Image: Lynn Fawcett
Image: Lynn Fawcett

This pictograph depicts a pair of domestic geese.


Illustrative Text Reference:

Mohenjo-daro: Seal: M-1896 a: Asko Parpola, B. M. Pande, and Petteri Koskikallio, 2010: Corpus of Indus Seals and Inscriptions: Volume 3,1: Page 73: New material, untraced objects, and collections outside India and Pakistan: Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia.

Comment:

In Indus Script, the same symbol is used for both the singular and plural forms of a noun. If there is more than one of something, the quantity (where relevant) is specified by a numeral and, if applicable, a classifier. The exception to this rule is the numeral two. I have not found an example of the numeral two being used, to count things, in the Indus script. Perhaps to avoid confusion with the symbol for road or the symbol for false, two of anything is always depicted by repetition of the noun.


Image Credit:

Guard Geese: Lynn Fawcett, 2017.