Physics for Cultural Heritage: Traditional Iron Smelters Flourished in the South Eastern Part of the Valley of Manipur

Select Volume / Issue:

• Volume 4,Issue 3, May 2016

Year:

2016

Type of Publication:

Article

Keywords:

Iron Slag, Haematite, Goethite, Tuyere, TL, EDX, XRF

Authors:

Md Raheijuddin Sheikh

Journal:

IJISM

Volume:

4

Number:

3

Pages:

110-113

Month:

May

ISSN:

2347-9051

Abstract:

This paper discusses the preliminary data of iron smelting site found in the ancient iron smelting site of Tummu Ching, Kakching, Manipur. Excavation at Tumu Ching (lat. 24° 28' 38" N., long. 93° 57' 28" E.) a small hillock at a height of 776 m. above sea-level, near Kakching ~ 70 km. from Imphal, the capital city of Manipur has revealed plenty of iron slag in an area of ~ 0.5 km2. Baked sediments adhered to a broken piece of a slag has been dated by TL dating. The equivalent dose of the quartz extracted yield (3.37 ± 0.01) Gy. This corresponds to an age of (1600±100) years; the period when king Khamlangba ruled the valley from 300 to 500 CE.

Full text: IJISM_547_Final.pdf [Bibtex]