Part 3/7:
The Development of Mining Tools
As history progressed, the development of mining tools became a race for efficiency and productivity, often leading to increasingly larger and more powerful machinery. The ancient Romans harnessed the power of water, employing large water wheels to drive mining equipment and facilitate deeper exploration.
In medieval Europe, horsepower emerged as a vital resource for lifting ore from mines, transforming labor-intensive processes into more manageable tasks. Innovations like horse-powered lifts allowed miners to transport larger volumes of material, while the Renaissance period marked a further shift as gunpowder was introduced into mining practices, drastically changing how miners accessed underground resources.