Prospecting History.....Forum?

[A#1]

I have some questions in my head about how and where the ancients got all that gold. Not really the 1800's, but the Egyptians, Aztecs, up thru early Christianity kind of stuff, hundreds and thousands of years ago. Tools, methods, places, that sorta thing.

It kinda of made me think there should have been a forum for that, but I dont see one.....or am I just missing it?

 

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[johnedoe]

How the ancients got their gold?......... Slave Labor..........

 

[BillA]

study coinage, can't make a coin w/o metal
and the metal comes from known deposits which were worked with the technology of that time
google (actually DuckDuckgo) is your friend

 

[A#1]

Yeh, I know how to google things.....

I was more kinda saying I was surprised there wasn't a forum here dedicated to prospecting hisory.

Discussions of the tools and technology of the various time periods, and perhaps folks currently using that technology.

 

[seafox]

Would be interested especially in Chinese technology that they used in the West hydraulicing they couldn't afford the monitors and steel piping so they use ditches and ground sluicing. Thank you just a particular interest of mine. Roman's got a lot of gold from Spain I know and there are deposits in the Middle East that and Africa that those areas got

 

[Goldwasher]

The Chinese introduced the Chinese pump, A bucket bailer on a belt. Ran by a water wheel.

They most certainly did hydraulic mine. In California and Oregon. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40968070?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

They are known for working lower grade deposits. But, it's a myth that they didn't also run good ground of their own and re running tailings. They were very efficient at recovery

Not sure what makes you think they couldn't afford to buy the same tools other miners used.

 

[Terry Soloman]

Yeh, I know how to google things.....

I was more kinda saying I was surprised there wasn't a forum here dedicated to prospecting hisory.

Discussions of the tools and technology of the various time periods, and perhaps folks currently using that technology.

Hello and Welcome! Your interests are specific, the ancient history of metal mining. Your thread now serves as the permanent knowledge source on the subject here in gold prospecting, so in effect you just created the sub forum you seek. Here is a good place to start your quest:

 

[BillA]

TS the 2ed is most interesting, air pumps instead of blow pipes
did they have to roast the material before the gold (looks strange for copper) could be removed from the host rock (lower sections of a conglomerate ?)

 

[Goldwasher]

I was gonna say.

Start a thread on it

Thanks Terry

 

[BillA]

https://www.romae-vitam.com/roman-mining.html
https://www.romanobritain.org/11_work/raw_mining.php
ANCIENT MINING
https://www.campbellmgold.com/archive_definitive/history_mining_in_roman_britain.pdf

not many posters here can compare to the multiple sources on the 'net
I started a thread looking for experience melting gold with a blowpipe(s) - and did not get a single response.
Little practical experience in ancient methods for many reasons. (a lack of cheap slaves ?)

edit: whew
http://www.cienciaviva.pt/img/upload/Introduction to mining.pdf