Welcome to What The Heck season 4! This podcast explores unexplained phenomena using stories gathered from various sources, then applies an academic research method to find theories and solutions for each one. So far, we've been unsuccessful in finding any concrete answers, but a few of the stories we've covered have been solved. Today, we're looking at the script of the Indus Valley Civilisation. Rediscovered in the 1920s, the Indus Valley Civilisation spanned a larger area than Ancient Mesopotamia. They traded with the Mesopotamians, and may have gotten the idea of writing from them. The problem is that we can't decipher all of the signs for the language. How many signs are in the language? How close are we to deciphering it? Did this language become something else? Listen in to find out!

Links for other ways to listen are found here: https://linktr.ee/whattheheckpod

References for the episode:

Alex, Bridget. “Why We Still Can’t Read the Writing of the Ancient Indus Civilization | Discover Magazine.” Discover Magazine, Discover Magazine, 4 Jan. 2019, https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/why-we-still-cant-read-the-writing-of-the-ancient-indus-civilization. 

Biswas, Soutik. “Indus Valley: A Million-Dollar Challenge to Crack the Script of Early Indians - BBC News.” BBC News, BBC News, 16 Jan. 2025, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c70q44zn18wo. 

Devam, Yajna. “(PDF) A Cryptanalytic Decipherment of the Indus Script.” Academia.Edu - Find Research Papers, Topics, Researchers, https://www.academia.edu/78867798/A_cryptanalytic_decipherment_of_the_Indus_Script. Accessed 5 June 2025. 

Guild, History. “Cracking the Code: The Quest to Decipher the Indus Valley Script - History Guild.” History Guild, 17 Sept. 2024, https://historyguild.org/cracking-the-code-the-quest-to-decipher-the-indus-valley-script/?srsltid=AfmBOooOcbiwubM-0t8kv_3rMoa_f3PMN-TCQqsfwVROHNFCPHvBjtC1. 

“Indus Valley Script Deciphered , Opinions?!” Reddit, https://www.reddit.com/r/Dravidiology/comments/1gc5aj7/indus_valley_script_deciphered_opinions/. Accessed 5 June 2025. 

You can email Glen at whattheheckpod3@gmail.com with any of your spooky stories, unexplained events, mysteries that you want him to look at, or anything you'd like him to correct or address. Thanks for listening, and if you enjoy the podcast and think you know others who will like it, share it with them!

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