Archaeological Bitumen: Indentification, Origins and Uses of an Ancient Near Eastern Material

Prior to their modern invention, the use of petroleum products (bitumen, asphalt, etc.) was common in the prehistory of the Near East. In Mesopotamia where they are plentiful, often occurring at the surface of the ground, these products have been utilized in diverse ways: for construction and caulking of buildings, as a waterproofing agent, and even as a medicine to remedy coughing. Archaeologists have questioned the location of principal sites exploited in antiquity and the ways that these products have been used. As the result of a close collaboration between petroleum specialists and archaeologists, this article explains how geochemical analysis has enabled identification of the provenance of bitumen utilized at Babylon in Iraq, how the inhabitants of Susa in Iran used bitumen, its preparation and also its fabrication as an artificial material which has proven to be as durable as stone.