p-petroleum-msg - 2/27/05

Period use of petroleum.

NOTE: See also the files: lamps-msg, lighting-msg, Med-Lighting-lnks, 
firestarting-msg, candles-msg, pottery-wepns-msg, blackpowder-msg.

************************************************************************
NOTICE -

This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I  
have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages 
date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.

This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These 
files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org

I  have done  a limited amount  of  editing. Messages having to do  with 
separate topics  were sometimes split into different files and sometimes 
extraneous information was removed. For instance, the  message IDs  were 
removed to save space and remove clutter.

The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make  
no claims  as  to the accuracy  of  the information  given  by the individual 
authors.

Please  respect the time  and  efforts of  those who have written  these 
messages. The  copyright status  of these messages  is  unclear  at this time. 
If  information  is  published  from  these  messages, please give credit to 
the originator(s).

Thank you,
    Mark S. Harris                  AKA:  THLord Stefan li Rous
                                          Stefan at florilegium.org
************************************************************************

From: alchem at en.com (James Koch)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Petroleum For Lighting
Date: 26 Mar 2004 14:40:10 -0800

>> As to whether or not it is period for use in lamps is a matter of
>> debate. Petroleum was not pumped from the ground in period, but it was
>> gathered from natural pools in Asia.  I believe petroleum oil of this
>> type was a constituent of Greek Fire and has therefore been known since
>> classical times.
>>
>Isn't that a little like arguing that since 20th century people use 
>diamonds for jewelery, a 30th c. recreationist can legitimately use it
>for the windshield of his authentic 20th century car? Greek fire was a
>high tech, long secret, military technology. There are certainly 
>references in period sources to the existence of petroleum oil, but I
>don't know of any time and place in or period when it was common enough
>to be used as the normal fuel for lamps, and I am quite sure that in 
>most times and places it was not.
>-- 
>David/Cariadoc

I guess I wasn't precise enough in my previous statement.  When I said
"period" I was using it in the restrictive SCA sense.  In other words
used prior to 1600 in Europe.  Hence the reference to "Greek" Fire. 
It actually was period in the general sense that petroleum oil was
used in lamps prior to 1600.  I have just now chanced on one of my
earlier references which has been lost to me since the early 80s when
I was collecting oil lamps.  It was in Marco Polo's Description Of The
World.  Unfortunately my copy is written entirely in Latin and I am
having trouble reading it after a quarter of a century of being away
from the language.  In any case Polo described passing through Baku on
the Caspian where distilled petroleum oil was the main fuel for
lighting.  True, this does not prove petroleum's use in lighting in
Europe at the time.  More interesting though, the text which led me
back to Polo's work "A Century In Oil" by Stephen Howarth in chapter
one page 17 states "By the 10th century, Arab nations had worked out
that it could be distilled.  In Cairo, torches were lit with the
product, and it is said that in the late 11th century, the equivalent
of 1,400 barrels of petroleum distillate caught fire there, creating a
monstrous blaze."  The significance of this later quote is that
petroleum was not found in Egypt.  This means it was collected,
distilled, packaged, and transported there.  So petroleum distillate
was actually more than a local fuel, it was a commercial commodity. 
Now all I have to do is find a reference to its use in either Spain or
Sicily to prove it to be period in the more restrictive sense.

Jim Koch (Gladius The Alchemist)


From: alchem at en.com (James Koch)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Petroleum For Lighting
Date: 27 Mar 2004 13:19:56 -0800

> Fascinating. Is it clear how good Howarth's sources are? If you find 
> more, I hope you will let us know.

Unfortunately the book does not cite original sources with the
exception of Marco Polo, and his work refers only to petroleum being
used locally at Baku.  I have therefore e-mailed The Royal Historical
Society of which Stephen Howarth is a Fellow for contact information. 
If this is not forthcoming, I'll write him at his address in
Nottinghamshire.

In the 11th century oil was generally transported by ship.  If it
wound up in Cairo it could just as easily have been sold in
Constantanople.  If I could find it being used in Europe, then
distilling oil from raw petroleum might make an interesting A&S
project.  The problem of course is boiling off all of the naptha prior
to distilling to prevent an explosion.

Jim Koch (Gladius The Alchemist)


Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2004 19:23:35 -0600
From: "David J. Hughes" <davidjhughes.tx at netzero.net>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Petroleum For Lighting

James Koch wrote:
>>Fascinating. Is it clear how good Howarth's sources are? If you find 
>>more, I hope you will let us know.
> 
> Unfortunately the book does not cite original sources with the
> exception of Marco Polo, and his work refers only to petroleum being
> used locally at Baku.  I have therefore e-mailed The Royal Historical
> Society of which Stephen Howarth is a Fellow for contact information. 
> If this is not forthcoming, I'll write him at his address in
> Nottinghamshire.
> 
> In the 11th century oil was generally transported by ship.  If it
> wound up in Cairo it could just as easily have been sold in
> Constantanople.  If I could find it being used in Europe, then
> distilling oil from raw petroleum might make an interesting A&S
> project.  The problem of course is boiling off all of the naptha prior
> to distilling to prevent an explosion.
> 
> Jim Koch (Gladius The Alchemist)

Assuming you are trying to get lamp oil, you want the naphtha.

Light ends - methane, ethane, propane, butane, some isomers

2nd cut - pentane, hexane, benzene, toluene, xylene, low boiling 
naphthas, etc.

3rd cut - medium boiling naphthas (kerosene, diesel)

4th cut - higher boiling naphthas (lamp oil, light machine oils)

5th cut - medium machine oils, bunker fuel

6th cut - greases

7th cut - tar

bottoms- coke, slag, etc.

David Gallowglass


From: alchem at en.com (James Koch)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Petroleum For Lighting
Date: 28 Mar 2004 17:04:05 -0800

> Assuming you are trying to get lamp oil, you want the naphtha.
> 
> Light ends - methane, ethane, propane, butane, some isomers
> 
> 2nd cut - pentane, hexane, benzene, toluene, xylene, low boiling 
> naphthas, etc.
> 
> 3rd cut - medium boiling naphthas (kerosene, diesel)
> 
> 4th cut - higher boiling naphthas (lamp oil, light machine oils)
> 
> 5th cut - medium machine oils, bunker fuel
> 
> 6th cut - greases
> 
> 7th cut - tar
> 
> bottoms- coke, slag, etc.
> 
> David Gallowglass

Those are basically modern fractions.  My guess is people making lamp
oil 1,000 years ago were probably primarily concerned with an oil
similar to the vegetable oils they were already used to burning in
their lamps.  They also probably didn't have the temperature control
of a modern distilling fractionating column.  My guess is their oil
would have been a mix of what would now be separated into the 3rd
through 5th cut.  If it was to be transported for any distance they
would likely have left out the more volatile fractions.  This would
apply to strapping amphora onto camels or loading them into a ships
hold.  Even the medium boiling napthas would have been risky to carry
in desert heat in earthenware containers.

Jim Koch (Gladius The Alchemist)


Date: Sun, 28 Mar 2004 20:22:08 -0600
From: "David J. Hughes" <davidjhughes.tx at netzero.net>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Petroleum For Lighting

James Koch wrote: 
> Those are basically modern fractions.  My guess is people making lamp
> oil 1,000 years ago were probably primarily concerned with an oil
> similar to the vegetable oils they were already used to burning in
> their lamps.  They also probably didn't have the temperature control
> of a modern distilling fractionating column.  My guess is their oil
> would have been a mix of what would now be separated into the 3rd
> through 5th cut.  If it was to be transported for any distance they
> would likely have left out the more volatile fractions.  This would
> apply to strapping amphora onto camels or loading them into a ships
> hold.  Even the medium boiling napthas would have been risky to carry
> in desert heat in earthenware containers.
> 
> Jim Koch (Gladius The Alchemist)

Agreed.  I used modern fractions to permit terminology most are 
familiar with.  Boiling points between 140 and 270 F seem reasonable.
If I were doing it, I would use steam distillation (a known process 
for extracting essential oils from herbs), which would tighten the 
range to roughly 120 to 220 F (2nd to 4th cuts, above), and reduce the 
fire and explosion hazard.

Note that medium boiling naphthas are not much more dangerous to 
transport than brandy or some vegetable oils.


Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2004 23:05:30 -0400
From: d.e.walter at computer.org (D. Edward Walter)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Keywords: Benzine Oil Naptha
Subject: Re: Petroleum For Lighting

All those years talking about fire to Pennsic campers...I had to find
documents to support the use of fire in period.  You fear what you do not
know, and respect what you do understand.

Petroleum products have been available and in use since the days of the
Nabateans.  The Persians had asphalt paved roads.  The Molotov Cocktail was
first used in the siege of Cairo.  "Mummy" is derived from petrol...

For those with the access to past editions of Aramco World magazine, Zayn
Bilkadi wrote three surveys on the topic that serve as a reasonable second
source (I have not looked for any further works by this author).

"Bulls from the sea", Aramco World, July-August, 1994
"The Oil Weapons", Aramco World, Jan-Feb 1995
"Land of the Naptha Fountain" Aramco World, Sep-Oct 1995

Everything a Welsh Magribi should know...

Mukhtar durr al-jabal


"David J. Hughes" <davidjhughes.tx at netzero.net> wrote:
> James Koch wrote:
> >>Fascinating. Is it clear how good Howarth's sources are? If you find 
> >>more, I hope you will let us know.
> > 
> > Unfortunately the book does not cite original sources with the
> > exception of Marco Polo, and his work refers only to petroleum being
> > used locally at Baku.  I have therefore e-mailed The Royal Historical
> > Society of which Stephen Howarth is a Fellow for contact information. 
> > If this is not forthcoming, I'll write him at his address in
> > Nottinghamshire.
> > 
> > In the 11th century oil was generally transported by ship.  If it
> > wound up in Cairo it could just as easily have been sold in
> > Constantanople.  If I could find it being used in Europe, then
> > distilling oil from raw petroleum might make an interesting A&S
> > project.  The problem of course is boiling off all of the naptha prior
> > to distilling to prevent an explosion.
> > 
> > Jim Koch (Gladius The Alchemist)
> 
> Assuming you are trying to get lamp oil, you want the naphtha.
> 
> Light ends - methane, ethane, propane, butane, some isomers
> 
> 2nd cut - pentane, hexane, benzene, toluene, xylene, low boiling 
> naphthas, etc.
> 
> 3rd cut - medium boiling naphthas (kerosene, diesel)
> 
> 4th cut - higher boiling naphthas (lamp oil, light machine oils)
> 
> 5th cut - medium machine oils, bunker fuel
> 
> 6th cut - greases
> 
> 7th cut - tar
> 
> bottoms- coke, slag, etc.
> 
> David Gallowglass


From: alchem at en.com (James Koch)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Petroleum For Lighting
Date: 21 Apr 2004 10:39:09 -0700

I heard from Howarth.  Unfortunately he directed me to a series of
early 20th century German articles entitled "Fifteen Centuries Of
Bitumen" which I have not yet been able to locate in any language.  So
the only original source I have located to date is in Marco Polo's
Description Of The World (Travels).  I did finally find the following
in his chapter describing Armenia Major.  This is near the very
beginning of the book despite the fact that Polo didn't pass through
Armenia until his return from China:

& in confinibus Jorgie quidam fons est de quo scaturit oleum in tanta
quantitate quod mile cameli simul & semel ibi posunt honerari &
honerantur set nichil in comestione ualet set bonum est ad ungendum
homines & quelibet animalia peopter scabiem.  & homines de
longi[n]quis partibus uenuunt pro oleo isto & omnes contracte
circumstantes non comburunt aliud oleum quam istud.

My English translation (not a very good transliteration) by Orion
Press gives:

To the North lies Zorzania, near the confines of which there is a
fountain of oil which discharges so great a quantity as to furnish
loading for many camels.  The use made of it is not for the purpose of
food, but as an unguent for the cure of cutaneous distempers in men
and cattle, as well as other complaints; and it is also good for
burning.  In the neighboring country no other is used in their lamps,
and people come from distant parts to procure it.

Jim Koch (Gladius The Alchemist)


From: alchem at en.com (James Koch)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Petroleum For Lighting
Date: 3 May 2004 20:49:53 -0700

While searching for the articles "Fifteen Centuries Of Bitumen" I
found a book by the same author entitled "Bitumen And Petroleum In
Antiquity" published only a year earlier.  I figured the articles must
be extracted from the book and began hunting for the latter. 
Miraculously the Cleveland Public Library has an English translation
of the work in its collection.  I managed to peruse it this morning. 
It's an excellent well researched work of archaeology with an
extensive bibliography of original sources.

To my total astonishment I actually found a medieval reference to
petroleum being skimmed from a spring in Sicily and sold as lamp oil. 
It was written by an Arab, Dioscorides, in his work Materia Medica. 
So I have a European description of petroleum for lighting being
gathered in Asia and an Arab's description of similar petroleum
gathering in Europe.  Dioscorides states "Bitumen is found in its
liquid state near Acragantium in Sicily, it floats on the surface of
the springs and is used in lamps instead of (olive) oil.  Those who
call it Sicilian oil are mistaken, for it is an established fact that
it is a kind of liquid bitumen."  Of course this oil was undistilled
raw petroleum, so my guess is it was pretty smoky.  Perhaps it was
burned outdoors or in courtyards where soot wouldn't present too much
of a problem.  No doubt the medieval equivalent of a tiki torch.

I also found a reference to Petroleum being used to heat two huge
public baths at Constantanople.  It was burned in bowls in the
hypocaust instead of wood.  This was also raw petroleum.

Jim Koch (Gladius The Alchemist)

<the end>
Edited by Mark S. Harris	p-petroleum-msg	Page 3 of 7