Indus Valley Script: Undeciphered Writing System

The Indus Valley script emerged during the mature phase of the Indus Valley Civilization (c. 2600-1900 BCE) across sites in modern Pakistan and northwestern India. The writing system appears on approximately 4,500 seals, tablets, pottery, and other artifacts, with most inscriptions averaging 5 characters. The script contains around 400-600 distinct signs and likely functioned as a logo-syllabic system for administrative, commercial, and possibly religious purposes. Despite decipherment attempts since the 1920s, the script remains undeciphered. Evidence suggests it was used for taxation, commodity control, and trade licensing within urban centers of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro.