Knowra Brahmi script Brahmi script Brahmi is an ancient Indian writing system attested by the third century BCE. Its descendants include many scripts used across South and Southeast Asia.
Abugida : A writing system in which consonant symbols carry an inherent vowel that other signs can modify or suppress. Brahmi’s consonant-and-vowel structure makes it an early example of this writing-system type.
Brahmi numerals : Numeral signs used in Brahmi inscriptions, with forms that varied across periods and regions. They show how numerical notation developed alongside Brahmi’s letters.
Ashoka : A Mauryan emperor who ruled much of the Indian subcontinent in the third century BCE. His reign produced the earliest large, securely dated corpus of Brahmi inscriptions.
Gupta script : A fourth- to sixth-century script used in inscriptions and manuscripts during the Gupta period in India. It developed from Brahmi and became an ancestor of several later scripts.
Origins of Brahmi script : The historical question of how and when Brahmi script first developed. Scholars debate whether Brahmi arose locally or drew on outside models.
Brahmi script inscriptions : Texts written in Brahmi, preserved on stone, metal, pottery, and other materials. Inscriptions provide the primary evidence for Brahmi’s forms, language, and historical use.
Vowel diacritic : A mark attached to a letter to indicate a vowel or alter its inherent vowel. Brahmi commonly marks non-inherent vowels with signs attached to consonant characters.
Maurya Empire : An ancient South Asian empire that flourished from the fourth to second centuries BCE. Its administration and Ashoka’s proclamations provide the setting for Brahmi’s early expansion.
Devanagari : An Indic script used to write languages including Hindi, Sanskrit, and Marathi. Its historical lineage runs through forms of Brahmi and later scripts.
Early Brahmi inscriptions : Brahmi texts dated to the script’s earliest known period, preserved on durable materials. Their dating and interpretation shape arguments about Brahmi’s chronology.
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