Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c25.2

v1.c25.2

In the previous chapters, we have referred to the various metallic and non-metallic artefacts in ancient India, most of which were indigenously produced, and many fabricated on the archaeological sites themselves. Whether raw materials were also locally available, is a matter of closer investigation. The issue of artefact — local ore correlation, which has been touched upon in the earlier chapter 10, is far from settled. Whereas the local slags, residues and the objects at different stages of manufacture are evidences of indigenous production, the issue of raw material can be settled only through mining archaeology.