Travertine was mined in the past through a process known as quarrying. This involved identifying the location of the travertine deposits, and then using hand tools and manual labor to extract it from the earth.

The skilled workers would first use chisels and hammers to create grooves along the sides of the travertine in order to create a split. Once the split was created, they would use wedges to pry the pieces of travertine apart.

The larger blocks of travertine were then hoisted out of the quarry using ropes and pulleys, and transported to a processing facility where they could be shaped and finished into different products such as tiles, columns, and sculptures.

Overall, the process of mining travertine in the past was a difficult and labor-intensive task that required high levels of skill and expertise.