Editing Mining (section)

===Prehistory===

Since the beginning of civilization, people have used [[Rock (geology)|stone]], [[clay]] and, later, [[metal]]s found close to the Earth's surface. These were used to make early tools and weapons; for example, high quality [[flint]] found in northern [[France]], southern [[England]] and [[Poland]] was used to create [[Flint (tool)|flint tools]].<ref>Hartman, Howard L. ''SME Mining Engineering Handbook'', Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration Inc, 1992, p. 3.</ref> [[Flint]] mines have been found in [[chalk]] areas where seams of the stone were followed underground by [[Shaft sinking|shafts]] and galleries. The mines at [[Grimes Graves]] and [[Krzemionki]] are especially famous, and like most other flint mines, are [[Neolithic]] in origin (c. 4000–3000 BC). Other hard rocks mined or collected for axes included the [[Greenschist|greenstone]] of the [[Langdale axe industry]] based in the [[English Lake District]].<ref name="KloproggePonceLoomis2020">{{cite book | author1 = J. Theo Kloprogge | author2 = Concepcion P. Ponce | author3 = Tom Loomis | date = 18 November 2020 | title = The Periodic Table: Nature's Building Blocks: An Introduction to the Naturally Occurring Elements, Their Origins and Their Uses | publisher = Elsevier | page =54 | isbn = 978-0-12-821538-8 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=hGa8DwAAQBAJ}}</ref>
The oldest-known mine on archaeological record is the [[Ngwenya Mine]] in [[Eswatini (Swaziland)]], which [[radiocarbon dating]] shows to be about 43,000 years old. At this site [[Paleolithic]] humans mined [[hematite]] to make the red [[pigment]] [[ochre]].<ref>Swaziland Natural Trust Commission, "Cultural Resources – Malolotja Archaeology, Lion Cavern," Retrieved August 27, 2007, {{cite web|url=http://www.sntc.org.sz/cultural/malarch.asp |title=Swaziland National Trust Commission – Cultural Resources – Malolotja Archaeology, Lion Cavern |access-date=2016-02-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303221001/http://www.sntc.org.sz/cultural/malarch.asp |archive-date=2016-03-03 }}</ref><ref>Peace Parks Foundation, "Major Features: Cultural Importance." Republic of South Africa: Author. Retrieved August 27, 2007, [http://www.peaceparks.org/story.php?mid=168&pid=148] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207102130/http://www.peaceparks.org/story.php?mid=168&pid=148|date=2008-12-07}}</ref> Mines of a similar age in [[Hungary]] are believed to be sites where [[Neanderthal]]s may have mined flint for weapons and tools.<ref>{{cite web|title = ASA – October 1996: Mining and Religion in Ancient Man|url = http://www2.asa3.org/archive/asa/199610/0067.html|website = www2.asa3.org|access-date = 2015-06-11|archive-date = 2018-10-02|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181002182555/http://www2.asa3.org/archive/asa/199610/0067.html|url-status = dead}}</ref>