Locating Iron Production Sites in Telangana, India Using Satellite Imagery

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.

National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS)

“…A program in the area of ancient mining and history of metallurgical extraction; drawing from studies of ore and geological formations; evidence for old working, slag and other archaeometallurgical debris; use of ore geochemistry and geosciences applications in the understanding of metal extraction and metal technology and characterization of artifacts has been undertaken. Original preliminary studies have been made in terms of identifying old working and slag heaps, from archaeometallurgical investigations and studies on ore and slag geochemistry in various parts of south India for copper smelting, bronze making iron smelting, and old gold mines covering Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu (Haricharan et al, 2016, Srinivasan, 1997, 1999a, 2016a. Significant studies have also been made in identifying production sites for making crucible steel and related ore sources such as banded iron ores (Srinivasan, 2016b;Srinivasan and Ranganathan, 2013).…”