Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c20.s3.t3.14

v1.c20.s3.t3.14

West Bengal and Bihar definitely constituted one of the nuclear zones for the ancient metallurgical traditions in India. This zone contributed towards the emergence of the second urbanized culture (after the Harappan) and the political power in northern India during the Maurya-Gupta eras. Just as the north-western post-Harappan chalcolithic tradition was followed by the Iron Age in Rajasthan/Western Uttar Pradesh area, and the Copper Hoard and Eastern Chalcolithic traditions gave rise to Iron Age in East India, we witness the third nuclear zone in the Peninsular India where the iron-making tradition was rooted more in the neolithic rather than the chalcolithic era.