Archeological Study Uncovers Ancient Use of Coal

A recent archaeological study has revealed that humans may have been exploiting coal for fuel more than 3,500 years ago. Published in the “Science Advances” journal, the study found that humans were carrying out mining operations in northwestern China around 3,600 years ago, pushing back humanity’s first mining exploits and interactions with the fuel to more than three and a half millennia ago.

Prior studies had found potential evidence of coal combustion in prehistoric sites, but it was entirely unclear when humans began to systematically use the mineral for fuel. The earliest reliable records of ancient systematic coal use pointed to the Han Dynasty in China anywhere from 1,730 to 2,152 years ago.

Some prehistoric scholars theorized that coal may have even been used in northern China during the Bronze Age about 3,000 to 4,000 years ago, but there has been no reliable evidence pointing to coal use as fuel during that period. Researchers studying Jirentaigoukou, a Bronze-Age site located in the Xingjiang Autonomous Region, have now found evidence potentially pointing to the earliest systemic use of coal by ancient humans. The scholars say that this archaeological site was home to a vibrant settlement approximately 2,900 to 3,600 years ago.

Furthermore, scientists claim they have uncovered evidence showing that ancient humans in the region began domesticating livestock and cultivating crops around 3,800 years ago, leading to a system of resilient and interconnected societies that grew even further with the development of metallurgy. According to the researchers, coal was widely used in the region more than three and a half millennia ago and was treated as a shared resource for everyone regardless of their occupation or social status. Study coauthor and Lanzhou University professor Guanghui Dong said that he imagines the ancient humans in this region trying out coal from different sites before settling on the higher quality ones.

A field survey of the site indicated that colder temperatures at the time may have caused the conifer forest belt to shrink, reducing the area’s supply of wood fuel and forcing locals to turn to alternatives. Scientists say these early humans may have turned to coal to meet their energy demands as their communities grew and the metallurgy industry expanded. This may have resulted in the development of an efficient and well-oiled system of extracting coal and burning it for fuel, the researchers say.

Increased metallurgical production, limited wood supplies and expanding communities were likely the trigger that compelled ancient communities in the archaeological site to break from conventional (at the time) energy sources and adopt coal.

With such deep roots of coal use that span several millennia, it is unlikely that demand for coal will suddenly fizzle out. Producers such as Warrior Met Coal Inc. (NYSE: HCC) are therefore likely to remain operating for some time as the world establishes sufficient and reliable renewable energy supply chains.

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