Corpus Fontium Historiae Fodinarum

Cite this page: Barbara Tratsaert (ed.), “Corpus Fontium Historiae Fodinarum”, Archiopedia / Αρχειοπαίδεια (2022-), p. 352 (revision #-), ISSN 2732-6012. DOI: To be assigned.

This is a compilation of descriptions and accounts by classical writers referring to the mining of precious minerals and stones.

The compilation will be regularly updated.

The reader must be sure to consult the latest version.

Introduction

The timeframe is the Roman imperial period; Herodotus (fourth century BC) is also included as his works were often quoted and referred to by later writers. The main authors are, in chronological order, Diodorus Siculus, Strabo, Pliny the Elder, Tacitus, Suetonius, Arrian and Photius. It seems that factual knowledge and descriptions of mining were reserved for the western provinces of the Roman Empire, while those for the eastern provinces had a more mythical character. Arrian states that some writers of his time were not so particular about what they wrote on the eastern provinces as, at that time, it was unlikely that people would travel there and witness the operations in these regions. Despite that, Diodorus Siculus and Strabo appear to have obtained a factual understanding of mining in Egypt and India. There is also the prevailing theory that classical writers believed that if the soil and fauna were fertile then by default there was gold. They did not understand the origin of gold in correct geological terms even though they seemed to comprehend that there were different types of stones and that (ground) water could pose serious danger.

Photius

Photius was a ninth-century Byzantine patriarch and classical scholar whose publication Bibliotheca, Codex 250, contains sections of Agatharchides’ On the Erythraean Sea copied almost verbatim. His version is known as the best copy of Agatharchides’ work on gold mining in the Eastern Desert of Egypt as he could still read much of it in its original form. The Bibliotheca is a compilation of 279 reviews of books from various authors, dated between the fifth and ninth centuries AD, though many of the books he refers to no longer exist.

Transcripts

Herodotus 1

Name-reference	Herodotus, 3.102–05
Modern reference	De Sélincourt 1959: 217–18; Rawlinson 1996: 270–71
Location of the mine	N India, neighbourhood of Caspatyrus in the country of Pactyica

Description-Interpretation: In the desert of India, Herodotus describes gold-digging ants ‘of great size, bigger than a fox though not as big as a dog’. The ants burrow underground and throw up sand in heaps; Herodotus compares them with ‘modern’ ants. The sand has a rich content of gold, which is what the Indians were after. But collecting the gold was not easy as it had to be done when the sun was at its highest and the ants had burrowed deep for shade and coolness. Otherwise the ants, which are extremely fast, would chase and attack the men collecting the gold.

Comments: Further in the text Herodotus admits that he has quoted this story from a Persian man, and even Herodotus seems to have queried its authenticity. Herodotus’ descriptions therefore have to be carefully considered; indeed, he became known as the ‘father of lies’, once it came to light that much of what he described came from local guides who were not always trustworthy. This still happens today when local guides tell tourists fabulous stories for a tip.

Bibliography

• Blackeney E.H. 1916. A smaller classical dictionary. London.
• Brunt P.A. 2006. Roman Imperial Themes. Clarendon Press.