Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c12.s7.5

v1.c12.s7.5

Since nothing was recovered inside these furnaces, we can only guess as to the nature of the articles fired in them. These are hardly likely to have been used for making potteries, since pottery does not require such intense heat as is evident by the vitrification in some of these furnaces, and moreover the furnaces themselves would be inconveniently small for the firing of pottery. More probably these were designed for the casting of metal objects. There is abundant evidence to show that such metal objects were manufactured locally. The furnaces might have been also used for the firing of faience objects such as small vessels, squirrels, rams, beads, sundries for inlay, jewellery of metal and stoneware bangles; as well as for glazing steatite seals, faience, sealing, vessels etc., for putting on bands of coloured frit on some faience vases; for etching carnelian beads by a process which incorporates efficient arrangements for quickly reaching a very high degree of heat and equally rapid cooling arrangements in order to keep the colours bright.