Archiv, ArOr: Quarterly Journal of African, Asian and 4 voLUME 53/1990 Latin American Studies ACADEMIA PRAHAARCHIV ORIENTALNI 58,1990 The Dravidian Language and the Harappan Script CA Winters, Chicago There are varying views regarding the identity of the language spoken by the Harappans of the Indus Valley. One group of scholars believe thét the Ha- rappans spoke an Indo-Aryan language (Renlrew 1987). Other researchers be- lieve that the Harappans spoke an aspect of Dravidian. Contrary to the views of Renfrew (1987, 1988), most scholars working on the Harappan script accept the hypothesis that this script is written in Dravi- dian, This hypothesis is supported by 1) the fact that Dravidian speakers live in Baluchistan, Afghanistan and Turkestan, 2) the presence of Dravidian loan words in Sanskrit indicates that Dravidian speakers probably occupied the In- dus Vally before the Indo-Aryans arrived, and 3) the spread of the black-and- red ware (BRW) pottery tradition in the Indo-Pakistan ares support the Dra- vidian hypothesis. Colin Renfrew (1987), suggested that the arguments identifying the Indus Valley script as a Dravidian language are not convincing and that the Harap- pans spoke an Indo-Aryan language. This view that rhe language of the Indus Valley was already Indo-Aryan can not be supported by the archaeological and linguistic evidence Dr. Renfrew (1987), hypothesizes that the Indo-Aryan languages were des- cendant from a precursor language spoken in eastern Anatolia around the ti- me the first Indo-European languages of the European branch were spoken in central and western Anatolia, According to this hypothesis Indo-Aryan far- mers from eastern Anatolia were settled at Mehrgarh in Baluchistan, From here Renfrew (1987), believes the Indo-Aryan speakers migrated into Pakistan and later North India. The Indo-Aryan languages were, according to Renfrew (1987), later influenced from the northwest in the second through first millen- ria B.C. by now-l E. speakers. Diiakonov (1985), on the other hand believes that the Balkan-Catpathian re- gion was the Indo-European (I~E) homeland. He believes that the spread of the Indo-Aryan speakers was not from Asia Minor into the Hindukush region. According to D'iakonov (1985:143), the Indo-Aryan migration was across fo- rest-steppe and decidious forest zones into the Hlindukush. The Vedic Aryans are associated with the Painted Gray Ware (PGW) cera: mic tradition of northern India, (Lal 1954) The beginning of the PGW phase has been extrapolated back to 1000 BC. (Raman 1978:119} J. P. Joshi (1978), during his excavations in Haryana and Punjab found PGW dating 10 1300-1600 BC. The radio-carbon date for PGW is far too late to support an Indo-Aryan hypothesis for the Harappan language.a cA wiNteRS, 1. B. Lal (1963), proved conclusively thatthe Dravidians were genetically related to the C-Group of Nubia, given the fact that both groups used 1) common BRW, 2) a common burial complex incorporating megaliths and Gircular rock enclosures and 3) a common type of rock cut sepulchre. This 'BRW industry diffused from Nubia across West Asia into Rajstan, and then- ce to East Central and South India, (Rao 19723341) ‘Zeclebil (1972) has suggested that the homeland of the Proto-Dravidians was situated inthe uplands: Due to the genetic links between the ancignt Dra ‘idians:1) the BRW tradition and 2) African languages the probable ancestral home of the Dravidians was the Saharan highlands (Winters 1985) "The ancestral culture ofthe Proto-Dravidians was sedentary-pastoral. They herded eatle, fished and collected grasses for food. (Winters 1985:3) Ethnically the Proto-Dravidians belonged to the classical Mediterranean ty pe found in the Sahara region around 7000 B. C. (Winters 1985) There was {continuity and homogeneity of the classical Mediterranean type from Mid die Africa to India. (Nayar 1977) Skeletons ofthe Mediterranean type found in ‘the Indus and south India ae analogous to those found at Kish and pre-dynas tic Egypt (Lahovary 195737) Fairservs (1986), Mahavadan (1986), Parpola (1970), Knorozov (1979), and Winters (1984, 19840, 1967b) have all suggested a Dravidian identity forthe Harappan language due to their structural analysis of the Harappan script, “The archaeological and linguistic evidence suppors this view. "The earliest known language ofthe Iranian Borderland i Camite. Elamite is genetically related to the Dravidian group (MeAlpin 1981) It lutrates no Evidence of any interaction with the Indo-Europeans. The same can be said about Sumerian. "The Dravidians were probably early setlers of the Indus Valley. Today the re are isolated pockets of Dravidian speaking groups surrounded by Indo ‘Keyan speakers Dravidian languages ate spoken by tribal groups in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, west Bengal and Bihar. The Internatio ‘al Schoo! of Dravidian Linguistic claims that 65% ofthe tribals in North In- Gian states speak Dravidian languages (ISDL 1985-227) ‘There are islands of Dravidian speakers outside south India which point to the former presence of Dravidians in areas now settled by Indo-Aryan spe kers In Alghanistan Ian and Pakistan we find Dravidian speakers. There are (ver 300,000 Brahui speakers in Qualat, Hairpur and Hyderabad districts of Pakistan, There are an additional 40000 Brahui in Iran, and several thousand ‘long the southern border of Russia and Yugoslavia. (ISDI,1983:227) Over ‘mllion Kurukh speakers live in Bihar, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh 1 addi- tion, 88000 Malto live in Bihar. “The spatial distribution of northern Dravidian, outlined above, supports the hypothesis tha these linguistic groups did not migrate from south India into the Indus Valley and Gangetic plan. “he Dravidian Language nd te Harappan Sri 303 Black And Red Ware ‘Archaeologist agree thatthe BRW industry unearthed on many south Indi an ites suggest the former presence of Dravidian speakers at these site. (Lal 1960) The BRW style has been found on the lowest levels of Madurai and T rukkampuliyur 'B.B. Lal (1963), has observed that the BRW discovered in Nubia ding to the Kerma dynasty geneticaly related to the BRW of megalithic India, Today ‘many scholars suggest that ths style of pottery which dates back to 4000 BC ‘may have radiated from Nubia through Mesopotamia and Iran southward into India. (Singh 1982) "The earliest occurence of BRW in south Asia on the Kathiawad peninsula, parallel ware has been found at the lowest levels of Harappa and Lothal da- ting to 2400 BC. (Rao 1972) Dr. Nayar (1877) has shown that the Harappan BRW has affinities to predynastic Egyptian and West Asian BRW dating to the same period. Ra (1872) has established the untary nature ofthe BRW in str. ‘Alter 1700 BC; the Harappan culture spread southward into the Chaeol thie culture of Malwa and central India, own to northern Deccan and east ward into the Genetic Basin. The BRW of Gujarat between 1700100 BC. Was in communication with the Dravidians of the Malwa culture. The BRW people of the Malwa culture occupied the Tapi Valle, Pravara Godavari and the Bhima Valleys. As a general rule the BRW horizon preceeds the PGW pe riod. (Singh 1982a-xh) Here on the Gangetic Plain we see the emergence of PGW. The presence of PGW points to the probable fist contact betwenn the Proto-Dravidians and. Indo-Aryan. Settlements of the Proto-Dravidians were probably es hed in Iran. K:H, Menges (1966), using linguistic data, assumes an early settlement of Dravidian speakers far to the northwest on the Iranian plateau and an area extending into what is now Turkestan, (Winters 19883; 1988) ‘Zvelebil (1972), kas hypothesized a southeast miggaion of Dravidian speakers ‘out of northeastern Iran down into Tamil Nadu “The Indus region is a9 area of uncertain ras because itis located in the fringes ofthe monsoon. (Fairservis 1987347) Setlrs inthe Indus Valley had to suffer both frequent droughts and floods. Severe droughts Irequently occurred in the Indus Valley so the people dug wells ‘To compensate for the adverse ecological conditions, the Harappans fist settled sites along the Indus river. (Fairservis 198748) "The Harappans occupied over 1,00 sites inthe riverine Indus Valley envi roments where they had soil and water reserves. The Harappan stes are spre ad from the Indus Valley to Ai Kharnoum in northeastern Afghanistan. In this area today Dravidian languages are spoken ig Baluchistan and Afghanistan "The Harappans were organized into chiefdoms, averaging between two and five acres. (Fairervis 1987) The Harappans were a sedentary-pastoral people