Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c20.s1.17

v1.c20.s1.17

Gordon (1958) and Wheeler (1959) attributed the appearance of iron in India to the Graeco-Roman influences in the fifth and fourth centuries BC. Their theories have been discarded in view of the definite evidences regarding the presence of iron in India as early as 1200 BC, if not earlier. Some of the Iron Age Culture Sites in South Asia are shown in fig. 12.1. Prakash and Tripathi (1986) have documented the early iron age cultures, which could have been independent of each other, arising in five different zones of India. The sites corresponding to the five cultures (A to E) are shown in fig. 12.2. Some radio-carbon dates are indicated in fig. 12.3.