Inventions & Discoveries · Writing and counting

Brahmi script

3rd century BCE · 3rd century BCE · Also known as Brāhmī

Brahmi is a writing system of ancient India that appeared as a fully developed script in the 3rd century BCE; its earliest securely dated inscriptions are the rock-cut edicts of Ashoka, from 250–232 BCE. It is an abugida, marking vowels with signs attached to consonants. Its origin is much debated: most scholars derive it from, or see the influence of, a Semitic script such as Aramaic. Deciphered by James Prinsep in the 1830s, it is the ancestor of the Brahmic scripts still used across South and Southeast Asia.

Brahmi script
Image: Unknown author · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

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First known
3rd century BCE
Where
India
Credited to
Maurya Empire

NoteMost scholars derive it from a Semitic script, usually Aramaic; earlier inscribed potsherds from Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu are disputed.

Built onPhoenician alphabetc. 1050 BCE
Led toHindu–Arabic numerals1st–4th century CE

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Mentioned in 2 profiles

South Indian megalithic cultureArtsOld TurkicGrammar

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Brahmi script. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/brahmi-script
MLA
“Brahmi script.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/brahmi-script. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Brahmi script.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/brahmi-script.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Brahmi script’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/brahmi-script (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻