An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c23.s1: 18.1 Antimony Rods
An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c23.s1
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18.1 Antimony Rods
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Copper/bronze, bone, ivory, shell, lead, and sometimes terracotta or stone, rods of various shapes and forms and generally termed as antimony rods, kohl sticks or collyrium sticks are reported from the Harappa sites [4.9] to the historical sites almost all over in the entire subcontinent. Mostly of copper/bronze, ivory and bone, they are generally long and round. The commonest are the plain, round and long ones with both ends rounded, clubbed or bulbous; others have one end rounded, clubbed or bulbous and the other end unfinished, plain, pointed, cut-off square, tapering, scooped or with a pin, tooth-pick, ear-cleaner or some decorative figure(s). Apart from the clearly identifiable specimens not all such rods might have been used as antimony rods and are identified by excavators as either styluses or objects of indeterminate use.
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The earliest examples of antimony rods are from Harappa and Mohenjo-daro. The specimens from Mohenjo-daro are of copper/bronze and round in section with both ends bluntly rounded (Marshall, 1931, pp. 504-5; Mackay, 1938, pp. 475-6). At Harappa (Vats, 1940, pp. 390, 460) have been found, apart from a specimen which is rectangular in section, an antimony stopper-rod having the figure of ‘a dog biting the ear of a goat’ and a duck-headed kohl stick of terracotta. Kohl jars of terracotta, bronze/copper and stone have been found at Mohenjo-daro (Mackay, 1938, pp. 211, 322, 323, 450) and Chanhu-daro (Mackay, 1943, p. 177). The fluted cosmetic jar from Chanhu-daro is cast and the fluted ornamentation on this specimen, according to Mackay, ‘is unique as far as the Harappa culture is concerned.’ [cf. 18.2.]
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Except for copper antimony rods from the third phase of the pre-NBPW black-and-red ware deposits [4.13] at NAGAL and from the Megalithic [4.17] levels at PEDDABANKUR antimony rods have so far not been reported from any site till the period marking the emergence of the NBPW [4.18.1]. Apart from the plain kohl sticks of copper with either both or one end rounded, etc., found in the NBPW and early historical levels at a large number of sites, e.g., Taxila (Marshall, 1951, pp. 585-7) including Sirkap (Ghosh, 1947-8, p. 78), HASTINĀPURA, TRIPURĪ, RAIRH, BESNAGAR, NASIK, KAYATHA, NAGARI, PRAKASH, SONPUR, RAJGHAT⁴, VAIŚĀLĪ, TIRUKKAMBULIYAR KAUNḌINYAPURA, CHIRAND, BUXAR, AHICCHATRĀ, NOH, CAMPĀ MASAON, TUMAIN, TAKIAPER, BANGARH, etc., specimens with either one end decorated or shaped for use as ear-cleaner or tooth-pick and decorated in the middle have been found at HASTINĀPURA, Taxila (Marshall, 1951, pp. 585-6), NAGDA and RAIRH. The specimen from RAIRH has a *tri-ratna* symbol at the other end of the rod. According to Marshall (1951, p. 585) antimony rods of bone, ivory, copper or bronze which occur at Taxila from the 3rd or possibly the 4th century B.C. were introduced there by the Greeks.
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Antimony rods of ivory or bone have been found at VAIŚĀLĪ, TRIPURĪ, NAVDATOLI, NASIK and Taxila (Marshall, 1951, pp. 657-8) from the early historical levels. The ones found at Nasik are decorated at one end; so also the specimens from NAVDATOLI and KARAD.
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Besides antimony rods, phials, containers or caskets for keeping antimony powder have also been reported from some sites. At PRAKASH an ivory (?) casket has been found in Pd II (c. 5th to 1st centuries B.C.); metal caskets for keeping antimony are reported from UJJAIN, Taxila (Marshall, 1951, p. 587) and SAMBHAR, besides antimony holders in the form of fish carved out of conch-shells from RAIRH.
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Ghosh, A., 1947-8, in *AI*, 4 (for Sirkap). Mackay, E.J.H., 1938, *Further Excavations at Mohenjo-daro*, Delhi; 1943; *Chanhu-daro Excavations 1935-6*, New Haven. Marshall, J., 1931, Mohenjo-daro & the Indus Civilization, London; 1951, Taxila, Cambridge. Vats, M.S., 1940, *Excavations at Harappa*, Delhi. For other sites see respective entries in vol. II.—B.M. PANDE