6 University Geological Survey of Kansas. 
and to a more limited extent down to the Christian era. 
After that it was practically abandoned until 1864. The 
metal was put to many uses here during the early centuries. 
Bronze coins, between the years 500 B. c. to 50 B.c., con- 
tain from 3 to 30 per cent. of lead. Bullets for slings were 
made of it. It wasalso made into pipes. Other objects were 
images and ornaments, weights and scales. White lead (com- 
posed probably of a mixture of the acetate and carbonate) 
was used as an ointment or cosmetic. At the beginning of 
our era this was manufactured in large quantities in Rhodes, 
and also at Corinth and in Lacedemonia. 
‘‘Brass was also manufactured. It is referred to by Aris- 
totle (400 B.c.) as Mossincecian copper, made by melting 
copper with a peculiar earth from the shores of the Black sea. 
A Greek coin of Trajan, struck in Caria, 110 A. D., contained 
20.7 per cent. of zinc. 
‘““Romans and Italy.k—The Romans, succeeding the Car- 
thaginians, conducted lead mining on a large scale in Spain, 
Sardinia and near Africa, and they extended operations into 
France and England, and perhaps into Austria. They util- 
ized the metal for the same purposes as the Greeks, and also 
in masonry, in hoops for casks, lids, armor, buckets, and 
even for kettles, despite the fact that its poisonous properties 
were known. Water pipes of this metal were employed ex- 
tensively, some as much as 30 inches in diameter. Coffins 
and vases were also made of it. 
‘‘After the Roman period, mining languished for centuries 
both in Italy and other countries. In the eleventh century the 
Sardinian mines were reopened; they were worked again 
about 1720, and during the past 40 years they have been 
continuously operated. The mines of Sicily were reopened 
in 1747, but later were abandoned. Mines of the Italian 
Alps and Piedmont were worked in the Middle Ages. 
‘‘ France.—In France the Phcenicians and Gauls are sup- 
posed to have worked silver-lead ores before the Romans. 
After the operations of the latter, mining was largely aban- 
doned from the fourth century to the time of Charlemagne 
(800), when a stimulus was given to the industry. It sank 
