26 brooks: applied geology 



importance to the human race, became more systematized with 

 the progress of civilization. By the time historical records began 

 the recovery of metals and the quarrying of building stones were 

 well-developed arts, and there is no reason to suppose that the 

 mode of occurrence of the deposits exploited were ignored by those 

 whose livelihood was involved. 



The rulers of this early period, keenly alive to the value of the 

 metals, undoubtedly caused this source of wealth and power to be 

 investigated by able men. It is recorded that Philip of Macedon 

 evinced his interest in mining by examining in person some under- 

 ground workings in Thrace. Jason's search for the golden fleece 

 pictures the prospector of those days as a national hero. In any 

 event, it is certain that millions of ounces of gold and silver and 

 many tons of copper, as well as tin and iron, had been produced 

 centuries before the Christian era. We must believe that this 

 production indicates a sufficiently developed industry to employ 

 not only skilled artisans but also those who delved deeper into 

 the problems of mining. The ancient Egyptians were eminently 

 practical and developed a high degree of skill in certain branches 

 of engineering. Undoubtedly the Egyptian engineers paid some 

 heed to the distribution of building stones as well as to methods 

 of quarrying, while among other peoples who excelled in metal 

 mining it is presumed there were engineers who specialized in 

 mining matters, as do their successors of today. 



It is far easier to speculate on the knowledge the ancients may 

 have had of some of the principles of applied geology than to 

 trace the actual extent of this knowledge. Ancient Hebrew liter- 

 ature abounds in references to the metals and their utilization, 

 but furnishes little clew as to what was known of them. The same 

 is true of the records of ancient Egypt, in which both placer and 

 lode gold are mentioned. One document that has come down to 

 us shows that location of mineral wealth was considered worthy 

 of note. An ancient papyrus, dating about 1350 B.C., displays 

 a crude map for the purpose of locating Nubian gold mines. It is 

 one of the oldest maps in existence and the first which can be 

 said to impart geologic information. The oldest written record 

 of geology or allied subjects is Theophrastus' descriptions of 



