Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c16.s2.t4: Prakash
Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c16.s2.t4
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Prakash
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Prakash is situated on the Shahada Taluk of Dhulia district in Maharashtra state. The mound overlooks the confluence of the rivers Tapti and Gomai. (Thapar, 1964-65)
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The excavation has revealed the following cultural sequence. Period I (Chalcolithic) 1700-1300 with sub-period IA-1700-1500 BC and IB 1500-1300 BC Period II (Early Iron Age) c. 600-100 BC, Period III (Early Historical) middle of the second century BC to the end of sixth century AD and Period IV (Historical) about the end of sixth century AD to the eleventh century AD. At present, our period of interest lies on the Period I and its sub-divisions.
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The pottery from Prakash falls into four major groups, each of which forms a diagnostic trait in the cultural assemblage of the period to which it belongs. Of these the first two are of special interest. The six principal industries are pale grey ware with a burnished surface, black painted red pottery of the Malwa ware, black painted red pottery of Jorwe ware, the Lustrous red ware, other decorated ware, showing distinctive incised and applied designs of varying complexity, and coarse wares, largely burnished varying from drab-grey to light brown in colour. All of these wares show similarities with the pottery of the comparable period found at some of the excavated sites in Central and Western India. A solitary sherd of the white painted black and red ware of the Ahar fabric is particularly noteworthy for a possible inter-relationship. Even a small influence from Rangpur in Saurashtra or from some intermediary site is suggested by a small quantity of Lustrous Red Ware, which is also a matter of importance.
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The excavation yielded a good number of stone objects including artefacts.
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The raw material employed for their manufacture comprised of chalcedony, agate, carnelian, rock crystal, quartz and jasper. The stone objects of interest are stone balls, saddle querns, mullers, etc.
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Though the excavation was limited in its strength, still it yielded a total of one hundred and thirtythree beads including sixteen from Period I and forty-seven from Period II. The excavator thinks that the presence of a few unfinished specimens in various stages however, indicates that the beads were manufactured locally. The materials used for these beads include: semi-precious stones like quartz, rock crystal, carnelian, agate and jasper, coral, shell, glass, paste, bone and terracotta quartz; agate and jasper seem to have been sparingly employed. Amongst the remaining materials, terracotta, glass and shell show a fairly sizeable percentage.
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Carnelian accounts for the largest number of beads (28% of total) and is found in all the periods starting from I or chalcolithic. In Phase I, the inhabitants were essentially farmers using stone tools, blades and microliths and very little copper or bronze. However they had leisure for arts and workmanship for producing beads of carnelian, coral, paste, shell (amulets) and bone styluses.
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Rock crystal and quartz were used more frequently in the Phase II or Early Iron Age in this site. Glass and terracotta beads were used more in Phase IV. (Thapar, 1964-65: 10-12, 109-11)
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In the field of ornaments, mention may be made of total number of 248 bangle-fragments, mostly of shell and glass which were recovered from the excavation. Other materials represented are copper and iron, though very few in number. Of the forty-five glass bangles recovered from the excavation; two came from Period II, and four from Period III. The occurrence of monochrome bangles in the earliest levels of Period II is noteworthy. Shell bangles totalling 198 in number were distributed over all the periods, which indicates its popularity in the society. The occurrence of shell bangles in Chalcolithic assemblage is also attested at Navdatoli, Nevasa and Nagda, but curiously enough is not observed at the southern Deccan sites of Brahmagiri and Maski; probably the Gujarat tradition did not permeate down deep south.
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Among the miscellaneous objects of bone, ivory and semi-precious stone, finds included bone stylus, awls or borers variously from Period I, II, III. A unique perfume casket of bone from Period II, an ivory comb, a carnelian stick with a square section from Period II deserve mention. The well-known pully-shaped ear-ornaments made of jasper, glass or crystal, black jasper, accounted for as many as five out of total yield of eight, the remaining three being one each of red jasper, crystal and glass.
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Copper Objects in Prakash
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Phase I in Prakash ending in 1300 BC is nominally called ‘Chalcolithic’ in view of the find of a solitary shapeless bit of copper. The use of metal at Prakash was noticeable only six centuries later (Phase II) when use of copper and its alloys and of iron objects proceeded together. During this stage (600 BC onwards), we find also objects of lead, bronze, brass and leaded bronze and brass.
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None of the copper/copper alloys objects were cast. The presence of sulphur/sulphide in certain objects showed that smelting of copper sulphide minerals was imperfect. Analysis of certain objects are provided in the Table 8.1.
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Item No. 5 is a bangle made of leaded brass. Lead particles have been microscopically observed to be uniformly distributed. Unevenly distributed phases are probably oxides of Fe and Al. There is the evidence of cold-working after re-crystallisation. For making such bangles, the metal may have been first formed into a plate, cut into a strip, and then given finishing operations to obtain the final shape. Item No. 6 is a bangle of leaded bronze which is in stressed condition although it has been re-crystallised prior to this. Items 7-9 are bells made of bronze. Existence of sulphur and Cu₂O and other oxides indicates that smelting had not been perfect. Item no. 11 is a coil-like ring made of brass. There is a random distribution of very fine particles which may be oxide grains, or minute quantity of lead. The metal has undergone permanent deformation but is now in the stress-free condition. It might have been annealed after hot or cold working.
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The fact that none of the metals — Sn, Pb or Zn — bear any constant weight ratio with respect to Cu proves that the high figures were on account of deliberate alloying of reasonable pure copper (vide object no. 2) with metallic samples of Sn, Pb and Zn. At least four different samples, enriched with four metallic elements, must have been used for the alloying process. It is quite likely that Pb and Zn were produced as separate metals in some smelter area such Zawar, Rajasthan. Item No. 5 contains very high (nearly 26) percentage of zinc and indicates conscious production and use of zinc in the pre-Christian era.
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From Period III in Prakash, two lead objects were obtained. These were basically the same type, the spool of coiled strip, possibly used for distending the ear-lobe. For the preparation of the spool, the strip was probably hammered to a chanelled section and closely wound.
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On the basis of a very careful record of pottery, Period I at Prakash is divided into IA and IB, and it may be said that the first inhabitants of Prakash were a people from Malwa. The assemblage of pots and pans, various types of narrow high-necked water pots which are witnessed at Prakash show resemblance with those of Navdatoli. The coarse sturdy red ware is similarly decorated with incised and applique figures, which is a characteristic feature of Navdatoli.
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Table 8.1
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Chemical and Metallurgical Analysis of Some Copper Objects from Prakash (600 BC)
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| Object No. | Description | Period | Chemical analysis per cent component | Metallographic observation |
| 1. | antimony-rod | II | Cu 95.1, Pb 2.2 | Twinned recrystallised grains; random distribution of lead particles |
| 2. | antimony-rod | III | Cu 98.5 | |
| 3. | antimony-rod | IV | Cu 95.6, Sn 1.5, Pb 1.2 | |
| 4. | bangle | III | Cu 63.5, Zn 25.9, Pb 8.3 oxide * 1.2 | Single phase of brass, distributed lead particles, evidence of cold-working after recrystallisation |
| 5. | bangle | II | Cu 85.1, Sn 9.1, Pb 1.5 | Single phase; twinning strain lines and bent twins showing permanent deformation after recrystallisation |
| 6. | bell | II/III | Cu 61.3, Sn 19.4, Pb 5.9 oxide * 2.7, S 0.3 | |
| 7. | bell | III | Cu 66.1, Sn 20.2, Pb 3.5 | |
| 8. | bell | III | Cu 58.9, Sn 19.0, oxide 1.3, S 0.2 | |
| 9. | ring (coil) | III | Cu 77.9, Zn 17.8, oxide 1.7 | Even distribution of very fine inclusions |
| 10. | Channel tube | II | Cu 66.6, Sn 4.2, oxide 6.3, S 1.2 | |
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*Oxide mainly SiO₂, Fe₂O₃ and Al₂O₃
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It is found that towards the close or middle phase of Period I at Prakash, arrived the Jorwe people with their characteristic pottery, and chronologically this Jorwe intrusion may be placed around c. 1500-1300 BC. Sankalia thinks that it is conceivable that the movement of people and cultural influence was gradual by stages, and this movement ultimately grasped the whole site.