Mining has been something humans have been doing for thousands of years and it continues to be a major industry even today. Of course, what has been mined has changed over the years.
According to a new study that was published in the journal Nature Communications, humans have been mining even longer than previously believed.
The study looked at what is currently the oldest known mining site in the world, located in southern Africa. The scientist say that this mine was last in use around 48,000 years ago.
It was used to mine ochre, which is an a material that was used extensively in human history. It is a natural clay pigment that is also rich in iron compounds.
Ochre can come in a range of colors, which is one of the reasons it was so popular. It can be used to make a variety of things including cave paintings, body art, ornaments, and much more.
In addition, modern scientists have found that it has antibacterial properties, so it is possible that ancient humans also used it for its medicinal properties.
The scientists in the study used a technique called stimulated luminescence, which allows them to determine how long it has been since a material was exposed to sunlight. This is done by measuring the radiation in the material.
In addition, they performed another test called a neutron activation analysis to measure the exact chemical composition of the materials. This allowed them to track where it was used in other artifacts.
Brandi L. Macdonald, a chemistry professor at the College of Arts and Science at the University of Missouri put out a statement, saying:
“We take small samples of ochre artifacts and safely make them radioactive by exposing them to neutrons inside the reactor core. As these radioactive materials start to break down or decay, they emit characteristic energies in the form of radioisotopes — which we can measure using gamma-ray spectrometry.”
This allowed them to determine that the ochre that was mined in this location was transported across long distances, which indicates that there were established trade routes and sophisticated organizations in place.
MacDonald went on to explain:
“By comparing the ochre sources with the places where people lived, exchanged, and used those ochres between 2,000 and 40,000 years ago, we can see how their choice of raw materials changed over long periods of time. This allows us to anchor human activities in time and show how human cognition and social networks developed alongside those activities. Understanding how these people mined, processed, transported, and used ochre provides clues about early technological innovations and helps trace the history of human creativity and symbolism.”
This is quite an important finding as it helps to teach more about ancient human civilizations and how they lived.
Mining has been an important part of our culture for millennia.
If you thought that was interesting, you might like to read about the mysterious “pyramids” discovered in Antarctica. What are they?
