Exceptionally high levels of lead pollution in the Balkans from the Early Bronze Age to the Industrial Revolution

Jack Longman (1) , Daniel Veres (2) , Walter Finsinger (3) , Vasile L Ersek (1)

1 University of Northumbria at Newcastle [United Kingdom]
2 Romanian Academy [IASI]
3 UMR ISEM - Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier

A detailed record of historical lead (Pb) pollution from a peat bog in Serbia provides a unique view on the extent and timing of Balkan mining and metallurgy. Evidence of the earliest European environmental pollution is followed by large-scale and sustained increases in the amount of anthropogenically derived Pb after 600 BCE, through the Roman/Byzantine periods, and into the medieval period. Occasional evidence of drops in pollution output reflects the disruptive socioeconomic impact of periods of turmoil. Our data show a trend significantly different to records in western Europe, where Pb pollution decreases dramatically after the collapse of the Roman Empire. These results suggest metal-rich southeastern Europe should be considered a more major player in environmental metal pollution through time.

Mots clés: peat bog; metal resources; Balkans; lead pollution; medieval

Domaines: Milieux et Changements globaux

Jack Longman, Daniel Veres, Walter Finsinger, Vasile L Ersek. Exceptionally high levels of lead pollution in the Balkans from the Early Bronze Age to the Industrial Revolution. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2018, 115 (25), pp.E5661-E5668. ⟨10.1073/pnas.1721546115⟩. ⟨hal-01814643⟩