Scripts In Ancient India Brahmi And Kharosthi
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EXAMIVERSE
🧭 Kharosthi Script
Origins and Timeline
- Earliest Use: 4th century BCE
- Region: Gandhara (NW India, modern Pakistan/Afghanistan)
- Direction: Right to left
- Deciphered By: James Prinsep (1835), Carl Ludwig Grotefend (1836)
Features
- Type: Abugida, derived from Aramaic
- Used for Gandhari Prakrit, Sanskrit, Pali
- Found in coin inscriptions, Ashokan edicts, and Buddhist manuscripts
- Numerals resemble Roman numerals
Legacy
- Used in Gandhara, Central Asia, and Silk Road regions
- Declined after 3rd century CE
- Rediscovered via Gandharan Buddhist texts in the 20th century