Roman Mines

  • All Mines were the property of the Roman State (the Emperor).
  • Franchises were sold to Joint Stock Corporations to extract the ores and ship it back to Rome.

Ownership of the Roman Mine

    • Ownership of the Mines and Mineral Rights belonged to the State (the Emperor), who then leased the Franchise.

Joint Stock Corporations

    • The Mines were worked by Roman Joint Stock Corporations who bought a Franchise from the State to work the Mine.
    • A large proportion of the miners were Roman Slaves.

The Ores

    • The most sought after Mines were Copper Mines, Gold Mines, Lead Mines to extract Silver and Iron Ore mines.

Salt Mines

Transporting Ingots by River and Sea

  • Ingots were loaded on board ship in the Provinces, and sent back to Rome where they would then be sold and sent on to the buyer.
    •  Sardinia:
      • 2,000 Lead Roman Ingots were found in a wreck off Sardinia dating from 50-80 BCE from Cartagena, Spain.
      • They were on their way to Rome to become coins, water pipes and lead bullets for slingshot.
      • 1 ingot = 33 kg = 100 Roman Pounds. This was the Maximum a slave could carry.
    • Britannia:
      • A Lead Ingot was found under the dockside in London, and is now in the Museum of London.

The top three most productive Roman Provinces for Mining were Spain, Britannia and Sardinia.

1. Spain

    • Las Medulas Gold Mine
      • There were 7 Aqueducts 62 miles (100km) long, providing water to sluice out the ore from the mountain. The mine produced 1,400 tonnes per year.
    • Rio Tinto Mines
      • These were Gold and Silver Mines near Huelva in Andalucia, located along the Rio Tinto.
    • Mines in the Penibetica Mountains
      • The mines produced Iron, Silver, Quartz, Lead, and Marble.

2. Britannia

    • Iron Workings
      • Iron was extracted in The Weald in East Sussex.
    • Stone Quarries
      • Quarries existed at Portland Bill and Chalk Quarries at Chislehurst Caves, which produced Flints.
    • Lead Mines
      • Lead mines were located in the Mendips and Tin Mines in Cornwall.
    • Dolaucothi Gold Mine
      • The Gold mine was located in Wales.

3. Sardinia

    • The Sardinian mines
      • The Province was third in Mining Production, after Spain and Britannia.
      • The mines were at Sarrabus (Silver), Ingortosu and Planusartu. The mines of Sulcis produced coal.
      • Mining production for the whole Roman period (674 yrs) was 600,000 Tons of Lead and 1,000 Tons of Silver.

Cyprus

    • The Troodos Mountains Copper Mines:
      • These were the Ancient world’s most productive Copper Mines.
      • The Romans extracted 250,000 tons of Copper up until the fourth century CE.

Arabia Petraea (Jordan)

    • Wadi Faynan
      • Southern Jordan contains a huge copper mining site at Wadi Faynan.
      • Petra was 30 miles (48km) to the south of these Mines and controlled the Copper trade.
      • Wadi Faynan was extensively mined throughout history, but particularly during the Roman Empire.

Dacia (Roumania)

    • Dacian Gold Mines
      •  Roumania produced 700 Million Denarii per annum for Rome.
      • The Gold Mines of Transylvania were located between Apulum and Napoca in the Bihor Mountains.

Egypt

    • Porphyry Mountain, Quarry of Mons Porpyritis
      • Porphyry means Purple in Greek, the mountain was worked between 29-335 CE.
      • All the red Porphyry Panels in the Pantheon, red porphyry togas on busts of Emperors, columns, altars, fountains, vases in Rome, came from this one quarry.
    • Emerald Mines (Beryl):
      • In Eastern desert: Wadi Gimal, Wadi Nuqrus, Wadi Sikait, Gebel Zubara and the Sikait-Zubara Region. The Emerald Mines were the only source of Emeralds in the Roman Empire. The Emperor Nero used an Emerald to watch the Gladiatorial Games, Nero’s Emerald.
    • Gold mines:
      • in the Eastern Desert.
    • Copper and Turquoise Mines
      • At Serabit el Khadim in the Sinai Peninsular.
    • Other Mines produced Amethysts, Lapis Lazuli, and Malachite.
    • There were Stone Quarries for Marble, Alabaster and Diorite.

Noricum (Austria)

    • Iron ore Mountains
      • There were two mountains, 43 miles (70km) apart at Huttenburg in Carinthia and Eisenerz in Styria.
    • Gold
      • Gold was mined in the District of Karth, 50 miles (80km) south of Vienna.
    • Salt

Greece

  • Silver Mines of Laurium
      • Discovered in 483 BCE, the Silver extracted paid for a fleet of Triremes to defeat Xerxes and the Persian Fleet in 480 BCE.
    • Silver was still produced on a small scale during the Roman Empire, until the sixth century CE.

Mines beyond the Roman Empire

  • The Persian Turquoise Mines.
  • The Gold Mines of India.
  • The Gemstones of Sri Lanka.
  • The Copper Mines of Oman
    • These mines began extraction in 3,000 BCE.

Ice Core Sedimentation

  • Pollution from the Roman Era is trapped in the polar ice.
  • It was caused by the smoke from the Foundry Furnaces when they smelted the Iron Ore.

 

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