The Indus Civilization c9.35

c9.35

The drill used for boring and shaping the interior of these bowls was very much the same shape as the flint drill used in early times in Egypt, being shaped somewhat like a Boeotian shield in form, with the upper face nearly flat and the reverse convex, while the two rounded ends are pronouncedly bevelled. A forked stick, fitted into recesses on each side of the drill, permitted it to be twirled round and round, while sand or emery served as an abrasive. It is possible to drill quite hard stones in this way. The interiors of the stone vases were drilled with a tubular drill, which has often left marks inside the vase itself; the cores drilled out of these vessels have frequently come to light.