France: Les Baux
An old mine, a new era
This small town near the mouth of the Rhône has a Roman limestone quarry that assumed a new and crucial role in the industrial age.
The Castle of Les Laux
This tenth-century fortification was attacked on numerous occasions during the Middle Ages, and fina;;y destroyed in 1832.
A Roman limestone mine
In its time as the southernmost part of Gaul, Les Baux yielded high-quality limestone used for building in the province.
In 1822 geologist Pierre Berthier discovered that the sedimentary rock in Les Baux was rich in the new element aluminum. Bauxite as it is now called, was found to be common in many parts of the world and is now the primary source of the metal.
