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Ancient ruins or an ancient stone statue recalls the work of miners who brought the material from a quarry so that the sculptor can create a work of art. Carving of massive stone blocks and piercing tunnels in mountains are arts in which the same tools of mining are used and mining engineers are involved. Studying history of mining necessitates also the study of archaeology, art, architecture, and world history in general since it is the history of civilization. The pyramids of Egypt, the gold of Tut Ankh Amoun, the Coloseum in Rome, the Taj Mahal in Agra, and the …

Mining and Civilization has been conceived to compliment the author's two books History of Metallurgy and Readings in Historical Metallurgy and to fill a gap in the literature. It is difficult to study the history of metallurgy without studying the history of mining at the same time. Each time the author visits ancient ruins or examines an ancient stone statue he recalls the work of miners who brought the material from a quarry so that the sculptor can create a work of art. History of mining, quarrying, and stone carving is history of civilization.