Synopsis Based on strenuous field studies in inaccessible places, meticulous documentation, and analysis of data, the author presents in thsi monograph the metallurgical study of iron objects found in the some sites excavated. The study reveals "the maturity of ancient Indian metallurgist to obtain various categories of steel for different purposes" and expounds "on the basis of level of mineral transformation of iron artefacts, a hypothesis to relatively date the excavations". The project was funded by the Indian National Science Academy and the research was co-ordinated by the Department of Metallurgical Engineering, IIT-Madras.