Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c25.s1.2

v1.c25.s1.2

Gold has been used extensively for making ornaments in the Harappan culture. The gold used is rather pale in colour and it has been suggested that quite often it was used as electrum (mixture of gold and silver). Considering that gold from the Kolar and Hatti gold mines is also of light colour (electrum), it is justifiable to infer that surface collection of gold nuggets had started by the Harappan period. The Vedic literature refers to the light colour alloy, *rajata-hiranyam*. Clustering of the neolithic sites around gold mining areas, and recovery of gold ornaments from Tekkalkota (ear-rings) and Dāimābād confirm that the exploitation of these gold mines was continued, even after the Harappan period.