History Of Silver - By: ArticleSubmit Auto

Silver! It was treasured and revered by ancient civilizations and today is a valuable commodity worldwide for its use in jewelry right through to it's application in the fields of science, technology, and medicine.

Silver mining is generally considered to have originated around 1000 B.C. in the area of Anatolia, now modern Turkey. Silver craftsmen were concentrated largely in Asia Minor and the Greek Islands, together with areas of mainland Greece, which was dominated by the Mycenaean culture. Efforts to mine silver strengthened sometime after 3000 B.C., with more sophisticated methods credited to the Chaldean's about 2500 B.C., using an extraction method known as "cupellation".

The Minoan and later Mycenaean civilizations were particularily fond of silver and this led to major efforts to mine silver deposits in what now is Armenia.

With the catastrophic destruction of the Minoan civilization in 1600 B.C. and the collapse of the Myacean culture around 1200 B.C., leading production switched to Carium near Athens. Then the silver industry expanded significantly throughout Asia Minor and North Africa after the 8th Century B.C.. For almost 1000 years, the Lariun mines were the most productive, up until about the 1st century B.C.. The height of production was around 600 B.C.-300 B.C., producing around one million troy ounces per year.

Following the domination of Greek silver mining was the exploitation of Spanish silver by the Carthaginians, followed by the Romans after the Punic Wars. Spanish mines were extremely important for 1000 years, providing a large amount to the Roman Empire, as well as being an integral part of the Asian spice trade.

When Spain was invaded by the Moors, silver mining was forced to other areas, mostly in Central Europe, with major discoveries between 750-1200 A.D.. Some of these places were the Classic Schemnitz, Rammelaburg, Goslan, and Saxony regions of Germany. Subsequent discoveries were made in Austria, Hungary and other areas of Europe.

Real expansion in silver production increased in a 500 year period from 1000-1500 A.D. with an expansion of the number of mining locations and improvements in processing technology.

Keep posted for further articles, where we will discuss Silver in the New World!

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