History of metals in eastern India and Bangladesh /
Pranab K.Chattopadhyay and Gautam Sengupta
- New Delhi: Pentagon Press, 2011.
- 193p.
CONTENTS Foreword to the Series xiii Note on Infinity Foundation xix Editor's Note xxt Preface xxix Achioivled^ements xxxi List of Tables xxxiii List of Figures .vxvt List ofAbbreviations Used in the Text xli 1. INTRODUCTION 1 ORIGIN OFMETTALURGY 2 Copper 2 Iron Other Metals THE SCHEME OF THE BOOK 2. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL CULTURES IN EASTERN INDIA AND BANGLADESH THE MEGALITHIC CULTURE BLACK-AND-RED-WARE CULTURE ^ NORTHERN BLACK POLISHED WARE CULTURF IN Tru ^ PART OF EASTERN INDIA ASTERN NORTHEAST INDIA ^ EARLY HISTORIC CULTURE IN EASTERN INDi^ 8 9 10 viii ❖ HISTORY OF METALS IN EASTERN INDIA AND BANGLADESH SOURCE OF METAL OBJECTS 11 The Trade ofMetal Objects 15 3. COPPER 18 SOURCES OF COPPER 19 THE PROCESS OF COPPER EXTRACTION 22 COPPER MANUFACTURING IN SIKKIM 22 ARCHEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE OF COPPER 24 The period from 2000 to 1300BCE 24 The period from 1300 to 600 BCE 26 MANUFACTURING TECHNIQUEOF CHALCOLITHIC COPPER OBJECTS 29 The period from 600 BCE to CE 300 33 Coins 36 Copper SmeltingActivities in the Early Historic Period 36 Ornaments ofthe EarlyHistoric Period 39 Domestic Objects ofthe Early Historic Pa-iod 40 The Period between CE 300 and 200 41 Copperplates 42 ORIGIN OF THE COPPER HOARDS 45 Major Copper Hoard Sites 46 The Use and Function ofthe Copper Hoard Artefacts 49 The Archaeometallurgy ofCopper Hoard Objects 50 4. IRON 55 SOURCES OFIRON 56 IRON EXTRACTION 58 PRE-INDUSTRIAL IRON MAKING 58 Arunachal Pradesh 58 Assam gp Bangladesh Meghalaya Manipur Mizoram ^j Nagaland CONTENTS -«• ix Traditional Iron Making in the Western Part ofEastern India 63 Iron smeltingby theAgarias 64 Iron Making by theKols 66 Iron Making: Carburisation 70 Iron in the Archaeological Context: 1300 bee to 600 bee 72 Iron in the Archaeological Context: 600 bee to ce 300 74 Excavated Smithy 78 Iron in the Archaeological Context: CE 300 to 1200 81 Use ofIron in Structural Compoftents 81 WAS THERE CAST IRON IN EASTERN INDIA? 83 HIGH CARBON STEELS OF EASTERN INDIA 85 ARCHAEOMETALLURGY OF IRON OBJECTS OF EASTERN INDL\ 85 ADVANCEMENT IN THE USE OF MICRO-ALLOY IN STEEL-MAKING 89 CANNONS OF EASTERN INDIA 89 Classification of Cannons 90 Cannons ofAssam 91 Cannons ofBangladesh 93 Cannons ofMeghalaya 94 Cannons ofOrissa 95 Cannons ofTripura 95 Cannons of West Bengal 95 Archaeometallurgy ofIron Cannons 97 ARMS OF EASTERN INDIA 98 THE WOOTZ 99 5. GOLD 100 SOURCES OF GOLD 100 SEPARATION OF GOLD BY THE TRADITIONAL METHOD 101 PURIFICATION OF GOLD ^03 EVIDENCE IN THE HISTORICAL RECORDS GOLD OBJECTS FOUND ESf EXCAVATIONS GOLDPLATING 106 GOLD COINS 106 Pre-Gupta Gold Coins from Bangladesh jq7 Gold Coins ofthe Gupta Period 107 X ❖ HISTORY OF METALS IN EASTERN INDIAANDBANGLADESH Technology' of the Gupta Gold Coins 108 Post-Gupta Gold Coins j08 Gold coinsofSamatata 1Qg GoldcoinsofAssam \ gg GoldCoinsof theBengal StUtans \09 6. SILVER THE SOURCEOF SILVER 110 Evidence in the Historical Records \ ] i Separation of Silver from Lead bythe Traditional Method 112 Identification of the Source of Silver \\2 Silver Objects found from Excavations 112 Sources of Silver for Coins and other Objects 114 External sourccs of Silver 114 Trade Routes for Silver 115 SILVER COINS 115 Punch-marked coins 115 Manufactut"in£ ofpunch-marked coins 11 g Analysis ofthe punch-marked coins ofOrissa \ \g Analyses ofthe punch-marked coins ofBengal \ j9 Analysis ofsilver coins ofthe Gupta pei-iod 119 Platingon Punch-mar-ked coins 120 Harikela Coins 220 SILVER COINS OF THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD 121 Silver coins ofAssam 121 Coins ofTripura 122 Coin-making during the Medieval period 122 Use ofSilver in making Images 122 Use ofSilver in the pre-modern period 122 Pre-modern use of silver in Arunachal Pradesh 123 Filigree silvercraft 124 7. MINOR METALS ^25 SOURCES OF LEAD j25 LEAD OBJECTS FOUND IN EXC:AVATI0NS 126 CONTENTS ❖ xi APPLICATION OFLEAD 127 Leadcoins j27 SOURCE OF TIN 127 Tin mines of Eastern India 128 Exti'action ofTin 129 SOURCE OF ZINC 129 Use of Zinc alloy 129 Bidn-ware 130 8. ALLOYS OF COPPER 131 LITERARY EVIDENCE OF COPPER ALLOYING 131 Bronze and its varieties 132 The use ofsome interesting bronze objects 134 Examplesfi-om the Eastern pan ofthe Subcontinent 134 Jhnrkhnnd 134 Assam 134 Bangladesh 134 Manipur 135 WestBen/ial 136 Onssn 136 Metallurgy ofhi^h tin-bronze \ 35 Studies on Thermo-mechanical Treatments \ 37 Gunmetal 139 Brass 140 Brass chariot 142 Manufacturing the Copper Alloys I43 Image-making 143 The Centres ofMetal Casting I43 The Important Metal Castings I44 Religious objects 244 Some Important Images I^ Alloying Composition ot Images l^g Manufacturing Techniques ofBronze Images j Manufacturing Techniques of Pal-Sen Images Iconographic or St\'listic Study 2gj The Dhokra Process I55 Xii ❖ history OF METALS IN EASTERN INDIAANDBANGLADESH Decorative Metalwareof pre-Modern Period 156 Cannons made ofCopper Alloys 157 Bronze Coins 161 Composite Objects 161 9. CONCLUSION 163 Relevant studies that need to be taken up in future 166