Silver has been known since ancient times. It is mentioned in the Book of Genesis, and slag heaps found in Asia Minor and on the islands of the Aegean Sea indicate that silver was being separated from lead as early as the 4th millennium BCE. The silver mines at Laurium were very rich and helped support the economy of Ancient Athens. It involved mining the ore in underground galleries, washing the ores and smelting it to produce the metal. Elaborate washing tables still exist at the site using rain water held in cisterns and collected during the winter months.

Extraction of silver from lead ore was widespread in Roman Britain as a result of Roman mining very soon after the conquest of the first century AD.

From the mid-15th century silver began to be extracted from copper ores in massive quantities using the Liquation process creating a boost to the mining and metallurgy industries of Central Europe.

Europeans found a huge amount of silver in the New World in the now Mexican State of Zacatecas (discovered in 1546) and Potosí (Bolivia, also discovered in 1546), which triggered a period of inflation in Europe. The conquistador Francisco Pizarro was said to have resorted to having his horses shod with silver horseshoes due to the metal's abundance, in contrast to the relative lack of iron in Peru. Silver, which was extremely valuable in China, became a global commodity, contributing to the rise of the Spanish Empire. The rise and fall of its value affected the world market.

Silver mining was a driving force in the settlement of western North America, with major booms for silver and associated minerals (lead, mostly) in the galena ore silver is most commonly found in. Notable silver rushes were in Colorado, Nevada, Cobalt, Ontario, California and the Kootenay region of British Columbia, notably in the Boundary and "Silvery" Slocan. The first major silver ore deposits in the United States were discovered at the Comstock Lode in Virginia City, Nevada, in 1859.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_mining

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Comments

courtney   2009年5月1日 14:29

i want to know specifically who discovered silver

asiaboo530   2009年6月3日 8:54

you guys ned to explaine more and who discoverd it

random person   2009年9月1日 18:37

well this doesnt tell me much does it i need ti know who discovered silver

naha   2009年9月20日 10:47

then just say we don't know who discovered silver and its been around for a very long time

aiej   2009年10月27日 19:23

WOW YOU SUCK THIS SHOULD BE OFF THE INTERNET COME ON TELL US WHO THE HECK DISCOVERED IT!!!!!

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sasha   2010年2月11日 10:31

that is gay i want to know who discovered it

tell us   2010年3月7日 23:22

I foyu dont kknow who found it just tell us instead of telling us how it was dug up!

ezzzzzzzzz   2010年3月17日 3:19

dude, like wtf i dnt wanna know that shit.......

zzzzzzzzzzzz   2010年3月26日 20:22

wow this site is stupid i just wanna know who discoverd it 4 may damm project

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