Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c18.s4.2

v1.c18.s4.2

The 600-400 BC Samples from Rajghat were made of unalloyed copper whereas 400-200 BC samples from the same site contained tin. A bronze fragment assayed 13.99 per cent tin, copper bangle 1.82 per cent, and an uninscribed rectangular coin 7.83 per cent tin. The impurity analyses of the artefacts and ore (the presence in both of Ni, Co, Mo, and very low frequency of Pb, As, Sb) suggested that the Rajghat copper artefacts were probably derived from Bihar ore. (Bhardwaj, 1979) It is apparent that during the Historical Period, the Harappan tradition of tin-alloying of copper was revived in the Eastern India; Kausa-mbi 500 BC bronze assayed 19.13 per cent tin, Sonepur Pd II bronze 32.42 per cent tin and so on. This was possible due to discovery and exploitation of the tin ore mines from the Hazaribagh area and/or some import of tin from Malayasia.