Natural History (Pliny) developed for counterfeit coins and proved very popular with the victims, mostly ordinary people. He deals with the liquid metal mercury, also found in silver mines. He records that it is toxic, and amalgamates with gold, so is used for refining and extracting that metal. He says mercury is used for gilding copper, while antimony is found in silver mines and is used as an eyebrow cosmetic. The main ore of mercury is cinnabar, long used as a pigment by painters. He says that the colour is similar to "scolecium", probably the kermes insect. The dust is very toxic, so
Ore Mountains Duke George the Bearded, it has been held annually since. Also interesting is Ore Mountain cuisine, which is simple, but rich in tradition. Since 1998 the Ore Mountains have striven to achieve UNESCO World Heritage status as the Ore Mountain Mining Region ("Montanregion Erzgebirge"). Ore Mountains The Ore Mountains or Ore Mountain Range () ( ; ; both literally "ore mountains") in Central Europe have formed a natural border between Saxony and Bohemia for around 800 years, from the 12th to the 20th centuries. Today, the border between Germany and the Czech Republic runs just north of the main crest