| There is a vast underground oil reserve in the | | | | substance, which they called "naft", could be very |
| Middle East region of the world. It has been in use | | | | useful in battle. Persian archers dipped their |
| for over 6,500 years. In ancient times, it seeped | | | | arrows, sending flaming missiles toward their |
| to the surface in sticky black pools and lumps. Oil | | | | enemies. Later in the century, Byzantine warriors |
| springs, bitumen seeps and oil-bearing rock made | | | | developed explosive fire bombs called "Greek Fire" |
| petroleum readily available all over the region. | | | | made from bitumen, sulfur and quicklime. |
| Stone Age dwellers used bitumen (pitch or tar) to | | | | Ancient Egyptians mummified their dead with a |
| seal cracked pots and water containers. They also | | | | mixture of salt, beeswax, cedar resin and |
| used it to fasten arrowheads to their shafts. In | | | | bitumen. Scholars believe that the word "mummy" |
| what is now Iraq, people lived in the marshes. | | | | comes from the Arabic word "mumya", after the |
| They used oil to make bricks and mortar for | | | | Mumya Mountain in Persia where bitumen was |
| waterproof homes, helping them to survive | | | | found. We didn't believe that bitumen was used in |
| floods. In Babylonian times, entire civilizations used | | | | mummification until recent chemical analysis |
| millions of these bricks to build their cities. The | | | | proved that it was used to preserve bodies |
| "black gold" trade was the driving force of this | | | | during the Ptolemaic period. Before that, we |
| industrialization throughout the Middle East. | | | | thought that the word "mummy" came from the |
| People eventually realized that they could use | | | | black appearance that the remains took on after |
| bitumen to coat their reed boats, inside and out, | | | | being exposed to the air. |
| sealing out water. This idea, called caulking, was | | | | Oil that was used in ancient times was usually |
| eventually spread and used on wooden boats all | | | | found on the surface. The Chinese were the first |
| over the world. The bitumen would stain the | | | | to drill for oil. They actually made drills from |
| sailors' clothes, adopting them the nickname, | | | | bamboo dipped in iron. They drilled for salty brine |
| "tars". This practice of caulking was used right up | | | | water which they needed to preserve food and |
| until modern days when metal and fiberglass hulled | | | | to make medicines. When they drilled deeply |
| boats took the place of wooden ones. | | | | enough, they found oil. We don't know if they |
| In the beginning, people only used the sticky | | | | actually used the oil that they found, but they did |
| bitumen form of oil for gluing and waterproofing. | | | | use the natural gas to boil the brine to extract |
| They believed that the thinner forms of oil were | | | | the salt. Large companies such as Western |
| too flammable and thin to be useful. By the 6th | | | | Pipeline Corp use the same basic idea to drill for oil |
| century BCE, the Persians realized that this thinner | | | | today. |