HISTORY AND TERMINOLOGY OF CRUDE OIL 13
In addition, bitumen was investigated in Europe during the
Middle Ages (Bauer, 1546,1556), and the separation and properties
of bituminous products were thoroughly described. Other investigations continued, leading to a good understanding of the sources
and use of this material even before the birth of the modern petroleum industry (Forbes, 1958a, 1958b).
There are also records of the use of petroleum spirit, probably a
higher boiling fraction of or than naphtha that closely resembled
the modern-day liquid paraffin, for medicinal purposes. In fact, liquid paraffin has continued to be prescribed up to modern times.
The naphtha of that time was obtained from shallow wells or by the
destructive distillation of asphalt.
Parenthetically, the destructive distillation operation may be likened to modern coking operations in which the overall objective is
to convert the feedstock into distillates for use as fuels. This particular interest in petroleum and its derivatives continued with an
increasing interest in nafta (naphtha) because of its aforementioned
used as an illuminant and as a supplement to asphaltic incendiaries
for use in warfare.
Finally, not wishing to omit the use of bitumen (and, perhaps,
its recognition as a tradable commodity), in the Americas, PreHispanic Mesoamerican peoples collected, processed, and used
bitumen as a decoration, a sealant and an adhesive (Wendt and Lu,
2006). Among the earliest to do so were the Olmec people (flourished ca. 1200 to 500 BC) of the Southern Coastal Lowlands of
Mexico. Furthermore, geochemical analyses of bitumen from the
Olmec archeological sites indicate a multiple procurement network
that reflected wide trade and interactions between the various
groups. It is also believed that bitumen processing was an organized and specialized activity involving multiple production stages
(Wendt and Cyphers, 2008).
To continue such references is beyond the scope of this book,
although they do give a flavor of the developing interest in petroleum. However, it is sufficient to note that there are many other
references to the occurrence and use of bitumen or petroleum
derivatives up to the beginning of the modern petroleum industry
(Cook and Despard, 1927; Mallo wan and Rose, 1935; Nellensteyn
and Brand, 1936; Mallowan, 1954; Forbes, 1958a, 1958b, 1959,1964;
Marschner et al, 1978).
In summary, the use of petroleum and related materials has been
observed for almost 6,000 years. During this time, the use of petroleum has progressed from the relatively simple use of asphalt from
In addition, bitumen was investigated in Europe during the
Middle Ages (Bauer, 1546,1556), and the separation and properties
of bituminous products were thoroughly described. Other investigations continued, leading to a good understanding of the sources
and use of this material even before the birth of the modern petroleum industry (Forbes, 1958a, 1958b).
There are also records of the use of petroleum spirit, probably a
higher boiling fraction of or than naphtha that closely resembled
the modern-day liquid paraffin, for medicinal purposes. In fact, liquid paraffin has continued to be prescribed up to modern times.
The naphtha of that time was obtained from shallow wells or by the
destructive distillation of asphalt.
Parenthetically, the destructive distillation operation may be likened to modern coking operations in which the overall objective is
to convert the feedstock into distillates for use as fuels. This particular interest in petroleum and its derivatives continued with an
increasing interest in nafta (naphtha) because of its aforementioned
used as an illuminant and as a supplement to asphaltic incendiaries
for use in warfare.
Finally, not wishing to omit the use of bitumen (and, perhaps,
its recognition as a tradable commodity), in the Americas, PreHispanic Mesoamerican peoples collected, processed, and used
bitumen as a decoration, a sealant and an adhesive (Wendt and Lu,
2006). Among the earliest to do so were the Olmec people (flourished ca. 1200 to 500 BC) of the Southern Coastal Lowlands of
Mexico. Furthermore, geochemical analyses of bitumen from the
Olmec archeological sites indicate a multiple procurement network
that reflected wide trade and interactions between the various
groups. It is also believed that bitumen processing was an organized and specialized activity involving multiple production stages
(Wendt and Cyphers, 2008).
To continue such references is beyond the scope of this book,
although they do give a flavor of the developing interest in petroleum. However, it is sufficient to note that there are many other
references to the occurrence and use of bitumen or petroleum
derivatives up to the beginning of the modern petroleum industry
(Cook and Despard, 1927; Mallo wan and Rose, 1935; Nellensteyn
and Brand, 1936; Mallowan, 1954; Forbes, 1958a, 1958b, 1959,1964;
Marschner et al, 1978).
In summary, the use of petroleum and related materials has been
observed for almost 6,000 years. During this time, the use of petroleum has progressed from the relatively simple use of asphalt from