Introduction to Indian Epigraphy: Inscriptions of Ancient India 3600-IN-WEI-OG

1. History of the script in Indian Subcontinent
2. Sound or letter? Writing and oral communication in ancient India
3. On the rock and column - Edicts of Emperor Ashoka
4. Rulers - merchants - temples. Cultural contexts of the creation of Sanskrit inscriptions
5. Buddha's bones on the Silk Road. Inscriptions and manuscripts of the Buddhist Gandhara
6. From the inscription to the manuscript/ The diversity and characteristics of Indian writing systems
7. Fraud, fakes and pseudoscience - controversy related to Indian inscriptions.

Type of course

general courses
elective courses

Mode

Classroom

Prerequisites (description)

Student should know basic facts about the global history.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge:
Student:
• Has basic knowledge in the field of methodology of historical, cultural and linguistic research as well as their application in research on South Asian civilizations.
• Has detailed knowledge of the historical and cultural context of the operation of Old Indian inscriptions and related languages.
• Knows and understands historical and social mechanisms conditioning the functioning of Sanskrit as a civilization lingua franca in the area of pre-modern South Asia.
• Knows and characterizes interaction models of Sanskrit and other languages in South Asia in the pre-modern period.
• Knows and defines phenomena such as Sanskritization, Brahminization and Vernacularisation in the context of South Asia's cultural and literary history.

Skills:
Student:
• Can read selected inscription texts and place them in historical and cultural context with the help of additional materials.
• Can recognize, name and characterize materials and selected systems and types of writing in which Old Indian inscriptions and manuscripts were prepared.
• Is able to analyze and interpret selected historical and cultural phenomena from South Asia which are related to the content of Old Indian inscriptions.

Social competence:
Student:
• is aware of the historical and cultural conditions of cultural diversity.
• is aware of the importance of Sanskrit and prakrites as a medium of literary and cultural heritage in South Asia and its importance in the history of the world.
• develops his own sensitivity by understanding the positive value of South Asia's cultural heritage.

Assessment criteria

Class participation and final exam:
- evaluation (ongoing preparation for classes and activity) - 50%
- final written test - 40%
- presence control - 10%

Bibliography

Basic literature:
- Salomon, Richard, Indian Epigraphy: A Guide to the Study of Inscriptions in Sanskrit, Prakrit, and the Other Indo-Aryan Languages, 1998

Additional literature:
- Falk, Harry. Aśokan Sites and Artefacts: A Source-Book with Bibliography, 2006.
- Gāndhārī Language and Literature:
https://gandhari.org/
- Siddham - The Asia Inscriptions Database:
http://siddham.uk/

Additional information

Information on level of this course, year of study and semester when the course unit is delivered, types and amount of class hours - can be found in course structure diagrams of apropriate study programmes. This course is related to the following study programmes:

Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system:

Description of 3600-IN-WEI-OG in USOSweb