eBulletin for Coins, Culture, History
and Archaeology of
No. 2, March 2005
Reesha Books International (website: www.reeshabooks.com)
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Message from the Editor
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Welcome to the
Reesha Books International’s monthly eBulletin for Coins, Culture, History
and Archaeology of
Features of the Month are:
2.
Synopsis of Recent Researches
5.
Openings in History, Culture & Archaeology
10. Beware of …
-------------------------------------
He says:
“Ancient metallurgists' repertoire; recurring messages
on tablets using glyphs
Mirrored
at: http://sarasvatismithy.blogspot.com/
The suite
of Sarasvati hieroglyphs relate to smithy or artisans' workshops.
At least four or five tablets are seen to contain repetitive pictorial glyphs
on molded tablets. The following are good examples from
1. A buffalo
2. Looking
backwards
3. A tiger
4. A
lizard
5. A tree
6. A
person (woman?) seated on the branch of a tree
7. A
person kicking the buffalo on its head and
8.
spearing the animal with his upraised arm
9. A
seated person in a yogic posture with a horned head-dress
10. A
woman holding back two jackals rearing on their hindlegs
11. An
elephant
12. A
knave of a six-spoked wheel
Homonyms which depict the glyph and its rebus substantive related to metals
(copper, iron, pancaloha – alloy of five metals, molten cast) and furnaces
(furnace, goldsmith's portable furnace), smithy or blacksmith's workshop or
mint or artisan's workshop are as follows;
the general appearance of animals on glyphs is related to pasaramu 'an animal';
rebus: pasra 'smithy':
buffalo: homa = bison (Ko.); soma = electrum (Skt.); hom = gold (Ka.)
look backwards: krammar-a = to turn, return; krammar-incu = to turn or send
back (Te.) kamar = blacksmith (Santali) kamma_rsa_le = blacksmith's workshop
(Ka.)
lizard: kuduru d.okka = a kind of lizard (
tree: kut.i = tree (Te.); kut.hi = furnace (Santali)
tiger, pair, woman: kol = metal; pancaloha (Ta.) kol = tiger (Santali) ko_la =
woman (Nahali) kol = a pair (planets) (Ta.) sagal.a = pair (Ka.) ; saghad.i_ =
furnace (G.) kolsa = to kick the foot forward (Santali) kola = killing (Te.) ib
= two (Ka.); ib = iron (Santali)
yogic posture: kamad.ha = person in penance (G.) kammat.a-ku_t.am = mint
(coiner, i.e. seal-maker) workshop (Ta.)
mer.go = with horns twisted back (Santali) mlecchamukha = copper (Skt.) melukka
(Pali) ko_d.u = horns (Ta.); kod. =
artisan's workshop (Kuwi)
spy: eraka = any metal infusion (Ka.Tu.) heraka = spy (Skt.); eraka (G.) er-aka
= upper arm (Te.) era = female (Santali) elephant: ibha = elephant (Skt.) ib =
iron (Santali) knave of spoked wheel: erako = nave; erako = molten cast (Tu.)
pasaramu = an animal (Te.); pasra = smithy (Santali.Mundari) http://www.harappa.com/indus5/page_440.html
Slide 440. Figure 440.
of Period 3B date for these tablets. Note the rear of the buffalo and the front
of the gharial in the left tablet which overlaps with the iconography of the
right tablet, although in this case they do not seem to come from the same
mold. (See also Images 89 and 90.)
http://www.harappa.com/indus/slideindex.html Slide 89. Figure 89. Molded
tablet.
sacrifice scene and a figure seated in yogic position, wearing a horned
headdress, looks on. The horned headdress has a branch with three prongs or
leaves emerging from the center.
O n the
reverse (90), a female deity is battling two tigers and standing above an
elephant. A single
Material:
terra cotta;
Dimensions:
3.91 length, 1.5 to 1.62 cm width; Harappa, Lot 4651-01;
http://www.harappa.com/indus/slideindex.html
Slide 90. Figure 90. Molded tablet.
On the reverse (89), an individual is spearing a water buffalo with one foot
pressing the head down and one arm holding the tip of a horn. A gharial
[crocodile] is depicted above the sacrifice scene and a figure seated in yogic
position, wearing a horned headdress, looks on. The horned headdress has a
branch with three prongs or leaves emerging from the center.
Material: terra cotta
Dimensions:
3.91 length, 1.5 to 1.62 cm width; Harappa, Lot 4651-01;
The cultural continuity of Sarasvati civilization is emphatic in Bharat which
is consistent with the code of Sarasvati hieroglyphs which uses homonyms from
the languages of Bharat in a linguistic area circa 5300 years Before Present
(when the first inscription was created at
Nausharo: female figurine. Period 1B, 2800 – 2600 BCE. 11.6 x 30.9 cm.[After
Fig. 2.19, Kenoyer, 1998]. Hair is painted black and parted in the middle of
the forehead, with traces of red pigment in the part.This form of ornamentation
may be the origin of the later Hindu tradition where a married woman wears a
streak of vermilion or powdered cinnabar (sindur ) in the part of her hair.
Choker and pendant necklace are also painted with red pigment, possibly
http://www.hindunetorg/saraswati/hindu1.pdf
Page 10. The find of the figurine is by Jarrige. BB Lal also attests to this
evidence of terracotta female figurine from Nausharo as an emphatic marker of
continuity of culture from Sarasvati civilization days to present-day Hindu
cultural practices.
The continuity of the metallurgical tradition from the days of Sarasvati
civilization in Bharat, and the code of the hieroglyphs explain why many glyphs
continue to be used on punch-marked metallic coins -- the mint-masters continue
to show their tools of trade and raw materials used in creating wealth for the
guild and providing metallic and other tools and artefacts for trade by
sea-faring merchants, s'a_tava_hana (horse-rider caravans led by sanghvi_), for
example. It is not mere coincidence that bharatiyo in Gujarati means 'caster of
metals'. Bha_ratam Janam ! invoked by Vis'vamitra Gathina in R.gveda.”
The December 26 tsunami that ravaged
The Archaeological Survey of India launched the diving expedition after residents
reported seeing a temple and other structures as the sea pulled back. The
stone-structures, uncovered by the tsunami, are clearly man-made,
archaeologists say. The tsunami also has revealed other relics along the coast
in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
The ancient gifts of the tsunami are expected to be presented to an
international seminar on maritime archaeology next month in
A unique and first known coin in gold
weighing 5 Tola (54.61 g) has been discovered. It is issued in the name of
Mughal Emperor, Ahmad Shah Bahadur from a south Indian mint called Karpa
(modern Cuddapah). Read full story in the ICS Newsletter No. 35, Jan-March
2005.
2. Synopsis of Recent Researches
Mr. Parth R.
Chauhan (Candidate for Doctor of Philosophy in Archaeology,
“Site-formation
Studies and Palaeolithic Investigations in the Siwalik Hills of
This
dissertation represents an investigation of the Soanian palaeolithic evidence
through such aspects as land-use patterns, site-formation mechanisms,
stone-tool production, and a critical historical review. Despite
almost seven decades of investigations in the Siwalik region, our understanding
of the Soanian industry has remained poor.
In the past, most investigations have relied on insufficient data
samples and ambiguous terrace sequences, resulting in biased artifact
collections and inconsistent interpretations. Extensive systematic foot-surveys
and geoarchaeological investigations were carried out by the author in the
Siwalik frontal zone between the Ghaggar and Markanda rivers, northern
Ø
ICS
Newsletter No. 35 (Jan-March,
2005) of Indian Coin Society and Reesha Books International is printed and is being
dispatched. It consists of following research articles:
From this issue onwards we have changed the layout,
size and overall format of the Newsletter.
Now it looks more like a research journal in 1/8 demi size, 4-colour cover
page, and 16 pages.
The ICS Newsletter is a research quarterly for coins,
seals, tokens, medals and paper money of
Ø
Old
issues of ICS Newsletters are now
available bound in 2 volumes: ICS Newsletter Nos. 1-20 in volume 1
and Nos.
21-34 in volume 2. To order, contact Ms. Priyamvada Pavagadhi of Reesha
Books at info@reeshabooks.com.
Ø Biennial
Conference of the European Association of South Asian Archaeologists: July 4-9,
2005.
The conference is being hosted by the UCL Institute
of Archaeology and will be held in the British Museum.
The venues will be in the Clore Centre and consist of two lecture theatres
(with seating for 300 and 150), two seminar rooms for smaller meetings, and a
foyer space. The topics of discussions include: Prehistoric
Technologies and Cultural Traditions; Economies in South
Asia; Technology,
Regional Interaction and the Indus Civilization; The Cultural
Diversity of Northwestern South Asia at the time of the Indus Civilization;
Mind the Gap:
Continuity and Change in South Asian archaeology: a panel designed to overcome
the gulf in studies of Harappa and the Early Historic; Punch-Marked
Coins - Numismatic,
Literary and Epigraphic Evidence on, Chronology in Gandhara; The
Hephthalites: White Huns in Archaeology
Archaeology of Religion; Issues in Indian
Ocean Commerce and the Archaeology of South India;
Recent Work in
the Himalayan Region; The Temple in
South Asia; Pre-Mughal
Architecture and Art; Recent Work in the Mughal Period; Indian Palace
Architecture of the 18th and 19th Centuries; Cultural Heritage and
Museum Collections.
Ø
Launch of a new coin society: Rajasthan
Coin Society
Recently on 20th
March 2005 at Jaipur a new numismatic society was launched to popularize,
spread and study Indian numismatics. These are the office bearers – Patron: Dr. R. C. Agrawal; President: Mr. Narendra Kothari (nirupam@datainfosys.net); Secretary:
Mrs. Premlata Pokharana (pokharna@rediffmail.com) ; Joint
Secretary: Mr. Vishnu Kumar Gupta;
Treasurer and PRO: Mr. Satpal Arora.
The Founder Members apart from the above are, Mr. Prakash Kothari, Mr. Satya
Narayan Sahil and Dr.
5. Openings in History,
Culture & Archaeology
o
International Scholar Fellowship Program
Open Society Institute
For more details log on to: http://jobs.ac.uk/jobfiles/BJ163.html
o
Lecturer
Ancient Near Eastern Studies
Department of the Languages and Cultures of the Near and Middle East
School of Oriental & African Studies,
For more details log on to: http://jobs.ac.uk/jobfiles/HW951.html
o
Lecturer in
Department of Classics,
For more details log on to: http://jobs.ac.uk/jobfiles/EH280.html
o
Studentships
Department of
For more details log on to: http://jobs.ac.uk/jobfiles/IW765.html
o
Position of Academic Director
For more details log on: http://jobs.ac.uk/jobfiles/BJ148.html
o
A Researcher, Modern languages
Ludwig
Boltzmann Institute for the History and Theory of Biography
For more
details log on to: http://jobs.ac.uk/jobfiles/FD983.html
o
Ph. D. Study Opportunities 2005/2006
For more details log on to: http://jobs.ac.uk/jobfiles/HW732.html
o
Lecturer in the Study of Islam
Al-Maktoum Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies
For more details log on to: http://jobs.ac.uk/jobfiles/IW714.html
o
Research Associate
Centre for
Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (CRASSH)
For more details log on to: http://jobs.ac.uk/jobfiles/LL878.html
o
Two Postdoctoral Researcher Posts
Faculty of Theology Ian Ramsey Centre
For more details log on to: http://jobs.ac.uk/jobfiles/XW419.html
Worth What ?
Horror gripped the heart of a World War I soldier, as
he saw his lifelong friend fall in battle. The soldier asked his Lieutenant if
he could go out to bring his fallen comrade back. “You can go,” said the
Lieutenant, “but don't think it will be worth it. Your friend is probably
dead and you may throw your life away.”
The Lieutenant's words didn't matter, and
the soldier went anyway.
Miraculously, he managed to reach his friend, hoisted
him onto his shoulder and brought him back to their company's trench. The
officer checked the wounded soldier, and then looked kindly at his friend.
“I told you it wouldn't be worth it,” he said. “Your friend
is dead and you are mortally wounded.”
“It was worth it, Sir,” said the soldier.
“What do you mean by worth it?” responded
the Lieutenant. “Your friend is dead.”
“Yes, Sir,” the soldier answered, “but it was
worth it because when I got to him, he was still alive and I had the
satisfaction of hearing him say, ‘Jim... I knew, you'd come’”.
Many times in life, whether a thing is worth doing
or not, really depends on how you look at it. Take up all your courage and
do something your heart tells you to do so that you may not regret not doing it
later in your life........
This is a true story. Share this with all your
friends...
“Let the
spirit of friendship in us not die.”
It is best to
give advice only in two circumstances:
When it is
requested, and
When it is a
life-threatening situation.
In 1962, four nervous young musicians
played their first record audition for the executives of the Decca Recording
Company. The executives were not impressed. While turning down this Group of
musicians, one executive said, “We don't like their sound. Groups of Guitars
are on the way out.”
Well, the Group later became famous as The Beatles.
Remember
this when you go out for Archaeological Camping…
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson go on a camping trip, set
up their tent, and fall asleep.
Some hours later, Holmes wakes his faithful friend. "Watson,
look up at the sky and tell me what you see."
Watson replies, "I see millions of stars."
Holmes - "What does that tell you?"
Watson ponders for a minute and comments:
“Astronomically speaking, it tells me that there are
millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets.
Astrologically, it tells me that Saturn is in Leo.
Time wise, it appears to be approximately a quarter
past three.
Theologically, it's evident the Lord is all-powerful
and we are small and insignificant.
Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful
day tomorrow. By the Way, what does it tell you?"
Holmes is silent for a moment, and then speaks. "Someone has stolen our tent".
10. Beware of …
How to
Detect a 2-way Mirror?
Have you seen recent advertisement of M/s Saint Gobain
Glasses shown on TV or in Hindi movie Humraaz? Then you must have known about
2-Way mirror. How to determine if a mirror is 2-way or not (Not a Joke!) Not to
scare you, but to make sure that you aware. Many of the hotels and textile
showrooms cheat the customers this way & watch you privately.
When we visit toilets, bathrooms, hotel rooms, changing
rooms, etc., how many of you know for sure that the seemingly ordinary mirror
hanging on the wall is a real mirror, or actually a 2-way mirror i.e., they can
see you, but you can't see them? There have been many cases of people
installing 2-way mirrors in female changing rooms or bathroom or bedrooms. It
is very difficult to positively identify the surface by just looking at it.
So, how do we determine with any amount of certainty
what type of mirror we are looking at?
Fingernail Test: Conduct this Simple
Test:
Place the tip of your fingernail against the
reflective surface and if there is a GAP
between your fingernail and the image of the nail, then it is a GENUINE mirror.
However, if your fingernail DIRECTLY
TOUCHES the image of your nail, then BEWARE, IT IS A 2-WAY MIRROR! (There
is someone seeing you from the other side!). So remember, every time you see a
mirror, do the "fingernail test."
The reason there is a gap on a real mirror, is that the
silver is on the back of the mirror UNDER
the glass whereas with a two-way mirror, the silver is on the Surface. Keep it in mind! Make sure and
check every time you enter in hotel rooms and public places.
Please share this information with your friends,
family and all.
You are Invited …
Hello Friends,
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interesting information in the field of academics like new researches,
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