The modern town of Lavrio is at the site of the ancient village of
Thoricus; its name is taken from that of the entire region of the
Mines of Laurium. The earliest evidence for mining dates to the beginning of the Bronze Age, ca. 3200 BC. Systematic exploitation of mineral resources seem to have begun in the 6th century BC under
Peisistratus. After the
battle of Marathon,
Themistocles persuaded the Athenians to devote the anticipated revenue derived from a major silver vein strike in the mines of Laurion circa 483 BC to expanding the Athenian fleet to 200
triremes, and thus laid the foundation of the Athenian naval power. The mines, which were the property of the state, were usually farmed out for a certain fixed sum and a percentage on the working;
slave labour was exclusively employed. An unrecorded number were children. It was a miserable, dangerous, and brief life. As many as 20,000 slaves were employed at the height of the mining. A silver mint (
Argyrocopeum) was at Laurion. Towards the end of the 5th century, the output fell, partly owing to the
Spartan occupation of
Decelea. But the mines continued to be worked, though
Strabo records that in his time the tailings were being worked over, and
Pausanias speaks of the mines as a thing of the past. The ancient workings, consisting of shafts and galleries for excavating the ore, and washing tables for concentrating the ore, may still be seen at many locations. There were well engineered tanks and reservoirs to collect rainwater for washing the ore since abundant supplies from streams or rivers was impossible at the site. The mines were reworked in the late 19th century by
French and Greek companies, but mainly for
lead,
manganese and
cadmium. In 1896
a strike from the miners was violently confronted by the mining company's guards resulting in the death of two workers. The miners responded by destroying the company's offices and killing the guards. The government then sent police forces to support the company's interests against the strikers. Further clashes between workers and the police occurred to which the government replied by sending the military against the striking workers resulting in more workers' deaths. The strike ended violently with most of the strikers' demands not being fulfilled and with a military force being permanently established to patrol the miners. The
Mineralogical Museum of Lavrion comprises samples of minerals from the region of Lavrion. Λαύριο 1946.JPG|Panorama In the port of Lavrio, Greece - panoramio.jpg|Modern Lavrio Ρολόι Λαυρίου 6987.jpg|Clocktower Lavrion ruins.jpg|Technological park Statue of Giovanni Batista Serpieri Lavrion far view.jpg|Statue of 19th-century Italian industrialist
Giovanni Battista Serpieri, active here in the mines (sculp.
Georgios Vroutos) ==Climate==