Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c18.s2.10

v1.c18.s2.10

In the previous chapters we have mentioned the discoveries of small furnaces and crucibles in the Harappan and Chalcolithic sites. The facilities near the settlements, far away from mining regions, were mostly purification and fabrication facilities and not primary smelting outfits. Bun-shaped copper ingots used to be transported from the Ganeshwar area along the Sarasvati-Hakra riverine route and remelted, purified and fabricated near the Harappan metropolis. There must have been itinerant metal-smiths in the copper-hoard culture carrying ingots over considerable distances and fabricating them anew to suit the specifications of the customers. The *Rg Veda* (9.112.2) refers to such itinerant metal-smiths.