NOVÁ BAŇA, SLOVAKIA—The Slovak Spectator reports that a team of archaeologists and volunteers have uncovered the base of what is thought to be Europe’s first atmospheric steam engine at a mining site in the town of Nová Bańa. The machine, built by Isaac Potter in a mine shaft between 1721 and 1722, was used to drain water from the site. The engine room, which was discovered last year, turned out to be larger than expected. “There were many tiles from a stove inside,” said Matej Styk of Constantine the Philosopher University. “We think that the building was wooden. It has a stone foundation wall and inside another production activity was ongoing.” A mining button dated to the nineteenth century, a pipe, and iron nails were also recovered. When the mine at Nová Bańa failed to recover any ore, historic records indicate that the machine was supposed to have been moved to Banská Štiavnica, another town in central Slovakia known for its silver mines. “There we lost its traces, because the supposed shift to Banská Štiavnica did not happen,” added Peter Konečný of the Slovak mining archive. The local mining association plans to build a replica steam engine at the site as part of an open-air museum. To read about a Roman silver belt found outside Bratislava, go to "World Roundup: Slovakia."