Alum Mines
Phocaea (Phokaia) best known ‘western’ Alum mine. Exploitation started first half 13th c. [Jacoby 2017]
Phocaea (Phokaia) · High Medieval · 200% · Byzantium · Orthodox.
For Colonna (Koloneia) – best quality. Exploitation started first half 13th c. [Jacoby 2017]
Colonea (Koloneia) · Late Medieval · 300% · Byzantium · Orthodox.
Transported by Bedouins to Alexandria, controlled by Egypt
Kharga (Kharga) · Early Medieval · 100% · Egypt · Ash’ari.
Same period as salt-mines?? before (1023-1067) – “Unequaled in quality” (al-Idrisi)
Bilma (Kawar) · Early Medieval · 100% · Africa · Ash’ari.
Al-Qazwini (1203-83) says it was also a source of alum, probably the Maghribi of better quality exported to Iberia [Guèrin 2010]
Taghaza (Taghaza) · Early Medieval · 100% · Africa · Ash’ari.
Southern Italian Alum (Alum Cave, Vulcano Island). Worse quality than eastern sources
Messina (Vulcano) · High Medieval · 25% · Italy · Catholic.
In Al-Andalus, better alum was imported from Morocco – Unknown location assumed origin in Cantabria. “Castilian alum”, of worse quality than eastern ones
Santander (Cantabrian) · High Medieval · 25% · Iberia (Christian) · Catholic.