Mining in ancient Rome

Mines in ancient Rome used hydraulic mining and shaft mining techniques with tools such as the Archimedes screw. The materials they produced were used to craft pipes or construct buildings. Quarries were often built through trial trenching and they used tools such as wedges to break the rock apart, which would then be transported using cairns and slipways. Mines typically used slaves and lower-class individuals to extract and process ore. Usually their working conditions were dangerous and inhumane, resulting in frequent accidents and even suicidal ideation. These areas were divided into districts and were regulated by several laws such as the lex metalli vispascensis. The Romans used a technique known as hushing, which is a method of hydraulic mining that uses water to erode the rock. This would be accomplished by using holes to funnel water into the area, thus breaking it up. The water was supplied to the area through aqueducts, it would then be stored in a tank, which would flood the area when opened. Following this process, fire was used to heat the rock, which was subsequently quenched with water, thus cracking the rock through thermal shock. The Romans also used ground sluicing, which is the use of tunneling equipment or excavation equipment to mine stream beds. Shaft sinking was the most dangerous and most difficult form of mining in ancient Rome. Due to its high cost, it was only used to collect the most valuable metals in Roman society. This technique involved digging tunnels underground, allowing workers to extract the ore. Access to these mines and tunnels was provided by shafts which were usually around and lined with wood. They also served as ventilation. Roman mines were notorious for their poor ventilation systems. Poisonous gasses often poured into the mines, and noxious air was common in silver mines. Underground mining in ancient Rome required the usage of tunnels and shafts. Before those necessities could be constructed water needed to be extracted from these areas, which would be accomplished through hand lifting, or the usage of tunnels such as the Archimedes' screw or the water wheel.