Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c15.s1.1

v1.c15.s1.1

The Banas Valley culture at Ahar was nurtured by food-producing, copper-using people. The C-14 dates range from 2145-1270 BC (Agarwal, 1984: 275-76), but Sankalia et al. (1969: 5-6) believed that the settlement started around 1940 BC and the Period Ia ranged between 1940-1765 BC, Period Ib: 1725-1600 BC and Ic: 1550-1270 BC Period II at Ahar is marked by the introduction of iron. It seems that the occupants of Period IIa came to settle ‘directly on the debris of Period Ic, disturbing the latter’s horizons’. This has led to a controversy whether introduction of iron at Ahar was around 1270 BC or later. This chapter deals primarily with the Chalcolithic Periods Ia to Ic.