Contents: I. The scope and significance of epigraphy in indological studies. II. Writing and scripts in India: 1. General introduction. 2. The Brahmi script and its derivatives. 3. The Kharosthi script. 4. Numbers and numerical notation. 5. Techniques of epigraphic writing. 6. Undeciphered scripts. III. The languages of Indic inscriptions: 1. Middle Indo-Aryan ("Prakrit"). 2. Mixed or "Hybrid" dialects. 3. Sanskrit. 4. The New Indo-Aryan (NIA) languages. 5. Other (Non-Indo-Aryan) languages in Indian inscriptions. 6. Bilingual and multilingual inscriptions. IV. Survey of inscriptions in the Indo-Aryan languages: 1. Typological survey. 2. Survey by form and material. 3. General survey of inscriptions. V. Methods of epigraphic study: 1. The presentation of inscriptional texts. 2. Translation and interpretation of inscriptions. 3. Authentication of inscriptions. 4. Dating of inscriptions. 5. Appendix: eras used in Indo-Aryan inscriptions. VI. The history of Indian epigraphic studies: 1. The pioneering era: early readings of Indian inscriptions (1781-1834). 2. The era of decipherment (1835-1860). 3. The period of maturity (1861-1900). 4. The modern period (1901-1947). 5. Indian epigraphy since independence (1947 to the present). 6. Future prospects and desiderata. VII. Epigraphy as a source for the study of Indian culture: 1. Epigraphy and history. 2. Epigraphy and the study of Indian literature. 3. Epigraphy and the study of religion. 4. Epigraphy and the study of the arts. 5. Epigraphy and linguistics. 6. Epigraphy and geography. 7. Other fields. VIII. Bibliographic survey: 1. Primary sources: notices and editions of inscriptions. 2. Secondary sources: handbooks and reference works. Appendix: Selection of typical inscriptions. Bibliography. Index of inscriptions cited. Index.
"This book provides a general survey of all the inscriptional material in the Sanskrit, Prakrit, and modern Indo-Aryan languages, including donative, dedicatory, panegyric, ritual, and literary texts carved on stone, metal, and other materials. This material comprises many thousands of documents dating from a range of more than two millennia, found in and the neighbouring nations of South Asia, as well as in many parts of Southeast, central, and East Asia. The inscriptions are written, for the most part, in the Brahmi and Kharosthi scripts and their many varieties and derivatives.
"Inscriptional materials are of particular importance for the study of the Indian world, constituting the most detailed and accurate historical and chronological data for nearly all aspects of traditional Indian culture in ancient and medieval times. Richard Salomon surveys the entire corpus of Indo-Aryan inscriptions in terms of their contents, languages, scripts, and historical and cultural significance. He presents this material in such a way as to make it useful not only to Indologists but also non-specialists, including persons working in other aspects of Indian or Souh Asian studies, as well as scholars of epigraphy and ancient history and culture in other regions of the world." (jacket)
[Richard Salomon is Associate Professor of Sanskrit in the Department of Asian Languages and Literature, University of Washington.]
