‘Forms of the Canarese Characters at Different Periods’ (1833): A Lithographic Edition by Walter Elliot from the Library of IOM, RAS
- Authors: Tanonova E.V.1
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Affiliations:
- Institute of Oriental Manuscripts, RAS
- Issue: Vol 20, No 4 (2023)
- Pages: 95-105
- Section: Collections and Archives
- Published: 15.12.2023
- URL: https://journals.eco-vector.com/1811-8062/article/view/623657
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.55512/WMO623657
- ID: 623657
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Abstract
The article is dedicated to a newly discovered item from the library of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts, RAS. The lithographic book was issued in Bombay by a British administration official named Sir W. Elliot (1803–1887) in 1833 as a catalog of early forms of Kannada alphabetic characters dating back to the 6th century A.D. The researcher carefully collected inscriptions from various epigraphic sources. The table with characters is preceded by a Memorandum, where W. Elliot clearly answers the main questions: what kind of material was used in the lithography, where it was found and to what time it belongs, and, most importantly, why the author took the trouble to collect and classify epigraphic characters. The publication in question is an example of the work of a tireless researcher who, in his spare time, was obviously engrossed in an activity that was dear to his heart (like many researchers of all times), making Indian history and culture clearer and closer to the educated Western reader.
About the authors
Elena V. Tanonova
Institute of Oriental Manuscripts, RAS
Author for correspondence.
Email: etanona@yandex.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-9012-790X
Cand. Sci. (Philology), Research Fellow, Scientific Secretary of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts, Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation, St. PetersburgReferences
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