Iron and RV dating

[Rajarshi Banerjee]

> Isolated finds of iron are as early as 1400 BC.
>
> http://www.rediff.com/news/jan/23iron.htm is just an example beware of
type
> errors .

The old UNI news report that you offer as "just an example" of
your evidence claims that iron was found in India c. 3200 BCE,
not just c. 1400 BCE. If this old journalist's tale has any truth
at all (recall that in July 1999 UNI broke the "news" that N. S.
Rajaram deciphered "pre-Harappan" texts) it refers to meteoric
and not mined iron.

The journalist does not have a clue but must have been briefed by the
excavators and been confused.
meteoric iron is not associated with the iron age which the article talks
about. So I think 3200 BC is a type error and just means 3200-3400 before
present which pushes back the local iron age a bit.

I have come across more such instances covered in articles, books but this
is the quickest one available using a quick web search. meteoritic iron with
high Ni is easy to differentiate from smelted iron and the fiirst thing
anyone would check

It is claimed that wootz was being made in india as early as 400 but does
archeology support this. the earliest evidence (on the net!) is from
medieval south india. Any info would be appreciated.

RB