I think that you have to be very cautious about the assumptions made by this
study. Yes they have found evidence of lead but where is the evidence to
link it to smelting activities? Is this a type of pollution which could only
come from smelting? if so where were the smelting sites. Anayisis of the
lead isotopes present could indicate where in the world this lead came from,
has such a study been done to back up their claims. I dont recall seeing any
follow up articles. These figures suggest that we should be finding
industrial scale Roman smelting sites and that there could consequently be
mining sites of a comparable size to many 19th century mines. This is not
the case.
Similar bold statemants have been made by environmental scientisits working
on river sediments who have suggested that there was large scale mining in
the Yorkshire Dales in the period following the Roman ocupation, again
without any archaeological or historical data to back up their claims.
Such bold statements attract public attention and are very useful when
trying to attract aditional funding for a research project.
Yours Cynically,
Martin Roe
Conservation Officer NAMHO
National Association of Mining History Organisations http://www.namho.org
Lead Mining in the Yorkshire Dales
http://www.mroe.freeserve.co.uk
The Industrial Heritage of Calderdale
http://www.halifaxcouriertoday.co.uk/ftpinc/calderheritage
>From: Webmaster <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: "The mining-history list." <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: lead production in the Roman period
>Date: Wed, 12 Mar 2003 23:58:45 -0000
>
>The story below is an old one I know, but it cought my eye since it states
>that lead production was 80,000 tons per year around the birth of christ.
>The articles seems to assume that it would take the cupilation of 80,000
>tons of lead to create the 800 tons of lead deposition that has been
>noticed
>in Greenland.
>
>Would anyone care to guess the number of people involved in extracting that
>amount of lead per year using techniques available to the Roman and other
>peoples of the globe at that time? How does this compare to later lead
>production levels?
>
>Thanks
>
>George Chaplin
>
>
>
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