What did the ancient Greeks mine?
There were very good mining areas around Greece. The northern mountains of Thrace had large gold and silver deposits. Cyprus was known for its copper, gold, and iron. Laurium was known for the sliver and iron ore deposits.
What does Laurion mean?
Wishlist To Cart Details. The sea-swept Hebrides islands and the west coast of Scotland are the ancestral home of the laurion family. Their name comes from the personal name Laurence. The Gaelic form of the name is Mac Labhruinn, which means son of Labhran or son of Laurence.
Does Greece have copper?
MINING GREECE COPPER. There are hundreds of minerals in which copper participates with high concentrations. Sedimentary copper containing ores which are guest in clay or psammites (of the Kupferschiefer type or the Zambian copper belt type).
Did ancient Greece have coal?
Finally, coal mining is very extensive and Greece ranks seventh in world production of lignite-brown coal. By the end of the period, it was known that gold existed mainly in northern Greece (Macedonia, Thrace, Island of Thassos) in the native state as well as in placer deposits.
Where did the Greeks get gold?
By the time of the death of Alexander of Macedon (323 B.C.), the Greeks had mined gold from the Pillars of Hercules (Gibraltar) all the way eastward to Asia Minor and Egypt, and we find traces of their placer mines today.
What is gold in ancient Greek?
From Ancient Greek χρυσός (khrusós, “gold”) (already Mycenaean Greek ??? (ku-ru-so)), Semitic loan, compare with Biblical Hebrew חָרוּץ (ḥārūṣ), Akkadian ?? (ḫurāṣu [KUG. SIG17]).
How was silver mined in ancient times?
Silver was mined and smelted from ores such as lead carbonate (PbCO3) and galena (PbS). Indeed, smelting techniques made such progress that by Roman times it was possible to return to ore already treated (slag) in order to extract more silver from it. To strengthen the metal it was often alloyed with copper.
Who is the God of copper?
In mythology and alchemy, copper was associated with the goddess Aphrodite/Venus, based on its lustrous beauty, its ancient use in producing mirrors, and its association with Cyprus, which was sacred to the goddess.
Where is coal found in Greece?
All kinds of coal (turf – lignite – sub-bitumenous coal) that can be found in Greece are of Cenozoic age and have been deposited in inland or coastal basins. The turf deposit in Philippi, with reserves of 4.3×109 tons, is of Pleistocene age.
Did the ancient Greeks mine?
The mines of Laurion (or Lavrion) are ancient mines located in southern Attica between Thoricus and Cape Sounion, approximately 50 kilometers south of the center Athens, in Greece. The mines were exploited in prehistoric times as a source of copper and galena, a lead ore.
Where is the Lavrion mining district in Greece?
A basic map showing the Lavrion area in Greece (Wikimedia Commons) The Lavrion Mining District is situated on the Adriatic coast of modern day Greece in the Attica Prefecture, 40km west of Athens. Lavrion is now a major port, and a fast-growing area in Greece.The Lavrion Mining District is a mecca for mineral collectors from all over the world.
What kind of minerals are in the Lavrion mine?
The mines are well known for stunning, brightly colored specimens of supergene minerals. Particularly fine specimens of Smithsonite, Azurite, Annabergite, Adamite, Agardite, Mixite, Spangolite, and of course Serpierite have been produced from the mines. The area is also known for rare species, and is the type locality for 22 mineral species.
Where did the silver from the Laurion mines come from?
For almost 300 years the mines of Laurion provided ancient Athens and their allies with several thousand tons of high purity silver. However, this much silver did not come from one particular mining spot. Around 700 ancient mine shafts have been discovered along with about 200 ore processing stations.
When did the Greek Metal Works Company of Lavrion start?
The Greek Metal Works Company of Lavrion was set up in 1873 with the purpose to recover the metals still held in the poorly smelted slags. The Greek company continued to process the old smelt slag until 1917.