The Mystery of the World's Oldest Billboard

No one knows what it says.
BY HARISH ALAGAPPA
JANUARY 20, 2023



Archaeologists believe that the Dholavira signboard hung above the northern entrance to the city thousands of years ago. SHAILESH RAVAL / THE INDIA TODAY GROUP VIA GETTY IMAGES


THE 5,000-YEAR-OLD PORT CITY OF Dholavira can be found on an island in the salt flats of the Great Rann of Kutch on India’s western edge. It has been described as “one of the best preserved urban settlements from the period in Southeast Asia” by UNESCO. Researchers have found step-wells and reservoirs that formed a sophisticated water management system, the remains of ancient streets and boulevards lined by houses of varying sizes, the ruins of a jewelry workshop, and one of the most remarkable discoveries in Indian archeology: what is believed to be the world’s oldest billboard

The billboard—typically called the Dholavira signboard—was discovered when a team from the Archaeological Survey of India began excavating the southern center of the Indus Valley Civilization in the 1990s. At Dholavira’s northern gate, archaeologists came across two chambers flanking the gate on either side. These chambers looked like storage spaces. And like most storerooms, they were an absolute mess.

The team in the western chamber was gently clearing fallen debris and stones that hadn’t been touched for thousands of years when glints of white became visible. After more careful excavation, they found ten large symbols, each about 15 inches tall and made out of multiple pieces of white gypsum, a material that’s used in drywall today. Archaeologists also found evidence of decomposed wood surrounding the symbols.

This illustration shows the Indus script discovered on the billboard. The artifact itself is currently in the collection of the National Museum in New Delhi but is not on display because of preservation concerns.



This illustration shows the Indus script discovered on the billboard. The artifact itself is currently in the collection of the National Museum in New Delhi but is not on display because of preservation concerns. SIYAJKAK / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS (CC BY-SA 3.0)

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