Shudras in Ancient India: A Social History of the Lower Order down to circa A.D. 600 c12.43

c12.43

Archaeology gives us some idea about the crafts thriving in the centuries immediately preceding and following the beginning of the Christian era. Iron objects of various types recovered from the Sirkap city of Taxila,² and found at various places in Andhra Pradesh, suggest that the craft of ironsmith was flourishing. This is attested by the export to the Roman empire of Indian steel, on the tempering of which a monograph was prepared in Greek.¹ An examination of some iron objects from Rajghat in Banaras shows that by the second century B.C. the art of making true steel was well known in the country. With the use of iron technology bronze objects including household goods and personal ornaments began to be prepared on a large scale. In addition to tin, lead, zinc and nickel were used in this period to make bronze, which made it more tough.