India, Oct. 8 -- The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), one of the world's earliest urban cultures, continues to fascinate historians, linguists, and archaeologists. Its undeciphered script, stamped on seals and terracotta artefacts, has remained an unsolved puzzle for over four millennia. With the advent of artificial intelligence in the 21st century, the possibility of decoding this ancient script has drawn renewed global attention. While excavated ruins of this Bronze Age civilisation largely belong to northern India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, voices from southern India have recently become active in sponsoring cryptographic research, even announcing million-dollar rewards for anyone who successfully decrypts the script.

The cryptograp...