precious metal : The Indus Valley Civilizations part 2

The Indus civilizations were ethnically diverse incorporating many cultures and creeds. Many terracotta, bronze and stone figurines found at the Indus sites display a variety of different styles of clothing, headdresses and ornamentation indicating a multi-ethnic civilization. Some of the figurines were adorned with multiple chokers and necklaces, which appear to represent beaded ornaments of gold, silver, and semi-precious gems. The complex ‘Cire Perdue’ casting technique, meaning ‘Lost-wax,’ was employed in the production of the metallic figures pointing towards a culture of knowledgeable and sophisticated metallurgists.

Further excavations of Mohenjo-daro’s lower levels revealed the living quarters of metal workers, specializing in the production of copper and bronze implements and weapons. Flat axes, spears, knives, arrowheads, chisels, saws and razors were caste in smelting furnaces then simply hammered into shape. Silver, reserved for smaller precious metal objects, was smelted and molded into small vases, vessels, seals, pendants, and brooches. Other crafts in the city included the manufacturing of beads made in a variety of different shells, ivory and semi precious gem types such as alabaster, lapis lazuli and turquoise from Persia, amethyst from Maharashtra, and jade from Central Asia.

By 2000 B.C. the Indus valley civilizations were disappearing due to internal decline. The eventual demise of the Indus Valley Civilization came about in 1500 B.C., with Aryan invaders from the north firstly destroying the outlying villages, and then overrunning the cities of Harappan and Mohenjo-daro. The Indus civilization with their highly advanced knowledge of process metallurgy, gem cutting and jewelry production were eventually pushed further south into India where they created a legacy of fine arts for which India today is known the world over. By the third century B.C., after the reign of Buddhist emperor Ashoka, India was mining its own extensive gemstone resources, and had become the world’s leading exporter of precious metal and semi-precious gemstones.

By David-John Turner