Sensitivity of Indus Script to Site and Type of Object

The Indus valley civilisation (2600 to 1900 BCE) left behind its undeciphered script on several small, inscribed objects. In our earlier work, we have investigated the structural aspects of the Indus script, the design of its signs and the nature of the inscribed patterns on these objects. Here we study these inscribed objects with respect to their type and the sites where they were found. The distribution of the text lengths and the usage of signs on these objects indicate subtle variations in the context of their site of occurrence and type. Some signs have affinity to specific sites or types of objects. By comparing the text length distributions and the usage of signs on these inscribed objects, we cluster the sites of occurrence and the types of objects based on their level of similarity. The study provides an understanding of the sensitivity of the Indus script to different sites and types of objects.