Syllabus

Motivation and Introduction to Ancient India:
The urgency to learn the history of materials and its pivotal role in the progressive evolution of materials in ancient India that is, Bharat. Introduction to the ages of civilization: the stone, bronze, and iron ages. The rivers and civilizations in ancient India. The metallurgy of gold based on ancient Vedic and other texts of Bharat. Reference to the structural and functional properties of metals and materials in the ancient Vedic and other texts of Bharat.

Metallurgy in Ancient India:
Brief accounts of the evidence and metallurgy of copper (loha, tamra), bronze (kamsya), gold (hiranya), silver (rajat-hiranyam), lead (sisam), zinc (rasaka), and brass (rtika, pitala), The materials and technology unraveled from the archaeological excavations at Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro, Lothal, etc.
The primacy of Bharat in brass and zinc metallurgy as evidenced by the art and technology unearthed from the excavations at Taxila and Zawar mines.

Metal Casting Traditions in Bharat:
Madhucchistavidhana: the lost-wax process of casting
The hereditary metal casting traditions and handicrafts prevalent in Bharat
Case study of the bronze casting in Swami Malai and the Aranmula metal-mirror (Kannadi) craft traditions

The Emergence of Iron in Bharat:
The legendary Wootz steel (ukku) and its connection with the Damascus steel
The making of Delhi Iron Pillar and its exemplary nature
Declining interest in Wootz steel, and the advent of modern steel making in India

Evolution of Pottery in Ancient India:
Pottery as a primitive occupation of the human civilization
Different ways in which pottery was used in ancient Indian society
The basic method of pottery, pottery from the perspective of materials science
Pottery in ancient India: starting from the neolithic, chalcolithic, Harappan, Vedic, Mauryan, and Gupta periods and so on. Types and characteristics of the pottery-making for each of these periods
Pottery in modern India, with its role in the economy, the culture, and traditions of India.

Rasa-Ratna-Samuccaya:
The essence of the Rasa-Ratna-Samuccaya, a 13th century alchemical treatise presenting the state of Indian expertise in the field of alchemy related to the extraction, purification, conversion of metals/minerals into therapeutically useful forms for treatment of various diseases.

To dive into the history of materials and chronologically understand the evolution of major classes of manmade materials from the stone-age to the present day

To learn the traditional materials manufacturing techniques prevalent in ancient and present India

To understand how metals and minerals can be transformed based on ancient Indian alchemy

Revive the glorious Indian metallurgical heritage and traditions and their supremacy in the ancient and medieval world

The course will offer rare glimpses into India’s rich metallurgical heritage, and the students will develop a coherent vision towards materials science from the perspective of Indic history and ancient knowledge systems in India.

The students will appreciate the primacy of India in non-ferrous extraction metallurgy.

The students will be exposed to the ancient foundry practices and how they are traditionally used even today to manufacture some of the masterpieces in art and handicrafts.

A deeper understanding of the glorious traditions of iron making through the metallurgical skills of ancient Indian blacksmiths will be achieved. The students will realise how the transfer and spreading of Indian metallurgical marvels inspired the evolution of new materials outside India.

The students will be introduced to the art of pottery making in ancient India and its evolution across different periods. They will realise the role of pottery in the economy, the culture, and the traditions prevalent in India.

The students will appreciate the basic processing steps involved in transforming minerals and metals to extract their medicinal properties for various ailments.

A.K. Biswas, Minerals and Metals in Ancient India (Vol. 1 and Vol. 2), D.K. Print World Pvt. Ltd. , 1996

R. Balasubramaniam, Marvels of Indian Iron through the Ages, Rupa Publication Pvt. Ltd. , 2008

R. Srivastava, Mining and Metallurgy in Ancient India, M.M. Publishers Pvt. Ltd. , 2006

T.R. Anantharaman, The Rustless Wonder: A Study of the Iron Pillar at Delhi, Vigyan Prasar , 1996

Arun Kumar Biswas, The primacy of India in ancient brass and zinc metallurgy, Indian Journal of History of Science, Volume 28, pages 309-330, 1993

S. Srinivasan, S. Ranganathan, Tamil Chola Bronzes and Swami Malai Legacy: Metal Sources and Archaeotechnology, The Journal of The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS), Volume 68, pages 2207-2221, 2016