LAU'RION, or LAU'RIUM (Lat.. from Gk. Aaliptop, Aatipuov, Laureion). A promontory in Southeast Attica, Greece, projecting into the .Egean Sea, celebrated for its mines. They seem to have been known in prehistoric times, and there are numerous I.\ lycerucan remains throughout this region. It is also pos,ible that they were later worked by the Phcenician traders. But they first became important toward the end of the sixth century B.e., with the growth of Athenian power and commerce. Dur ing the fifth and fourth centuries they were of the greatest value to the commercial supremacy of Athens, but with the increased supplies of the precious metals which resulted from the Eastern conquests of Alexander the Great their importance rapidly declined, and about the beginning of the Christian Era they were aban doned. The mines were the property of the Athenian State, which leased them to citizens who worked them by slave labor. The chief product was silver, though lead Was also ob tained in large quantities. and the yield of mini um (red oxide of lead) and ochre was of ap preciable value. The mines were worked by
cutting narrow galleries in the rock and the prod ucts were separated by crushing or grinding. washing and melting. In 1860 a Marseilles com pany bought the right to work over the heaps of refuse, from which much lead was extracted. In 1869 a dispute arose over the limitations im posed by the contract; and after a protracted lawsuit, the company in 1873 purchased a large tract of land. Since then two large and three smaller companies have occupied the territory, and carry on profitable operations in the pro duction of lead, cadmium. and manganese. Sil ver. the most important product in ancient times, is of little value at present. The mines are con 'meted by rail with Athens through the port of Lanrion or Ergasteria, which has a good harbor, workshops. smelting-furnaces, and a .population (1896) of 7026. Consult the very complete ac count of the mines of Laurion by Ardailion. Las mines du Laurion dans rantiquite (Paris, 1897). where is given a bibliography of the ear lier literature.