Current Science

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Locating Iron Production Sites in Telangana, India Using Satellite Imagery


Affiliations
1 Department of History, School of Humanities and Social Science, Block E, Lower Ground Floor, Shiv Nadar University, NH91, Tehsil Dadri, Gautam Buddha Nagar 201 314, India
2 National Institute of Advanced Studies, Indian Institute of Science Campus, Bengaluru 560 012, India
3 Bangalore University, Ramachandra Road, Ambdekar Veedhi, Sampangi Rama Nagar, Bengaluru 560 009, India
 

The use of satellite imagery is explored in mapping the distribution of archaeometallurgical sites for iron and steel production and as a tool for potential reconnaissance in northern districts of Telangana. Travellers' accounts from at least the seventeenth century suggest that this was an area where pre-industrial iron and steel production flourished, which is also testified by the vast amount of archaeometallurgical debris in the region. The geographical distribution of ferrous metal production sites within this landscape has been documented by integrating data from surface surveys on over 100 archaeometallurgical sites with satellite imagery. Despite the constraints that the surface sites could not be dated by archaeological excavation, this pilot study explores how satellite imagery and related experimental procedures may be used to complement surface archaeometallurgical surveys and reconnaissance efforts.

Keywords

GPS Survey, Iron, Satellite Imagery, Telangana, Wootz Steel.
User
Notifications
Font Size

  • Lowe, T. L., Refractories in high carbon iron processing: a preliminary study of Deccani wootz making crucibles. In Ceramics and Civilization (ed. Kinger, W. D.), The American Ceramic Society, Pittsburgh, 1990, pp. 237–250.

  • Jaikishan, S., Iron and wootz steel industry in northern Telangana. Telangana Jagruthi, Hyderabad, 2009.

  • Juleff, G., Srinivasan, S. and Ranganathan, S., Pioneering Metallurgy: Telangana Field Survey Interim Report 2011, National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru, 2011.

  • Bronson, B., The making and selling of wootz-a crucible steel of India. Archaeomaterials, 1986, 1, 13–51.

  • Srinivasan, S., On higher carbon and crucible steels in southern India: further insights from Mel-siruvalur, megalithic Kodumanal and early historic Pattinam. Indian J. Hist. Sci.., 2007, 42(4), 673–695.

  • Srinivasan, S. and Ranganathan, S., India’s Legendary Wootz Steel: An Advanced Material of the Ancient World, NIAS, Bengaluru, 2004.

  • Srinivasan, S., Indian iron and steel, with special reference to southern India. In World of Iron (eds Humphris, J. and Rehren, T. H.), London, Archetype Press, 2013, pp. 83–90.

  • Singh, S. D., Iron in ancient India. J. Econ. Soc. Hist. Orient, 1962, 212–216.

  • Ray, A. and Chakrabarti, D. K., Studies in Ancient Indian technology and production. J. Econ. Soc. Hist. Orient, 1975, 18(2), 219–232.

  • Agarwal, D. P. and Kharakwal, J. S., Bronze and Iron Ages in South Asia, Aryan Books International, New Delhi, 2003.

  • Tripathi, V., The Age of Iron in South Asia: Legacy and Tradition, Aryan Books International, New Delhi, 2001.

  • Chakrabarti, D. K., The beginning of Iron in India. In A Source Book of Indian Archaeology Vol 2 (eds Allchin, F. R. and Chakrabarti, D. K.), Minishram Manoharlal, New Delhi, 1997, pp. 378–391.

  • Krishna Sastry, V. V., Megalithic cultures: the iron age. In Pre and Protohistoric Andhra Pradesh up to 500 BC (ed Murty, M. L. K.), Orient Longman, New Delhi, 2003, p. 107.

  • Subrahmanyam, B. R., Iron age in Andhra Pradesh, archaeology of Andhra Pradesh. In Archaeology of Andhra Pradesh (ed. Krishna Sastry, V. V.), Government of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad, 1987.

  • Biswas, A. K., Minerals and Metals in Premodern India, D. K. Printworld, New Delhi, 2002.

  • Srinivasan, S., Sinopoli, C., Morrison, K., Gopal, R. and Ranganathan, S., South Indian Iron Age iron and high carbon steel: with reference to Kadebakele and comparative insights from Melsiruvalur, Metallurgy and Civilisation: Eurasia and Beyond. In Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on the Beginning of the use of Metals and Alloys (BUMA VI), Archetype Books, London, 2009, pp. 116–122.

  • Sasisekaran, B., Metallurgy and metal industry in ancient Tamilnadu – an archaeological study. Indian J. Hist. Sci., 2002, 37(1), 17–29.

  • Parrington, M., Remote sensing. Annu. Rev. Anthropol., 1983, 12, 105–124.

  • Pappu, S., Kumar, A., Ravindranath, S. and Raju, U., Applications of satellite remote sensing for research and heritage management in Indian prehistory. J. Archaeol. Sci., 2010, 37, 2316–2331.

  • Rajani, M. B., Patra, S. K. and Mamta, V., Space observation for generating 3D perspective views and its implication to the study of the archaeological site of Badami in India. J. Cult. Heritage, 2009, 10(1), 20–26.

  • Singh, V. and Singh, U. C., Mapping archaeological monuments. Indian J. Sci. Technol., 2014, 1, 27–28.

  • Rajani, M. B. and Kasturirangan, K., Satellite image and India’s past. In Proceedings of a Workshop organized under the aegis of International Centre for Theoretical Sciences, Mangalore, 2011.

  • Custer, J. F., Eveleigh, T., Klemas, V. and Wells, I., Application of LANDSAT data and synoptic remote sensing to predictive models for prehistoric archaeological sites: an example from the Delaware coastal plain. Am. Antiq., 1986, 51, 572–588.

  • Oltean, I. A., Rajani, M. B. and Nalini, N. S., Archaeometallurgy in the Telangana region: a GIS approach in pioneering metallurgy: the origins of iron and steel making in the southern Indian subcontinent. In Pioneering Metallurgy: Telangana Field Survey Interim Report (eds Juleff, G., Srinivasan, S. and Ranganathan, S.), NIAS, Bengaluru, 2011, pp. 20–21.

  • Kantner, J., The archaeology of regions: from discrete analytical toolkit to ubiquitous spatial perspective. J. Archaeol. Res., 2008, 16(1), 37–81.

  • Greene, K. and Moore, T., Archaeology: An Introduction, Routledge, London, 2002, 5th edn.

  • Juleff, G. and Gilmour, B., Telangana field survey: aims, methods and outcomes. In Pioneering Metallurgy: Telangana Field Survey Interim Report (eds Juleff, G., Srinivasan, S. and Ranganathan, S.), NIAS, Bengaluru, 2011, pp. 7–11.


Abstract Views: 233

PDF Views: 72




  • Locating Iron Production Sites in Telangana, India Using Satellite Imagery

Abstract Views: 233  |  PDF Views: 72

Authors

Smriti Haricharan
Department of History, School of Humanities and Social Science, Block E, Lower Ground Floor, Shiv Nadar University, NH91, Tehsil Dadri, Gautam Buddha Nagar 201 314, India
Nagabhushana
National Institute of Advanced Studies, Indian Institute of Science Campus, Bengaluru 560 012, India
Sharada Srinivasan
Bangalore University, Ramachandra Road, Ambdekar Veedhi, Sampangi Rama Nagar, Bengaluru 560 009, India
M. B. Rajani
Bangalore University, Ramachandra Road, Ambdekar Veedhi, Sampangi Rama Nagar, Bengaluru 560 009, India
S. Ranganathan
Bangalore University, Ramachandra Road, Ambdekar Veedhi, Sampangi Rama Nagar, Bengaluru 560 009, India

Abstract


The use of satellite imagery is explored in mapping the distribution of archaeometallurgical sites for iron and steel production and as a tool for potential reconnaissance in northern districts of Telangana. Travellers' accounts from at least the seventeenth century suggest that this was an area where pre-industrial iron and steel production flourished, which is also testified by the vast amount of archaeometallurgical debris in the region. The geographical distribution of ferrous metal production sites within this landscape has been documented by integrating data from surface surveys on over 100 archaeometallurgical sites with satellite imagery. Despite the constraints that the surface sites could not be dated by archaeological excavation, this pilot study explores how satellite imagery and related experimental procedures may be used to complement surface archaeometallurgical surveys and reconnaissance efforts.

Keywords


GPS Survey, Iron, Satellite Imagery, Telangana, Wootz Steel.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv111%2Fi9%2F1536-1543