Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c26.7

v1.c26.7

The materials of antiquity containing more than 28 per cent zinc in copper matrix must have been prepared by mixing of the two metals, which could have been possible only after discovery of zinc as a separate metal and its preparation by a process such as distillation. The antiquity of brass artefacts can therefore be divided into two eras — one preceding and the other following the discovery of zinc as a separate metal.