The Indus Civilization c8.10

c8.10

Several defective castings that have been found show that the blades fresh from the mould were of the same shape as the finished articles, except for their rough surfaces, so that the metal must have been tempered and consolidated mainly with a hammer; even a bronze blade with a small amount of tin could be so hardened in this way that it equalled mild steel. Some of the blade-axes are of considerable size, and one, eleven inches in length, weighs four pounds three ounces. It cannot be assumed that these were used in war, as there is no evidence that their inhabitants were ever seriously threatened by outside enemies until the last phases of the existence of the Indus cities; but they could have been used in working wood, in the chase, and perhaps against dacoits, like the little battle-axe so often carried by the countryman of Upper Sind.