The correct answer is option1,i.e.James Prinsep. Ashokan inscription - The inscriptions and edicts of Asoka refer to a collection of 33 inscriptions on the Pillars of Asoka, as well as boulders and cave walls.These were made by Emperor Ashoka during his reign from 272 to 231 BC.They were dispersed throughout the areas of modern-day Pakistan, Nepal, and India.James Princep was a European scholar who deciphered the edicts of the Ashoka. Henceoption 1is correct.The inscriptions found in the central and eastern part of India were written in Magadhi Prakrit using the Brahmi script, while Prakrit using the Kharosthiscript, Greek and Aramaic were used in the northwest.