Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c18.s1.10

v1.c18.s1.10

S.R. Rao (1979, 1985) considered the facts that whereas Mohenjo-Daro copper and Rajasthan ore contain arsenic, the copper artefacts from Lothal were remarkably arsenic-free. From these facts divergent inferences could be drawn: Mohenjo-Daro people obtained copper from Rajasthan or from some other source and resorted to deliberate arsenic-alloying (which they did in some instances). Lothal copper might have been imported from Oman (as suggested by S.R. Rao), or the Lothal technicians practised, like the Aharians, roasting of copper ore to make it arsenic-free. Evidently, these conclusions are not compatible with each other. Rao himself reported the analysis of a copper ore from Rajasthan which contained negligible quantity of arsenic. Thus it is hazardous to draw any positive correlation between the artefacts and any ore-deposit.