Coal, coke and oil as ancient fuels

[Eleatic Guest]

Ave,

Is there any evidence for the ancient use of coal, coke and oil as fuel? Mining of coal, for example, is well known from Roman Britain:

[quote]The present review shows that, with the exception of the coalfields of North and South Staffordshire, the Romans were exploiting coals in all the major coalfields in England and Wales by the end of the second century, a remarkable achievement if, as suggested by Dearne and Brannigaq there was little evidence of the use of coal in Britain before the arrival of the Romans. Equally remarkable is the recognition of coal as a fuel such that it was apparently considered economic to transport it overland or by river to the sea for shipment to coastal sites between Yorkshire and London.

SOURCE: A. H. V. Smith, “Provenance of Coals from Roman Sites in England and Walesâ€

[Sean Manning]

I think that crude oil was occasionally burned in the neighbourhood of Mesopotamia (check Pliny NH for petra oileum perhaps?), but you need the medieval technology of distillation to refine crude into all the wonderful variants we use today. I don't know any evidence of coke being used but I haven't researched ancient fuels much.

[M. Demetrius]

Petroleum would only be accessible in the rare places where it comes to the surface on its own. The had no means to drill deep enough to get oil, I think, except maybe from tarpits, which do exist in scattered places.

Probably, the tar had better uses than to be burned. It's at least as good as pitch for sealing boats, etc., just not as easily available.