An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c23.s1.1

v1.c23.s1.1

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.