Metals and Metallurgy in Harappan Civilization

Abstract

The Indus Valley also referred to as Sindhu-Sarasvati Civilization excelled in variety of technologies, including metallurgy. Over the span of centuries, evolving from Pre/ Early Harappan to the Late Harappan cultural phases, the civilization evolved as an urban civilization. By the mature Harappan period (circa 2700 to 18/1700 BCE) metal technology attained great perfection. Several metallurgical innovations like the intricate cire perdue or lost wax technique, true saw and the eye needle go to the credit of the metal smiths of that period. Exclusive objects of copper, gold, and silver came to be used. For special affects, minor metals like tin, arsenic, lead, antimony etc. came to be used for alloying. Although about 70% of the copper objects of the Harappan period are unalloyed, a judicious alloying pattern as per requirements may be discerned in the metal repertoire. Arsenic was found to be present in several statues probably with a specific reason. The sharp-edged cutting tools like razors, knives or daggers, arrowheads. spearheads, drills etc show a distinct alloying pattern with alloying of tin up to 1213%. The Harappan bronze tool repertoire comprised typical leaf-shaped arrowheads, spears with bent end, shaft-hole axe, double edged axes, the sword with amid-rib or the bronze female figurines like that of the `dancing girl'. In fashioning of pots and pans, technique of raising- sinking and drawing was employed. Exquisite gold jewellery and silver ware, though rare, has been found from Harappan sites. We propose to address here issue related to typology, pattern of metal utilization, and the metallurgical processes as well as raw material exploited in the Indus-Saraswati Civilization.