Who Deciphered Ashoka's Edicts? James Prinsep | History

Concept

The decipherment of ancient scripts is a turning point in reconstructing the history of the Indian subcontinent.

Authentic Source Evidence

James Prinsep, an officer in the Mint of the East India Company, deciphered Brahmi and Kharosthi scripts in 1837. This allowed historians to read Ashoka's inscriptions and identify 'Piyadasi' as the great Mauryan King Ashoka.

Analytical Breakdown

Logic 1: James Prinsep used bilingual coins (Greek and Kharosthi) to bridge the gap and eventually decode the Brahmi script used in most edicts.

Logic 2: Other scholars like William Jones or Max Muller made significant contributions to Indology but were not the ones to decipher Ashoka's edicts.