Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c14.s2.t7.5

v1.c14.s2.t7.5

About the source of gold it is believed that the Neolithic folk of South India had worked on the gold-bearing deposits and their contact with the Harappans might have resulted in the trade in gold, steatite and other products of the mineral-rich areas. An important evidence in favour of the theory of the Neolithic folk working near the gold mines in Kolar area is the occurrence of the burnished grey ware and the black- and red-ware in North Arcot district of Tamil Nadu situated 40 miles away from Kolar Gold-mining area and about 50 miles from the ancient workings near Hosur in Tamil Nadu. Tekkalakotta and Piklihal have also yielded burnished grey ware along with gold objects. Mention has already been made of other evidences of contact such as steatite disc beads and carnelian beads characteristic of Harappan settlements occurring in the Neolithic sites. (Rao, 632-33)