ABSTRACT
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Approximately 2000 years ago, Arabian scientists developed methods for the distillation of petroleum that led to an interest in the thermal product of petroleum (nafta, naphtha) when it was discovered that this material could be used as an illuminant and as a supplement to asphalt incendiaries in warfare. The discovery also led to the production of resids that may have been used when the supply of bitumen or natural asphalt from natural seepages became limited.
