Talk:Oil field

What about a little bit of history??. I.e. the world discoverer of the petroleum in Pensilvania (Titus)

Well, you might want to be more specific about world discoverer. The Egyptians were using oils from sand pits several thousand years ago. I also know of animals who discovered oil at La Brea millions of years ago... --Csnewton 13:36, 26 May 2005 (UTC)

"World discoverer of petroleum" is a very megalomanic description of the discovery of oil. Many other countries were using oil before this discovery. Refer to Wiki page on "oil wells".

"The earliest known oil wells were drilled in China in 347 CE. They had depths of up to about 800 feet (240 m) and were drilled using bits attached to bamboo poles.[1] The oil was burned to evaporate brine and produce salt. By the 10th century, extensive bamboo pipelines connected oil wells with salt springs. The ancient records of China and Japan are said to contain many allusions to the use of natural gas for lighting and heating. Petroleum was known as burning water in Japan in the 7th century.[2]

The Middle East's petroleum industry was established by the 8th century, when the streets of the newly constructed Baghdad were paved with tar, derived from petroleum that became accessible from natural fields in the region. Petroleum was distilled by the Persian alchemist Muhammad ibn Zakarīya Rāzi (Rhazes) in the 9th century, producing chemicals such as kerosene in the alembic (al-ambiq),[3] and which was mainly used for kerosene lamps.[4] Arab and Persian chemists also distilled crude oil in order to produce flammable products for military purposes. Through Islamic Spain, distillation became available in Western Europe by the 12th century.[2]" —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.9.85.4 (talk) 09:35, 5 March 2009 (UTC)