Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v2.c41.s9.2

v2.c41.s9.2

In the Vedic era, copper was known as lohāyasa or red metal. In the post-Pāṇini era, the nomenclature changed to tāmra and śulva. The element sulphur gandhaka was reckoned as śulva-ari (that which attacks śulva or copper) or śulvāri which was converted to ‘sulphur’ in the Western Indo-European languages. Copper used to be alloyed with arsenic to produce tāla or bell-metal and with trapu or tin to produce kaṃsa or bronze. It may be noted that tin had always been known in India as trapu. The other name kastīra came into vogue later during the Greek influence in India; kastīra was possibly derived from the Greek word cassiterite (tin ore).