Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c11.s2.2

v1.c11.s2.2

According to Edwin Pascoe, gold is likely to have come from south of India rather than from other quarters, since from early historic times it has always been the south of the Peninsula (Hyderabad, Mysore and the Madras Presidency) that has supplied the bulk of India’s gold and in some of the mines the workings of ancient date are still to be seen. Much of the gold from Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa is alloyed with a substantial percentage of silver, and this alloy (electrum, as it is commonly known) is found in the Kolar gold fields of Mysore and at Anantapur in Madras. Gold was used for the manufacture of personal ornaments of all kinds and for the high finish given to the surface of the metal, though finer examples of gold work inlaid with faience have been found at Harappa. (MS-I, 30)