HISTORY AND TERMINOLOGY OF CRUDE OIL 7
In terms of liquid products, there is an interesting reference
(Deuteronomy, 32:13) to bringing oil out of flinty rock. The exact
nature of the oil is not described nor is the nature of the rock. The
use of oil for lamps is also referenced (Matthew, 23:3), but whether
it was mineral oil (a petroleum derivative such as naphtha) or
whether it was vegetable oil is not known.
Excavations conducted at Mohenjo-Daro, Harappa, and Nal
in the Indus Valley indicated that an advanced form of civilization existed there. An asphalt mastic composed of a mixture of
asphalt, clay, gypsum, and organic matter was found between
two brick walls in a layer about 25 mm thick — probably a waterproofing material. Also unearthed was a bathing pool that contained a layer of mastic on the outside of its walls and beneath
its floor.
In the Bronze Age, dwellings were constructed on piles in lakes
close to the shore to better protect the inhabitants from the ravages of
wild animals and attacks from marauders. Excavations have shown
that the wooden piles were preserved from decay by a coating of
asphalt, and posts preserved in this manner have been found in
Switzerland. There are also references to deposits of bitumen at Hit
(the ancient town of Tuttul on the Euphrates River in Mesopotamia)
and the bitumen from these deposits was transported to Babylon
for use in construction (Herodotus, The Histories, Book I). There
is also reference to a Carthaginian story in which birds' feathers
smeared with pitch are used to recover gold dust from the waters
of a lake (Herodotus, The Histories, Book IV).
One of the earliest recorded uses of asphalt was by the preBabylonian inhabitants of the Euphrates Valley in southeastern Mesopotamia, present-day Iraq, formerly called Sumer and
Akkad and, later, Babylonia (Thompson, 1936; Moorey, 1994). In
this region there are various asphalt deposits and the uses of the
material have become evident. For example, King Sargon of Akkad
(Agade c. 2550 BC) was set adrift by his mother in a basket of
bulrushes on the waters of the Euphrates, where he was discovered
by Akki the husbandman (irrigator), who brought him up to serve
as gardener in the palace of Kish. Sargon eventually ascended to
the throne.
On the other hand, the bust of Manishtusu, King of Kish, an
early Sumerian ruler (about 2270 BC), was found in the course of
excavations at Susa in Persia, and the eyes, composed of white
limestone, are held in their sockets with the aid of bitumen.
In terms of liquid products, there is an interesting reference
(Deuteronomy, 32:13) to bringing oil out of flinty rock. The exact
nature of the oil is not described nor is the nature of the rock. The
use of oil for lamps is also referenced (Matthew, 23:3), but whether
it was mineral oil (a petroleum derivative such as naphtha) or
whether it was vegetable oil is not known.
Excavations conducted at Mohenjo-Daro, Harappa, and Nal
in the Indus Valley indicated that an advanced form of civilization existed there. An asphalt mastic composed of a mixture of
asphalt, clay, gypsum, and organic matter was found between
two brick walls in a layer about 25 mm thick — probably a waterproofing material. Also unearthed was a bathing pool that contained a layer of mastic on the outside of its walls and beneath
its floor.
In the Bronze Age, dwellings were constructed on piles in lakes
close to the shore to better protect the inhabitants from the ravages of
wild animals and attacks from marauders. Excavations have shown
that the wooden piles were preserved from decay by a coating of
asphalt, and posts preserved in this manner have been found in
Switzerland. There are also references to deposits of bitumen at Hit
(the ancient town of Tuttul on the Euphrates River in Mesopotamia)
and the bitumen from these deposits was transported to Babylon
for use in construction (Herodotus, The Histories, Book I). There
is also reference to a Carthaginian story in which birds' feathers
smeared with pitch are used to recover gold dust from the waters
of a lake (Herodotus, The Histories, Book IV).
One of the earliest recorded uses of asphalt was by the preBabylonian inhabitants of the Euphrates Valley in southeastern Mesopotamia, present-day Iraq, formerly called Sumer and
Akkad and, later, Babylonia (Thompson, 1936; Moorey, 1994). In
this region there are various asphalt deposits and the uses of the
material have become evident. For example, King Sargon of Akkad
(Agade c. 2550 BC) was set adrift by his mother in a basket of
bulrushes on the waters of the Euphrates, where he was discovered
by Akki the husbandman (irrigator), who brought him up to serve
as gardener in the palace of Kish. Sargon eventually ascended to
the throne.
On the other hand, the bust of Manishtusu, King of Kish, an
early Sumerian ruler (about 2270 BC), was found in the course of
excavations at Susa in Persia, and the eyes, composed of white
limestone, are held in their sockets with the aid of bitumen.