February
21
/ 2022
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 on the surface were generally weathered and rounded, while those buried in the mud were still sharp. The oldest known mine in the world is the Ngwenya Mine in Eswatini (Swaziland), dating to around 43,000 years ago, where Paleolithic bushmen (San hunters) mined hematite and made red ochre pigments for cave paintings and ritual purposes. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"94364","attributes":{"alt":"Ngwenya mine is the oldest known mine in the world. The San, or Bushmen, mined hematite here 40,000 years ago to make paint for cave paintings and probably other uses. It was mined
