Where did people get oil from before it was drilled?

Before oil was drilled from the ground, people primarily sourced it from natural seepage, where oil would surface through cracks in the earth. They also collected oil from tar pits and other surface deposits. Additionally, oil was derived from the distillation of coal, which produced coal tar, and from the extraction of whale oil, which was used for lighting and lubrication. These methods were common until the advent of modern drilling techniques in the mid-19th century.