You don't have to buy a lottery ticket to win a million dollars thanks to an offer from southern India's Tamil Nadu state, but there is a catch: you need to be able to decipher 5,300-year-old writing. Keep reading to find out more about why this impressive prize is being offered for interpreting a mysterious, historic script. Plus, learn how you can contribute to U.S. history by transcribing written documents as a volunteer!
What is the $1 million prize for?
The government of southern India's Tamil Nadu state, namely MK Stalin, the chief minister, is offering quite the prize to anyone up for a challenge: $1 million for decoding an ancient script.
The writing is linked to the Indus Valley civilization and has continued to puzzle experts for decades. "The Indus script is perhaps the most important system of writing that is undeciphered," Asko Parpola, a leading Indologist, told BBC News.
Despite the looming challenge, many people (mostly from India or those of Indian origin living elsewhere) have claimed they've cracked the code of symbols and signs. According to the BBC, these self-proclaimed scholars contact Rajesh PN Rao (who has authored peer reviewed studies on the Indus script) and proudly boast that the "case is closed."
Despite their best efforts, the script still hasn't been deciphered. As a result, the chief minister of the Indian state recently announced the massive prize to entice others to give it a shot. This followed the publication of a study that uncovered similarities between those unknown Indus symbols and inscriptions discovered on local pottery.
More about the ancient Indian script
The impressive reward appears to be linked to all the mystery surrounding the society. The Indus (also known as Harappan) civilization is considered one of the earliest urban societies in the word, beginning 5,300 years ago in the area now known as northwest India and Pakistan. It was full of farmers and traders who called it home for centuries until the society suddenly declined -- though historians aren't sure why.
One of the most mysterious aspects of the Indus society, however, is its language. The state's minister recently pointed out that modern-day researchers theorize that a Dravidian language may have been spoken there, but no one knows for sure.
Part of the issue with deciphering the symbols is that the majority are found on small objects like seals, pottery and tablets. The scripts (around 4,000 of them) are also quite short with usually no more than five signs, meaning there isn't a lot of information to work with! Researchers still haven't been able to determine if the symbols represent complete words, parts of words or phrases in a sentence.
The hope is that an individual or organization will be able to solve this linguistic puzzle with an answer that is accepted by archaeologists.
How to help with U.S. archives
Though you may not be able to interpret this lost language and claim the $1 million, there's a close-to-home volunteer project that may be a fit for you! The Citizen Archivist program is seeking help with transcribing many handwritten records in the National Archives. The caveat? These historical documents were written in cursive.
The agency digitizes tens of millions of records each year and has even employed artificial intelligence and other forms of technology to help extract text. But reading cursive has proven to be an obstacle for tech programs most of the time, and human volunteers are the answer!
"There's no application," Suzanne Isaacs, a community manager with the National Archives, told USA Today. "You just pick a record that hasn't been done and read the instructions. It's easy to do for a half hour a day or a week."
To participate, simply sign up on the website. It's free and you only need an Internet connection to be able to contribute.
These transcriptions will make it easier for historians, scholars, genealogists and other experts to find and read historical documents. Plus, you get to enjoy a sense of accomplishment too!