Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c28.s8.t6.1

v1.c28.s8.t6.1

Whereas the era of Harappan bronzes had come to an abrupt end with the collapse of the Indus Valley civilization, the South Indian Chalcolithic and bronze tradition maintained some continuity. We have explained in chapter 8 that the Post-Harappan tradition of wheeled bronzes depicting vāhanas of deities was followed right through Mālwā and Jorwe culture in Dāimābād. Jorwe produced low-grade (1.78 % tin) bronze celts. The chalcolithic cultures of Hallur, Kallur, Maski etc. continued till the first millennium BC overlapping with the advent of the Iron Age. In this chapter we have mentioned the fourth-third century BC ornamental bronze articles of Tinnevelly, pre-Christian and post-Christian era Amarāvati Buddhist bronzes, the brass tradition of the Sātavāhana era (it had cultural contact with the brass-producing Buddhist empire of the Kuṣāṇas in the north) and its continuity in the Phophnar (near Burhanpur, East Nimar, M.P.), Sirpur and Nāgārjunakoṇḍa establishments of the sixth-seventh century AD period.