History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c13.s2.t4.185

v1.c13.s2.t4.185

Paliwal, the mining superintendent of Zawar mines about three decades back, had noticed the signs of ancient mining of the Zawarmala deposit while planning the modern exploitation and he had tried to preserve a part of the ancient working. He had also noticed the abundance of the clay retorts thrown away near the mine’s site. It is in 1981 that the importance of this ancient industrial site has drawn the attention of an Indo-British group, who took interest and located the remains of the ancient zinc extraction furnaces as well as studied the ancient mining method in detail (Freestone, Craddock, Hughes and Paliwal, 1985). Willie (1989) has described in great detail the ancient mining technology at this mine. He has concluded that the host rock at Zawar is metamorphised sheathed hard and compact dolomite, except within the weathered zone. The abundance of charcoal waste and ash found on the floor of the old mine has indicated towards the mining by fire setting method, which must have created acute ventilation problem inside the mine.