"The fuse starts from the bottom ... (black powder), is compressed into it to form an explosive mine."
Jiao Yu and Liu Ji, Fire Dragon Manual (c. 1368-1398)
Land mines—explosive weapons triggered by pressure or proximity—have been in use for many hundreds of years, and as such their exact history is somewhat clouded. There is evidence to suggest, however, that the first self-contained land mines for military purposes were used in China in 1277 against Mongol invaders. Today their use has prompted great controversy, due to the high civilian casualties that can be caused many years after conflict has ended.
The name "mine" is derived from their original use in Europe in the Middle Ages as "tunnel mines." During the siege of a castle or fort, tunnels would be dug under the walls and explosives detonated just beneath them in a bid to cause them to collapse. True anti-personnel land mines were introduced in China by the Middle Ages. The mines were detonated either by the pressure of someone walking over them, or by operation from afar, and appeared in a variety of designs. However, their use in warfare was restricted by a scarcity of ammunition.
The mine emerged at the beginning of the sixteenth century in Europe in the form of a shallow pit of gunpowder, with a "charge" made from flint that would ignite the explosive. In later centuries mines were used to slow advancing troops, especially in the Boer War and World War I. The twentieth century saw a great proliferation of their use.
