Rocks have been used by humans and other hominids for at least two and a half million years.

Lithic technology marks some of the oldest and continuously used technologies.

The use of rocks has had a huge impact on the cultural and technological development of the human race.

The mining of rocks for their metal ore content has been one of the most important factors of human advancement, which has progressed at different rates in different places in part because of the kind of metals available from the rocks of a region.

Sand is a non-renewable resource over human timescales, and sand suitable for making concrete is in high demand.

Desert sand, although plentiful, is not suitable for concrete.

Fifty billion tons of beach sand and fossil sand are used each year for construction.

Gravel is an important commercial product, with a number of applications.

Many roadways are surfaced with gravel, especially in rural areas where there is little traffic.

Globally, far more roads are surfaced with gravel than with concrete or asphalt; Russia alone has over 400,000 kilometers (250,000 miles) of gravel roads.

Both sand and small gravel are also important for the manufacture of concrete.