In a significant leap for archaeological dating, a new study in Archaeometry introduces the Argon-37/Argon-39 pulse dating technique, which provides sub-decadal precision for dating heat-treated artifacts. Applying this method to the enigmatic 'Copper-Hoard' sites in India's Yamuna Basin, researchers have pushed back the onset of high-purity copper smelting in the region to approximately 3200 BCE.
This refined chronology places the Yamuna metallurgical tradition as contemporaneous with the Early Harappan phase, suggesting a much earlier and more widespread network of specialized craft guilds than previously estimated. The study also confirms that these ancient smiths used advanced fluxing agents to lower the melting point of ore, a technological hallmark of early urban sophistication.