brahmi? (was Re: Origin of Dravidian languages)

[Arlo Griffiths]

I believe this is not generally accepted, or at least should now be be
considered sceptically, as excavations on Sri Lanka (Anuradhapura; cf.
Allchin's reference in his 1995 book on Early Historical Urbanization in
South Asia) seem to have yielded (I am not sure whether there were
radiocarbon dates) sherds with Brahmi letters scratched on to them, from
about the 4th or 5th centruries BC. Again, I am not 100% sure about this.

Arlo Griffiths



On Tue, 10 Feb 1998, Jacob Baltuch wrote:

> No one has answered my brahmi question, so I'm asking again.
> Is it or is it not accepted that azoka's inscriptions are
> the earliest extant in brahmi?
>
> If it is, what is that mention in an article posted here of
> _sixth_ (6th) century BC coins carrying a brahmi inscription?
> Just a typo?
>