History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c24.s1.44

v1.c24.s1.44

The sickles (Gaur, p.429; Upadhyayay, p.205) are crescent-shaped with a tang and a pointed tip. They are generally 0.5 to 1 cm. thick. The inner edge is concave and sharp, whereas the outer is convex and blunt. The ploughshare from Rupar measures 39.37 x 2.79 x 2.28 cm. The Atranjikhera specimen is smaller measuring 14.7 x 4.1 x 1.9 cm. Elongated, with tapering sides, it has a deep depression in the upper half for fixing it to the wooden frame (Gaur,p.429). Iron ploughshares are reported from Kaushambi and Raghuasoi (Vaisali) also. In the Megalithic culture of Peninsular India (1st millennium B.C.) the iron agricultural implements represent 18.5% of the total assemblage. The axes are divided into two categories, short broad and long narrow whch may further be subdivided into two on the basis of their thickness. The sickle from Yeleswaram is 43.91 cm.(Khan. p.48), whereas others generally measure around 18 cm. The hoes are reported to measure between 16.50 and 22.88 cm. Besides a spade, there is a broken ploughshare measuring 24.37 x 8.58 cm.