chap. vir.

ROMAN MINES.

179

operations of the mines, we may safely concludethat, after the third or fourth century, the labourof extracting the precious metals had graduallydiminished within the limits of.the Roman em-pire ; and that from the fifth century, after themore afflicting irruptions of the Barbarians intothe weak and tottering western empire, it had alto-gether ceased. Almost the latest intimation thatis to be found on the subject is the appointmentof a comes metallorum over the mines of westernIllyria in the year 4B3 1 ; but of the extent of hispower, or of the revenue derived from the officeto himself or his master, we have no information.In the eastern division of the Roman empiresome small remains of ancient mining were con-tinued ; but the veins had been nearly exhausted,though the workings had not been wholly aban-doned, when they fell in the seventh centuryinto the hands of the conquering followers ofthe new Arabian prophet. The mines in AsiaMinor, in Thrace, and in Greece , were the lastthat the Byzantines possessed. The gold minesof Thrace were in operation in the reign ofValens ; but they, as well as those of Illyria , hadaltogether ceased to be worked with the sue-ceeding two centuries.

The gradual diminution of slavery must havehad a great effect on the productiveness of mining

N 2

1 Cod. Theod., lib. 7-