Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c14.s2.t1: Copper and Bronze
Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c14.s2.t1
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Copper and Bronze
v1.c14.s2.t1.1
The copper and bronze objects from Lothal can be divided broadly into five categories, i.e., tools, weapons, personal ornaments, objects of domestic use and figurines. The line of distinction between tools and weapons was very thin because certain tools such as axes could be used as weapons for offensive or defensive purpose. The personal ornaments formed the bulk of the copper objects which were nearly 1500 in number; it has not been possible to determine the shape and the use of more than one thousand objects because of corrosion. (Rao, 520)
v1.c14.s2.t1.2
Most of the copper and bronze objects were obviously made by casting, but a few shaped and finished by hammering. Axes and chisels were heated and hammered after casting until they reached the atmospheric temperature. Thus it is evident that forging was well-known to the Lothal smiths. Chanelled crucibles with thick walls of clay mixed with sand were used for casting long bars which were subsequently hammered into chisels, rods etc. The thicker bars appear to have been cut into thinner ones as indicated by the grooves on some of them. The reason for not casting socketted daggers, arrowheads and shaft-hole axes is often attributed to the nonuse of closed moulds of more than one piece. But it may be noted here that the use of close moulds of more than one piece was made in casting figures in cire perdue technique.
v1.c14.s2.t1.3
As an industrial and trading community, the Harappans devoted more attention to the improvement of the tools needed by the carpenters. This can be inferred from production of the advanced tools such as the curved saw with teeth, the auger-bit with twisted grooves, the plainer-bit with concave margins, the needles with eyelet at the piercing or flat-end. The personal ornaments consisting of the corrugated bangle, the amulet with a crouchant bull-figure, the bird-headed pin and the pendants and rings received the special attention of the coppersmiths of Lothal. But this does not mean that they were totally ignorant of the advanced tool-types. The spearhead with a folded socket and rivet-hold found at Lothal, indicates professional sophistication. Anyhow, the technicians concentrated on the production of ornaments, figurines and tools for the craftsmen. This fact is also borne by the use of bronze for making mirrors, bangles and rings, rather than axes, chisels, daggers and spearheads. Here the production of an alloy of more pleasing colour and lustre appears to have been one of the chief considerations in using tin with copper in making ornaments. (Rao, 520-22)