Which of the following metals was NOT found at the Harappan site?

Iron

The correct answer is Option (4) → Iron

IRON metal was NOT found at the Harappan site.

Chanhudaro is a tiny settlement (less than 7 hectares) as compared to Mohenjodaro (125 hectares), almost exclusively devoted to craft production, including bead-making, shell-cutting, metal-working, seal-making and weight-making. The variety of materials used to make beads is remarkable: stones like carnelian (of a beautiful red colour), jasper, crystal, quartz and steatite; metals like copper, bronze and gold; and shell, faience and terracotta or burnt clay. Some beads were made of two or more stones, cemented together, some of stone with gold caps. The shapes were numerous – disc shaped, cylindrical, spherical, barrel-shaped, segmented. Some were decorated by incising or painting, and some had designs etched onto them.

The absence of iron at Harappan archaeological sites is an important historical and archaeological observation. It suggests that the Harappan civilization, which existed from approximately 2600 BCE to 1900 BCE, was predominantly in the Bronze Age and had not yet advanced to the widespread use of iron. Ironworking and the Iron Age in the Indian subcontinent came later, following the decline of the Harappan civilization. Copper and bronze were the primary metals used during the Harappan period, and these metals were used to create a variety of tools, ornaments, and other artifacts.