Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c22.s1.4

v1.c22.s1.4

The other soft stones found on the Bhir Mound are steatite, alabaster and slate. The slate of the Hazara district was freely used for the construction of drains and bathroom floors, heat-resistant inlay moulds for making jewellery etc. The alabaster at the foot of the Salt Range in the Punjab was used to make household vessels and exquisitely curved ringstones. Schist and phyllite, probably obtained from the neighbourhood of Southern Swāt, were used for the vast majority of Gāndhāra sculptures. During the end of second century BC, schist was used under the Pārthian domination, for caskets, household vessels, lamps and sculptures. In the first century AD, phyllite began to supersede schist, being more durable and less liable to split in the process of carving. Agate bowls, cups, caskets etc. (first century AD) were probably made in the Kaṭhiāwār, Gulf of Cambay region. Some of these were exported by the Pārthian merchants to Rome.