Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c18.s3.8

v1.c18.s3.8

At any rate, arsenical alloying was well-known in the Harappan culture; löllingite (FeAs₂) samples were found in Nal etc. Like tin, arsenic also increases the hardness of copper; however it might have been used as a deoxidiser also. Lead was probably used a flux. Out of 177 Harappan artefacts examined, 4 per cent contained some nickel (assay figure 1 to 9 per cent). Evidently the Harappan civilization produced a wide spectrum of copper artefacts on account of its vast coverage of time and space. This is illustrated in the artefacts from Rangpur, Gujarat a Post-Harappan (2000-1300 BC) site. Whereas Lothal artefacts do not contain much nickel, a copper celt from Rangpur contained as much as 2.10 per cent nickel and a copper pin 5.88 per cent. Nickel in these samples was probably derived from the Rupavati ore in the neighbourhood and not an intentional addition.