A recent study conducted by Tel Aviv University challenges the popular belief about the environmental and health impacts associated with the copper industry in ancient times. Researchers thoroughly analyzed the copper production sites in the Timna Valley, dated to the 10th century BCE, the era of the biblical kings David and Solomon, and concluded that […]
Mining
Scientists Discovered Coal Ash Contains Rare Earth Elements in Sufficient Quantities for Modern Technology Reducing Dependence on China
A team of researchers at the University of Texas at Austin has identified Rare Earth Elements (REE) in coal ash accumulated in the United States. This material, long considered a problematic industrial waste, could contain enough Rare Earth Elements to significantly bolster the national supply of these critical resources without requiring new mining activities. Coal […]
The Oldest Ochre Mine in the World Discovered in Southern Africa
An international team of scientists, led by researcher Brandi L. MacDonald from the University of Missouri, has confirmed the discovery of the oldest ochre mine in the world, located in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), a small country in southern Africa. Ochre, an iron-rich clay, has been used by humans for thousands of years as a pigment […]
The Wheel Was Invented by Neolithic Miners Who Extracted Copper in the Carpathians 6,000 Years Ago
A recent study published by a multidisciplinary team of researchers aims to solve one of humanity’s oldest mysteries: the origin of the wheel. This invention, which revolutionized human development by changing the course of technological and social history, remains a subject of debate regarding where and how it was discovered. Using advanced computational mechanical analysis […]
Silver production in the southeastern Iberian Peninsula did not stop during the Phoenician crisis of the 6th century BC
The results of a study conducted by an international team of researchers on silver and lead production in the southeastern Iberian Peninsula during the first millennium BC challenge previous theories about the impact of the Phoenician commercial crisis of the 6th century BC on this important economic activity. The study, recently published in the Journal […]
A Megalithic Complex Found in Kazakhstan was a Place of Worship for Gold Miners in the Bronze Age
A team of researchers has recently published the results of a comprehensive study on an impressive megalithic monument located in the Burabay district, in the Akmola region of Kazakhstan. The complex, named “Taskamal” by the local inhabitants, meaning “stone fortress” in Kazakh, features unique and monumental architecture that archaeologists believe could be closely linked to […]
Sections of Roman Roads and Numerous Previously Unknown Roman Mining Structures Discovered in Córdoba
A recent archaeological study has brought to light important findings about the Roman road network that connected Corduba (present-day Córdoba) with Emerita Augusta (now Mérida), highlighting the sophistication and scale of the infrastructure used by the Roman Empire for mining exploitation in northern Córdoba. This study was conducted by a team from the University of […]
Three Roman-Era Lead Ingots Found at a Site in Southern Spain that May Have Housed a Mine, Smelting Facility, and Processing Area
Three lead ingots, about 45 centimeters long and weighing approximately between 24 and 32 kilograms, were discovered years ago during the construction of the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline at the Los Escoriales de Doña Rama site, located in Belmez, Córdoba (Spain). They are kept at the Belmez Museum and in private homes. These ingots, which are […]
The Cypriots that Carried Copper Ingots on their Shoulders in the Bronze Age
Oxhide ingots are metal slabs, primarily made of copper, although sometimes also made of tin, produced during the Late Bronze Age on the island of Cyprus and later distributed across the Mediterranean. They were used, at least since 1500 BC, as a means of transporting copper and for bulk sales across the Mediterranean via maritime […]
Welcome Stranger, the largest gold nugget ever found
Mainly thanks to the cinema we identify the Gold Rush with the one that broke out in 1848 in California and that would last almost a century, bringing together thousands of miners and fortune seekers in a migratory and colonizing phenomenon that, however, was not unique. Around the same time, other countries such as Australia, […]