Page 104 - SST Class 06

pounded that the Earth is round, rotates on was made by heating black magnetite ore in
its own axis and revolves around the Sun, the presence of carbon in a sealed clay
i.e., the heliocentric theory. He also made crucible kept inside a charcoal furnace.
predictions about the solar and lunar 11. Smelting of Zinc
eclipses, duration of the day as well as the India was the first to smelt zinc by the
distance between the Earth and the Moon. distillation process, an advanced technique

derived from a long experience of ancient
alchemy. The ancient Persians had also
attempted to reduce zinc oxide in an open
furnace, but had failed. Zawar in the Tiri
valley of Rajasthan is the world’s first known
ancient zinc smelting site. The distillation
technique of zinc production goes back to
the 12th Century AD and is an important
contribution of India to the world of science.

10. Wootz Steel
A pioneering steel alloy matrix developed in
India, Wootz steel is a crucible steel charac-
terised by a pattern of bands that was 12. Seamless Metal Globe
known in the ancient world by many Considered one of the most remarkable
different names such as Ukku, Hindwani feats in metallurgy, the first seamless celes-
and Seric Iron. This steel was used to make tial globe was made in Kashmir, in the
the famed Damascus swords of yore that Mughal Empire, by ‘Ali Kashmiri ibn
could cleave a free-falling silk scarf or a Luqman’ in the reign of the Emperor Akbar.
block of wood with the same ease. In a major feat in metallurgy, Mughal
Produced by the Tamils of the Chera
Dynasty, the finest steel of the ancient world

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