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The mines of Laurion (or Lavrion) [1] are ancient mines located in southern Attica between Thorikos and Cape Sounion, approximately 50 kilometers south of the center of Athens, in Greece. The mines are best known for producing silver, but they were also a source of copper and lead. A number of remnants of these mines (shafts, galleries, surface ...
Ancient Roman miners used double-sided hammers, broad sided pickaxes, [11] and picks that were usually made of iron. [12] [13] [14] Child laborers in ancient mines possibly carried baskets that were used to transport materials. [13] Another tool used by miners was the dolabra fossoria, which was capable of being used as a pickaxe or as a mattock.
By 1,200 BC, silver mining shifted into the mines of Laurion in Greece, and continued growing the surrounding empire. [17] The silver mines at Laurion were very rich [18] and helped provide a currency for the economy of ancient Athens, where the process involved mining the ore in underground galleries, washing and then smelting it to produce ...
The metallic silver was mainly used for coinage. The Archaeological Museum of Lavrion shows much of the story of these mines. It is located about 60 km SE of Athens city center, SE of Keratea and N of Cape Sounio. Laurium is situated on a bay overlooking the island of Makronisos (ancient times: Helena) in the east. The port is in the middle and ...
The Roman economy was based on silver, as the majority of higher value coins were minted from the precious metal. British ores found in Laurion, Greece had a low silver content compared to the ores mined from other locations. [9] The Romans used the term 'British silver' for these lead mines. [9] Galena was mined for its lead and silver content.
Mining production during the whole period of Roman rule was assessed at about six hundred thousand tons of lead and one thousand tons of silver. The mining industry of the Romans was not limited to the basin of the Iglesiente , in fact they knew and definitely exploited rich silver ore bodies of Sarrabus, the importance of which the geographer ...
Archaeologists recently analyzed three ancient lead bars discovered in Spain, shedding light on the mining industry in the Roman era. The three-sided bars — referred to as ingots — were ...
It was the largest silver mine in Japanese history. It was active for almost four hundred years, from its discovery in 1526 to its closing in 1923. The mines, mining structures, and surrounding cultural landscape — listed as the "Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape" — became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007. [2]