Rudna Glava

Rudna Glava (Ore Head) is a mining site in present-day eastern Serbia that demonstrates one of the earliest evidences of European copper mining and metallurgy, dating to the 5th millennium BC. Shafts were cut into the hillside, with scaffolding constructed for easy access to the veins of ore. It belongs to the Vinča culture, as is shown by pottery-finds. In 1983, Rudna Glava was added to the Archaeological Sites of Exceptional Importance list, protected by Republic of Serbia.
Another early mine is located at Ai Bunar near Stara Zagora in Bulgaria.