Pre-Roman copper industry had no polluting impact on the global environment
Abstract Among the unresolved questions about pre-Roman metallurgical industries are the extent and severity of the pollution they produced and the potential harm inflicted on the societies associated with them. Research on this topic has resulted in conflicting conclusions. Based on measurements of...
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Nature Portfolio
2024-11-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-80939-5 |
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| author | Omri Yagel Aaron Greener Willie Ondricek Erez Ben-Yosef |
| author_facet | Omri Yagel Aaron Greener Willie Ondricek Erez Ben-Yosef |
| author_sort | Omri Yagel |
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| description | Abstract Among the unresolved questions about pre-Roman metallurgical industries are the extent and severity of the pollution they produced and the potential harm inflicted on the societies associated with them. Research on this topic has resulted in conflicting conclusions. Based on measurements of heavy metal enrichment in soils, archaeological sediments, plants and skeletal remains, interpretations have varied between catastrophic, global (intercontinental) effects to a restricted impact relevant only to those directly working at the furnaces. In the current study we focus on Timna Valley in the Southern Arabah (southern Israel). Based on high-resolution pXRF geochemical surveys of two smelting camps from different periods, accompanied by test excavations, we demonstrate that (1) mapping elemental concentrations in soil is an effective tool for identifying and characterizing various activity areas in archaeological sites, such as metal production, livestock penning and domestic and industrial waste disposal; (2) in Timna, the intra-site organization of production and scale of metallurgical activities changed substantially between the Early Bronze Age and the Iron Age; (3) the heavy metal enrichment (Cu/Pb) of soil due to smelting is spatially discrete, concentrated only in areas directly associated with these activities; and (4) this enrichment aligns with the spatial distribution of metallurgical waste, suggesting that lead emission to the atmosphere was minimal and that the documented heavy metals are not bioavailable. Our results, combined with a comprehensive survey of previously published data, support the minimalist interpretation of the polluting effects of metallurgical activities on ancient societies, at least for pre-Roman copper production industries. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4eb9490851f7429380a9e731ecc397f5 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-4eb9490851f7429380a9e731ecc397f52025-02-02T12:24:55ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222024-11-0114111910.1038/s41598-024-80939-5Pre-Roman copper industry had no polluting impact on the global environmentOmri Yagel0Aaron Greener1Willie Ondricek2Erez Ben-Yosef3Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures, Tel Aviv UniversityDepartment of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures, Tel Aviv UniversityDepartment of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures, Tel Aviv UniversityDepartment of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures, Tel Aviv UniversityAbstract Among the unresolved questions about pre-Roman metallurgical industries are the extent and severity of the pollution they produced and the potential harm inflicted on the societies associated with them. Research on this topic has resulted in conflicting conclusions. Based on measurements of heavy metal enrichment in soils, archaeological sediments, plants and skeletal remains, interpretations have varied between catastrophic, global (intercontinental) effects to a restricted impact relevant only to those directly working at the furnaces. In the current study we focus on Timna Valley in the Southern Arabah (southern Israel). Based on high-resolution pXRF geochemical surveys of two smelting camps from different periods, accompanied by test excavations, we demonstrate that (1) mapping elemental concentrations in soil is an effective tool for identifying and characterizing various activity areas in archaeological sites, such as metal production, livestock penning and domestic and industrial waste disposal; (2) in Timna, the intra-site organization of production and scale of metallurgical activities changed substantially between the Early Bronze Age and the Iron Age; (3) the heavy metal enrichment (Cu/Pb) of soil due to smelting is spatially discrete, concentrated only in areas directly associated with these activities; and (4) this enrichment aligns with the spatial distribution of metallurgical waste, suggesting that lead emission to the atmosphere was minimal and that the documented heavy metals are not bioavailable. Our results, combined with a comprehensive survey of previously published data, support the minimalist interpretation of the polluting effects of metallurgical activities on ancient societies, at least for pre-Roman copper production industries.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-80939-5ArchaeometallurgyMetalliferous pollutionArchaeological prospectionLead poisoningTimna ValleyMontanarchäologie (mining archaeology) |
| spellingShingle | Omri Yagel Aaron Greener Willie Ondricek Erez Ben-Yosef Pre-Roman copper industry had no polluting impact on the global environment Scientific Reports Archaeometallurgy Metalliferous pollution Archaeological prospection Lead poisoning Timna Valley Montanarchäologie (mining archaeology) |
| title | Pre-Roman copper industry had no polluting impact on the global environment |
| title_full | Pre-Roman copper industry had no polluting impact on the global environment |
| title_fullStr | Pre-Roman copper industry had no polluting impact on the global environment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pre-Roman copper industry had no polluting impact on the global environment |
| title_short | Pre-Roman copper industry had no polluting impact on the global environment |
| title_sort | pre roman copper industry had no polluting impact on the global environment |
| topic | Archaeometallurgy Metalliferous pollution Archaeological prospection Lead poisoning Timna Valley Montanarchäologie (mining archaeology) |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-80939-5 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT omriyagel preromancopperindustryhadnopollutingimpactontheglobalenvironment AT aarongreener preromancopperindustryhadnopollutingimpactontheglobalenvironment AT willieondricek preromancopperindustryhadnopollutingimpactontheglobalenvironment AT erezbenyosef preromancopperindustryhadnopollutingimpactontheglobalenvironment |