Ancient Egyptians Hoarded Crude Oil
By Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News

New research suggests that oil and its by-products were valued and traded in the Mideast at least 3,000 years ago, the same region that dominates world production and export of crude oil today.

Evidence for the discovery came from surprising sources — mummies.

According to a forthcoming paper in the Journal of Geoarchaeology, scientists found tar on several ancient Egyptian mummies. Because every batch of tar contains unique biochemicals, the researchers were able to trace the sticky substances back to their origins.

Read the complete article at The Discovery Channel