# Indus Scripts

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indus-scripts/493055>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [April 14, 2009, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indus-scripts/493055 "2009-04-14T12:15:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![SRRAY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b19c9b/32.png) [@SRRAY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SRRAY)\
**Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indus-scripts/493055/1 "2009-04-14T12:15:41Z")

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Re the Article Dated May-10-2005, what is the straight dope on Kurt Schildmann’s decipherment dated May-19-2007 ? Please help.

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**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\
**Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indus-scripts/493055/2 "2009-04-14T14:04:41Z")

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You apparently mean [this column](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2206/how-come-we-cant-decipher-the-indus-script); it’s traditional and polite around here to include a link. No big deal, it ought to be automatic (they’re trying), and welcome to the Dope!

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**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\
**Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indus-scripts/493055/3 "2009-04-14T15:29:14Z")

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Kurt Schildmann did some work in 1994; the “decipherment” was published in 2007 by one Rainer Hasenpflug. These gentlemen appear to be ignored entirely by almost everyone, and embraced fervently by people of rather questionable discernment (mostly devotees of dubious racial and historical theories). Very little is written about them; Hasenpflug is apparently not a linguist and has never published in a peer-reviewed forum, while Schildmann is noted for his work on the Babylonian influence on Mayan and the presence of Sanskrit in artifacts from Illinois.

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**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\
**Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indus-scripts/493055/4 "2009-04-14T21:01:00Z")

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I don’t recall reading about Schildmann’s and Hasenpflug’s work before. But as I noted, it’s easy to fool yourself into thinking you’ve deciphered a script when you haven’t.

Hasenpflug apparently believes the language is Sanskrit. He doesn’t, as far as I can tell, explain why the archaeological remains at the Indus sites don’t match what we know about Indo-European peoples (domesticated horses, chariots, etc).

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**Author:** ![SRRAY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b19c9b/32.png) [@SRRAY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SRRAY)\
**Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indus-scripts/493055/5 "2009-04-15T04:00:32Z")

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Thanks to both the author of the article and Nametag.  
I wish to try including the link next time till it becomes automatic. Thanks for forgiving me.