History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c11.s2.t4: Chalcolithic Metal Technology
History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c11.s2.t4
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Chalcolithic Metal Technology
v1.c11.s2.t4.1
The Chalcolithic cultures depended on stone artifacts, rather than on copper, to a greater extent than either the Harappans or the Copper Hoards people. On the whole, about 17% of Chalcolithic artifacts show tin alloying (see Fig. 5), but the range varies considerably: at Ahar, only pure copper was used; a Jorwe axe has only 1.7% tin; a Nevasa chisel has 2.7% tin; at Navdatoli, the range of tin alloying is 3-5%; the highest tin (12.8%) recorded was in an axe from Somnath. Unlike the Harappan and Copper Hoard cultures, Chalcolithic groups did not alloy with arsenic. For better fusibility, lead alloying was more common; 20% of the artifacts contain lead.
v1.c11.s2.t4.2
A few artifacts have been examined metalographically (Agrawal et al, 1978b), Pathak and Medhekar 1955). An axe from Chandoli shows casting fins all over the surface. Although equiaxial grains and the absence of coring indicate a slow cooling of the cast, yet the holes on the surface show that the molten metal was not "green poled". An axe from Somnath shows evidence of cold work and annealing, and specimens from Navdatoli and Ahar indicate a knowledge of casting and annealing. The report of "glassy" slag at Ahar indicates local smelting.
v1.c11.s2.t4.3
Hegde (1965) has spectroscopically examined several Chalco- lithic artifacts and compared their trace impurities with those of the Khetri copper ore. He finds a close similarity between the two, thus indicating the possibility of the Khetri ores having been used by the Chalcolithic cultures. The Khetri mines are quite close to Ahar.
v1.c11.s2.t4.4
Fig. 9. The bronze buffalo from Daimabad. For comments see the text
v1.c11.s2.t4.5
The most *beautiful* examples of the Chalcolithic craft are the cast axes from Kayatha. Most Chalcolithic metal artifacts, however, are of simple, non-diagnostic types. The main forms are beads, nails, rods, wires, fishhooks, rings, flat celts, and daggers. The Chandoli dagger has been compared with the antennae- hilted sword from Fatehgarh, but we consider that there are very important technological differences between the two. The total length-to-blade ratio in the Chandoli-dagger is only 1:6, compared to 1:5 in the Fatehgarh example, the tang was cut with a chisel and the incipient antennae so produced do not compare at all with the 10-15cm long, cast antennae of the Copper Hoards types.