CONTENTS:-
Introductory Note/J.F Fleet
A. INDIAN PALEOGRAPHY:
I. THE ANTIQUITY OF WETTING IN INDIA AND THE ORIGIN OF THE OLDEST INDIAN ALPHABET:
1. The Indian Tradition
2. Literary Evidence for the use of Writing:
i. Brahmanical Literature
ii. Buddhistic Literature
iii. Foreign Works
3. Paleographic Evidence
4. The Origin of the Brahma Alphabet:
i. Borrowed Signs
ii. Derivative Consonants and Initial Vowels
iii. Medial Vowels and Absence of Vowel in Ligatures:
a. The System of the Brahmi
b. The System of the Dravidi
5. The Time and the Manner of the Borrowing of the Semitic Alphabet
II. THE KHAROSTHI Script:
6. How it was Deciphered
7. Use and Characteristics
8. Origin
9. Details of the Derivation:
i. Borrowed Signs
ii. Derivative Sings
10. The Varieties of the Kharosthi of Plate
11. The Archaic Variety:
i. The Radical Signs
ii. Medial Vowels and Anusvara
iii. Ligatures
12. Changes in the Later Varieties:
i. The Radical Signs
ii. Medial Vowels and Anusvara
iii. Ligatures
III. THE ANCIENT BRAHMI AND DRAVIDI FROM ABOUT B.C. 350 TO ABOUT A.D. 350:
13. How it was Deciphered
14. Common Characteristics of the Ancient Inscriptions
15. The Varieties of the Brahmi and Dravidi in Plates II & III
16. The Older Maurya Alphabet: Plate II:
i. Geographical Extensions and Duration of use
ii. Local Varieties
iii. The Radical Signs or Matrkas
iv. Medial Vowels and Anusvara
v. Ligatures
17. The Dravidi of Bhattiprolu: Plate II
18. The Last Four Alphabets of Plate II
19. The Precursors of the Northern Alphabets:
i. The Alphabet of the Northern Ksatrapas: Plate III
ii. The Alphabet of the Kusana Inscriptions: Plate III
20. The Precursors of the Southern Alphabets:
i. The Alphabet of the Ksatrapas of Malva and Gujarat: Plate III
ii. The Alphabets of the Cave-Inscriptions of the Western Dekhan and the Konkan: Plate III
iii. The Alphabet of the Jaggayyapeta Inscriptions: Plate III
iv. The Alphabet of the Pallava Prakrt Land-Grants: Plate III
IV. THE NORTHERN ALPHABETS FROM ABOUT A.D. 350:
21. Definition and Varieties
22. The So-Called Gupta Alphabet of the 4th and 5th Centuries A.D.: Plate IV:
i. Varieties
ii. Characteristics of the Epigraphic Gupta Alphabet
iii. The Gupta Alphabet in Manuscripts
23. The Acute-Angled and Nngari Types: Plates IV, V, VI
24. Details of The Changes in the Acute-Angled and the Nagari Alphabets:
i. The Matrkas
ii. Medial Vowels and so Forth
iii. The Ligatures
25. The Sarada Alphabet: Plates V and VI
26. Eastern Varieties of the Nagari Alphabet and the Arrow-Head Script:
i. Proto-Bengali: Plates V And VI
ii. The Nepalese Hooked-Characters: Plate VI
iii. The Arrow-Head Alphabet: Plato VI
V. THE SOUTHERN ALPHABETS:
27. Definition and varieties
28. The western Script and the Script of Central India: Plates VII & VIII:
i. The Western Script
ii. The Script of Central India
29. The Kanarese and Telugu Alphabet: Plates VII and VIII:
i. The Archaic Variety
ii. The Middle Variety
iii. The Old-Kanarese Alphabet
30. The Later Kalinga Script: Plates VII and VIII
31. The Grantha Alphabet: Plates VII and VIII:
i. The Archaic Variety
ii. The Middle Variety
iii. The Transitional Grantha
32. The Tamil and Vatteluttu Alphabets: Plate VIII:
i. The Tamil
ii. The Vatteluttu
VI. NUMERAL NOTATION:
33. The Numerals of the Kharosthi: Plate I
34. The Numerals of the Brahmi: Plate IX:
i. The Ancient Letter-Numerals
ii. The Decimal Notation
35. Numeral Notation by Words and Letters:
i. The Word-Numerals
ii. Numeral Notation by Letters
VII. THE EXTERNAL ARRANGEMENT OF INSCRIPTIONS AND MANUSCRIPTS:
36. The Lines, Grouping of Words, Interpunctuation and other Details:
i. The Lines
ii. The Grouping of Words
iii. Interpunctuation
iv. Mangalas and Ornamentation
v. Corrections, Ommissions and Abbreviation
vi. Pagination
vii. Seals
VIII. WRITING MATERIALS, LIBRARIES AND WRITERS:
37. Writing Materials:
i. Birch-Bark
2. Cotton Cloth
3. Wooden Boards
4. Leaves
5. Animal Substances
6. Metals
7. Stone and Brick
8. Paper
9. Ink
10. Pens, Pencils, Etc.
38. The Preservation of Manuscripts and Copper-Plates and the Treatment of Letters:
i. Manuscripts and Libraries
ii. Copper-Plates
iii. The Treatment of Letters
39. Writers, Engravers, and Stone-Masons:
i. Concluding Remarks
