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Mining

Copper was central to King Solomon’s wealth. Source: PhotoGranary / Adobe Stock.

The Valuable Commodity Behind King Solomon's Wealth (Video)

In the quest to uncover the source of King Solomon's fabled riches, archaeologists have made a remarkable discovery in the arid landscapes of southern Israel, near Timna. These ancient mining sites,...
The Iron Age child’s shoe found in an Austian salt mine. Source: Deutsches Bergbau-Museum Bochum

2000-Year-Old Child’s Leather Shoe Found in Austrian Salt Mine

This is not the first time German archaeologists have recovered well-preserved shoes from the Dürrnberg salt mine in Austria. However, what is a first, is the remarkable discovery of a child’s shoe,...
Buddhist stupa at Mes Aynak, Afghanistan (Jerome Starkey / CC by SA 2.0)

Mes Aynak: Afghanistan's Buddhist City Threatened by Chinese Mining (Video)

Mes Aynak , located about 40 kilometers southeast of Kabul, Afghanistan, is an extraordinary archaeological site with a history dating back over 2,000 years. This ancient Buddhist city, nestled...
Interior of salt mine in Hallstatt, Austria. Source: Posztós János / Adobe Stock.

7,000-Year-Old Austrian Salt Mine Holds Bronze Age Secrets (Video)

Hallstatt, an ancient salt mine nestled in the picturesque Austrian Alps, holds an extraordinary tale of human history dating back an astonishing 7,000 years . While all mines necessitate regular...
Salt mine (representational image). Source:  Paweł Mielko / Adobe Stock.

Salt of the Earth: A Look Inside the Ancient Mines of Mali (Video)

The salt mines of Mali have been in operation for centuries and offer a glimpse into a way of life that has remained largely unchanged for over a thousand years. The miners work tirelessly in the...
Some of the 313 manillas (brass rings) excavated by the Sociedad de Ciencias Aranzadi from a Flemish trader lost in 1524 off Getaria in Basque Country, northern Spain which prove the source of the Benin Bronze metal. Source: Ana Maria Benito-Dominguez/CC-BY 4.0/PLoS ONE

Study Shows Benin Bronzes Are Made from German Metal

A new study of famous 16th-19th century works of art found in abundance in West Africa has revealed something surprising about their composition. According to the results of a comprehensive and...
Close up of "fumarola" on top of Vulcano Island, Sicily. Earliest dates of sulfur mining were at this fumarole. Source: Zapatisthack by Adobe Stock

Seeking Brimstone: Why Has Mankind Been Mining Sulfur for Millennia?

Throughout the ages, sulfur has been a highly versatile and indispensable element, utilized by humans for a myriad of purposes. With its striking yellow crystalline solid appearance, this non-metal...
Unpolished lapis lazuli from Badakhshan province, Afghanistan. Source: Björn Wylezich / Adobe Stock

The Brilliantly Blue Lapis Lazuli: Precious Gem Prized by Elites

In the recent past, a gem that is thought to be more precious than even gold, the elusive lapis lazuli , has received a bad reputation for being a source of illegal mining by the Taliban in...
The emerald is known as the gemstone of lovers. Source: Balazs / Adobe Stock

The Bloody Legacy of Emeralds – The Gemstone of Lovers

People are a lot like magpies. We like shiny things. Since the beginning, we have ascribed value to pretty rocks with little practical value. To try and explain their obsession with these stones...
Giant sinkhole that has opened up in the Atacama Desert, Chile. Source: Sernageomin

Giant Sinkhole Is Growing In Chile’s Atacama Desert

An enormous sinkhole that appeared on a plot of mining land in Chile’s Atacama Desert region has continued to grow. The gigantic cavity was first seen on July 30 in a rural area outside the town of...
Derbyshire Caving Club member examines a pipe found in the Alderley Edge Cobalt mine. Source: National Trust

Time Capsule Opened at Alderley Edge Cobalt Mine, England

Cavers exploring underground spaces in Alderley Edge, Cheshire in northwestern England were stunned to discover a sealed and abandoned mineshaft that hadn’t been visited by anyone since the early...
Herod’s calcite-alabaster bathtub found in Kypros fortress.	Source: Prof. Amos Frumkin, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem / Nature

Herod the Great’s Alabaster Bathtubs

Herod the Great was renowned for his ambitious projects and extravagant tastes. Now a major discovery has come regarding these projects, from of all places, his bathtub. Two beautiful bathtubs...
The Egyptian emeralds would have looked this these (from Brazil) when taken from the ground. (Géry Parent / CC BY-ND 2.0)

Vast Roman-Period Emerald Mines Revealed in Egyptian Desert

A topographic scan of emerald mines in Egypt’s Eastern Desert has revealed scores of time locked chambers, tunnels and sacred spaces dating to the Graeco-Roman and Byzantine periods. Emerald mines...
Old gold rush vignette with oil Lamp shadow, leather pouch, gold nuggets, gold pan and old topographic map (John Nakata / Adobe Stock)

Mystery Mines That Enriched The Old World

About 2.6 million years ago, predating Homo Sapiens , early human ancestors founded mining when they dug for stones that were best suited for making survival tools and weapons. They knew that stones...
The site of secondary mining of Phosphate rock in Nauru, 2007.        Source: CC BY 2.0

Nauru, The Tiny Nation with a Blackened Name

One of the many micro-nations in the Pacific is Nauru, once known as Pleasant Island. This small island has a rich and complex history. It is the third-smallest country in the world and, at one point...
Details of an ancient Roman bronze statue. Credit: giorgio / Adobe Stock

The Bronze Age - A Spark That Changed the World

The development of civilization was a long and complex process, and it always rested on industry and technology. As our ancestors stepped from one millennium to another, and the Stone Age evolved...
Salt man - Iran Baastan museum.

Preserved by Nature: Studying the Spectacular Salt Mummies of Iran

The saltmen are a group of natural mummies that were discovered in the Chehrabad Salt Mine in Iran. This mine is in the Zanjan Province and located about 340 km (211.27 miles) northwest of Tehran...
Diver Christophe Le Maillot documents the ocher mining activity at the site.   Source: Sam Meacham, CINDAQ. A.C. SAS-INAH / INAH

Divers Find Oldest Ocher Mines in the Americas

Experts in Mexico have discovered what they believe to be the oldest ocher mines in all the Americas. They date back an astonishing 10-12,500 years ago. The discovery is helping researchers to better...
Searching for the Gold of the Lost Dutchman Mine in the Superstition Mountains

Searching for The Gold of the Lost Dutchman Mine in Superstition Mountain

The Lost Dutchman Mine is said to be a rich goldmine located somewhere in the southwestern American state of Arizona. Generally speaking, this mine is claimed to be situated in the Superstition...
Representation of an open pit mine to show what the Adivasi tribe are trying to fight against in their home.    Source: Parilov / Adobe stock

Adivasi Tribe Fights to Save Indian Forest From Mining

In India , the land of an indigenous community is under threat from a mining company. A huge area of forest is going to be destroyed due to the proposed mine. This is despite the fact that the...
Aerial view of the Great Orme mine site looking south-east towards Llandudno).

Copper Mining Boom Across Britain 3,600 Years Ago Found in New Study

Researchers have made a major breakthrough with regard to the history of mining in Bronze Age Britain . They have established that there was a great mining boom in the area much earlier than thought...
View of Timna Valley, Israel area of copper smelting study. Source: boris_sh / Adobe Stock.

Egyptians Provided Technological Leap For Edomite Kingdom

In the Hebrew Bible , the Edomites were the descendants of Jacob's brother Esau, but did an ancient Egyptian invasion trigger technological innovations within this biblical kingdom? Erez Ben-Yosef,...
Humans Began Mass Ecological Destruction 3,000 Years Ago

Humans Began Mass Ecological Destruction 3,000 Years Ago

A new paper with 250 scientific authors suggests human beings had impacted Earth’s fragile ecosystems much earlier and to a far greater extent than currently believed. This huge collaborative study...
Suspected Roman mine pits were uncovered, which would have intersected with a lost Roman road. Source: University of Exeter / Fair Use.

Roman Fort Excavation in England Reveals Lost Road and Ancient Mine

Setting this discovery in context, an article on the National Trust website declares that in 2006, the Cornwall and West Devon mining landscape achieved World Heritage Status recognized by UNESCO and...

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