmi is a southern variant of the Brahmi script.

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