Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c14.s7: Stone Objects
Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c14.s7
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Stone Objects
v1.c14.s7.1
Although Lothal is situated in the coastal belt of the Kathiawar peninsula where thick deposits of alluvium and blackish clay form the natural soil, and stone is not to be seen on the surface for nearly 50 miles around Lothal until one reaches the Ranpur hills, still, a good number of stone objects have been unearthed from here. Stone of good quality had to be imported during the proto-historic times from long distance over land and sea depending on the quality of the material needed. Sandstone which is available in plenty near Dharangadhra appears to have been made use of for making querns, mullers, pounders, whetstones, hammerstones, ball, burnishers and mace-heads. Limestone and sandstone were used for anchors. Schist stone was occasionally used as touchstone and for making small conical objects which served as pendants, gamesmen or weights. Granite has been used very sparingly for crucibles, pounders and whetstones. Sandstone was used for making spheroid weights.
v1.c14.s7.2
The stone objects found from Lothal may be functionally divided into three categories viz., objects of domestic use, craftsmen's tools and mechanism of trade. Near about hundred and fifty stone objects have been found from Lothal.
v1.c14.s7.3
Pounders, querns and mullers made of sandstone and granite were used for grinding at Lothal. A unique type of rotary mill in sandstone made in two parts was used at Lothal. Quern of large size has been found at Lothal. The material used in mullers is granite, sandstone, and schist, and the material used at pounders is also schist, granite, phosphoratic schist and sandstone, the hardest variety namely granite being more common. (Rao, 553-56)
v1.c14.s7.4
One of the most striking features of the Indus civilization is the adoption of an accurate and common standard of weights throughout the territory occupied by them. They preferred hexahedron weights of chert to any other shape and material, although their contemporaries used duck-shaped and barrel-shaped weights in the Nile and Euphratis-Tigris Valley. The Lothal folk also rigidly followed the standard prectised in the Indus Valley and actually imported well-polished weights of chert etc. from outside, as suitable material was not locally available. Besides chert, banded agate, jasper and schist were made use of. Two cubical weights of carnelian have also been found at Lothal. It is interesting to note that the truncated spheroid weights were more popular in Period B than in Period A. The occurrence of two barrel-shaped weights at Lothal and cubical ones at Ur, Kish, Brak Susa etc., suggest a vigorous trade between the Harappans and Sumerians. (Rao, 560)