Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c14.s3.3

v1.c14.s3.3

Steatite, a soft massive variety of talc, was the most popular raw material used in the bead industry at Lothal. It is composed of hydrous magnesium silicate. The present source of steatite are Devni Mori and Kundol in the former Idar state in North Gujarat. However, the sources of black and yellow varieties of steatite are far away in the Deccan especially in Mysore state. Recently, steatite deposit has been reported from Lokhan and Mora — both situated in North Gujarat. The extensive use of steatite at Lothal suggest that there was a regular inflow of the raw material. Most of the steatite beads are made paste and a few are of stone. The micro-cylinder beads of steatite paste were manufactured by rolling the paste on a thin wire or thread and fired to a temperature as high as 1200°C, thus rendering them unbreakable. Another important type of the steatite ware is the disc-bead. Among other interesting types is a standard barrel with a trefoil design. There is also a kind of bead with lenticular section which is coloured pink. Steatite seals and beads are covered by a thin film which is considered by some as a glaze. (Rao, 583)