Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Black coal
(1,087 words)

1. Introduction

Coal is sedimentary rock of vegetable origin, which vary greatly in geological age. It ranges from soft to rock-hard, its surface from matt to shiny, its coloration from brown to black. Despite the common view that coal only became important in the process of industrialization from the late 18th century, it was already significant in the Middle Ages and early modern period in places where it could be transported by water, particularly in Britain, where as…

Cite this page
Fessner, Michael, “Black coal”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_028247>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20160907



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