Hindu Polity: A Constitutional History of India in Hindu Times c32.s1.53

c32.s1.53

8. Divination is as old as the Atharva-Veda The origin of astrology has been already shown to be Mesopotamian.¹ The Greeks and Hindus both borrowed from the same source. No argument of chronology can be based on the mention of two planets. The fact that the planets as they appear in Greek astrology and later Indian literature do not find place in the A. is an argument in favour of an early date for the A. Metallurgy, particularly knowledge of working copper, must have been known in a country where copper coins, silver coins, alloys in coins, 'white metal' (or nickel? brought to Alexander in the Punjab), bronze, iron, glass, etc. have been worked for centuries before Alexander and Chandragupta, as proved by the positive evidence of finds (punch-marked coins, utensils at Paṭaliputra and other places). Recently Rai Sahib M. Ghosh has found cast iron in the Maurya strtaum at Paṭaliputra Cast glass seals have been found with Maurya and pre-Maurya lettering by Dr. Spooner and the Rai Sahib at Paṭaliputra (JBORS, Sep 1924). Seven metals are known as early as the Yajurveda (Vaj S., XVIII. 13, XXIII. 37).