Ancient Smelting Devices (Retorts) from Different Parts of India

India is an ancient country with rich heritage - not only spiritual and cultural, but also in mining and metallurgy long-Deserted ancient mines/Old workings, large stone grinding tools, mine wastes, slag heaps and dumped ancient metallurgical artefacts are mute reminders of bustling activities of a clan of ancient miners and metallurgists in different parts of India. Ancient India had two pioneering contributions to the global science-Production of high quality crucible steel (Britishers called 'wootz') and 'rustless' iron, and an ingenious method of downward distillation of zinc vapour from the smelted ore in specially designed retorts (sophisticated pyrotechnique operation).

The present paper deals with ancient smelting devices/Retorts found in locales, now in Rajasthan Haryana, H.P/Uttarakhand, U.P, Andhra Pradesh and TN, where the author had the opportunity to work on ground and study the devices. These are of similar looks (cylindrical, hollow, thick-walled or thin-walled) and dimensions (30-35 cm in length and 8-12 cm in cross-sectional diameter). There is striking similarity in retorts (cylindrical, centrally bulging/pear-shaped, hollow, thin-walled) used in lead-zinc extraction at Zawar (Rajasthan) and in Tons valley (H.P). Same is the case with the devices used in iron metallurgy (cylindrical, hollow, thick-Walled) at Asawari (Haryana), and Mondour and Kusmi areas (U.P). The retorts (cylindrical, hollow, thin-Walled) found near Agnigundala (A.P.) and Veppanapalli (TN ) are slightly different. The residual materials inside the devices of a few locales have been scanned by Emission Spectrography for 30 elements, analysed by A A Spectrophotometry, and by classical methods for iron and silica C-14 dating of charcoal pieces from slag-Retort dumps at Asawari (Haryana) assigns an age of late first millennium BC.