ABSTRACT
Petroleum was first used over five thousand years ago when it was recognized that the heavier derivatives of petroleum (asphalt) could be used for caulking and as adhesives for jewelry or for construction purposes. There is also documented use of asphalt for medicinal purposes. Approximately two thousand years ago, Arabian scientists developed methods for the distillation of petroleum that were introduced into Europe by way of Spain. Interest in petroleum was also documented in China, where petroleum was encountered when drilling for salt, and appears in documents of the third century AD. The Baku region of northern Persia was also reported (by Marco Polo in 1271-1273) to have a commercial petroleum industry. Of course, it must be realized that there may be vast differences between commercial operations in the thirteenth century and commercial operations in the twentieth century!
