Glass in Ancient India: Excavations at Kopia

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Glass in Ancient India: Excavations at Kopia is a descriptive, analytical and scientific work, and covers the archaeology of Kopia from 8th century BC to 4th century AD. The site situated in Sant Kabir Nagar District of Uttar Pradesh was excavated during 2003-2009 by Dr. Alok Kumar Kanungo under the auspices of the Centre for Research and Training in History, Archaeology & Palaeoenvironment, New Delhi, to understand the history of glass in India. Kopia is a pre indo-roman contact ancient glass manufacturing site which produced more variant of coloured bubble free glass manufacturing site which produced more variant of coloured bubble free glass including transparent ones than any other contemporary glass industry. This report contains reports from some of the most established scholars on geomorphology, radiocarbon dating, structure, pottery, terracotta, coin, faunal and floral assemblages, glass, metal objects, stamp, seal & sealing, bead and bangles, and all other cultural findings of Kopia. The main focus has been to understand the ancient Indian technology in gereral and glass in particular. It deals with glass production at Kopia and its distribution throughout Southeast and South Asia in early historic period.

This is for the first time in indian context on an early historic site each rim sherds is incorporated in the pottery analysis and a detailed statistics of pottery starting from sub-shape to shape to wares to layers for each locality are made; micro vertebrates are analysed; 3 AMS radiocarbon dates obtained from four different laboratories; chemical analysis, x-ray diffraction and strontium istope analyese were carried out on 38 glass related artefacts; LA – ICP – MS analysis was performed on 22 glass related artefacts and four agate beads samples; SEM analyses was carried out on 11 stone beads drill’s impressions; and one lapis was put into strontium istope analysis. Incorporating all these reports and numerous maps, line drawings, statistics, charts and photographs this report makes an attempt to say the archaeology and history of kopia in as scientific manner as it could be.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Alok Kumar Kanungo

Dr. Alok Kumar Kanungo was born in Orissa and grew up in close contact with many tribal communities of Eastern and north-eastern India. His early childhood experiences led him to eventually focus on the archaeology and ethnographic study of tribal and ancient technology. For more than a decade Dr. Kanungo has been reavelling and documenting the rich heritage of the Nagas of Northeast India, and the Bondos and Juangs of Orissa. He has spent considerable time in the field, living in villages and towns where these communities trade. He has worked in many areas where it is difficult to say where anthropology or history stops and archaeology beings.