Fig. 1. Geographic setting of the archaeological sites and the coal outcrops mentioned in this study. (A) Places known for the early utilization of coal fuel: (1) JRTGK (this study), (2) two Paleolithic sites in southern France (14, 15), (3) Lewisville Paleolithic site in North America (13), (4) sites with reported use of coal for fuel in central China (16, 20), (5) Roman Britain (19), and (6) two Late Bronze Age sites with evidence of lignite combustion in eastern Mediterranean (17). (B) Geographic setting of JRTGK and the relevant coal outcrops. (C to H) Images of the coal outcrops near the site, with dashed lines indicating their positions.

Earliest Systematic Coal Exploitation For Fuel Goes Back To ~3600 B.P.

Conny Waters – AncientPages.com – Coal has long played a crucial role in the life of human civilizations. Records of systematic coal fuel exploitation date back to the late third millennium B. P., and there is no evidence  the systematic exploitation of coal for fuel before 2500 B.P. Fig. 1. Geographic setting of the archaeological […]