History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c13.s2.t3.33

v1.c13.s2.t3.33

Rai(1965) has mentioned the discovery of hollow copper, Gold and Silver beads belonging to the Harappan period which were manufactured in two halves and then soldered together. These beads have been threaded in copper wire to form a necklace. At Chinkudaro three types of copper bangles belonging to the same period have been reported. Out of these one type was made from 3.5 to 5.05 mm round copper wire, the second type was semicircular in cross-section with the flat side making the inner side of the bangle. The third type had been hollow from inside and it was made by shaping copper sheet. At Lothal a thin hollow copper pipe has been found which was probably used to drill holes in Gems and glass beads. The massivity of copper objects made in the past can be judged from the tapered copper bolt 620.0 mm in length and having 49.15 mm diameter at the two ends and 56.9 mm at the centre. This bolt has been recovered from an Ashokan pillar found at Rampurva near Nepal dating back to 3 century B.C.. and it is now preserved in the Calcutta National Museum. This bolt requires atleast two persons to lift it. The copper Chariot from Daimabad Hoard has been cast in one piece by the cireperdue process. It is now preserved at the Prince of Wales Museum, Bombay.