An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c11.s8.1

v1.c11.s8.1

The metal hammer is a tool used for beating metal to shape and size, breaking rock and driving nails. The shape and size of hammers differ according to their purpose. They are square, socketed, flat-headed or round-faced, or of the shape of single and double picks or small adzes. Flat-headed square hammers having sockets were generally used by blacksmiths, whereas larger ones with round face and single or double picks were intended for sizing stones for masonry work, and the smaller adze hammers were meant for carpentry. Specimens of these have been found at Taxila, datable to the first century A.D., but it is rather surprising that they have not been reported from any other site. [A loaf-shaped wooden mallet with a (broken) wooden handle inserted into it is recorded from the pre-Arretine levels of ARIKAMEDU, (*AI*, 2, 1946, p. 104.)]