>I could not resist asking why it is that you cling so
>determinedly to diffusion as a model for the spread of ideas/technology.
Mike,
You may well be right, the diffussion model may not be appropriate in this
case, but let's start somewhere and test it - perhaps a Frenchman looked at
a flour mill and saw in it the means of grinding ore in much the same way as
an English tinner had indepenently cme to the same conclusion.
>Of the crazing mill, you write "I might have expected it to be used in the
>preparation of silver rich lead ores". Why?
Separation of the silver did come after smelting but with a restricted
resource like silver-bearing ores there was a need to treat all the ore
mined. There was not the option, as there was in early non-argentiferous
lead production, of moving on to a new deposit yielding ore suitable for the
wind-blown bole/bale hearth. The use of furnace smelting with higher
temperatures and a reducing atmosphere allowed the treatment of fine ores,
crushed to allow separation of the gangue material. Where the crushing of
non-argentiferous lead ores did not really become common until after the
introduction of new smelting technology in the mid to late 16th century, it
was common practice in the treatment of silver-bearing ores from the late
13th century.
Peter
______________________________________________
Dr Peter Claughton,
Blaenpant Morfil, nr. Rosebush, Clynderwen, Pembrokeshire, Wales SA66 7RE.
Tel. 01437 532578; Fax. 01437 532921; Mobile 07831 427599
University of Exeter - School of Historical, Political and Sociological Studies
(Centre for South Western Historical Studies)
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Co-owner - mining-history e-mail discussion list.
See http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/files/mining-history/ for details.
Mining History Pages - http://www.exeter.ac.uk/~pfclaugh/mhinf/
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