Copper in Ancient India c9.5

c9.5

The proportion in which copper and tin were melted together to form *kāmsya* is given in the Rasaratna-samuchchaya (13th century) in which we find that eight parts of copper and two parts of tin were used in making the alloy and that bronze made in Surāshtra (Surat) was excellent.² The original Sanskrit equivalent for brass was *riti*, the word *pittala* being subsequently adopted for it. Brass was prepared in India at first by heating copper with calamine and carbonaceous substances. It was, however, prepared by heating copper and zinc in the 13th century.