(For references, see Bibliography)

1. See also an interesting article by Haldorsen 1996.

2. Bilkadi, Z., 1996, has published a beautifully illustrated book Babylon to Baku covering references to oil in antiquity: the earliest record being 3000 BC.

3. Fuller, J.G.C., 1993, gives a good account with historical insights.

4. Narimanov, A. and A. Palaz, 1994, point out that wells had been drilled for oil in the Baku area before the famous well of Col. Drake in Pennsylvania.

5. In fact, Romania boasts of being the country with the oldest record of oil production: 275 tonnes in 1857. A foreign oil company had been registered there already in 1864. Production comes from the foothills of the Carpathians which were also investigated in early years in neighbouring countries including Poland (Popescu 1994, Jacob. 1938)

6. Beeby-Thompson, A., 1961, gives a marvellous account of the early days of exploration and production around the world.

7. Yergin, D., 1991, has written the seminal oil history which is essential reading; while Pees, S.T., 1989, fills in the detailed memorabilia of the early Pennsylvanian fields.

8. Beers, F.W. 1865 quoted in Pees S.T., 1989.

9. Possibly the only useful contribution of Kenney s paper on the inorganic origin of oil was the record of an observation by Academician Mikhailo V. Lomonosov in 1757, who stated Rock oil originates as tiny bodies of animals buried in the sediments which, under the influence of increased temperature and pressure acting during an unimaginably long period of time, transform...