Researchers have discovered the oldest evidence of lead pollution in the environment, dating back 5,200 years, in sediment cores from mainland Greece and the Aegean Sea. This discovery predates previous findings by 1,200 years and sheds light on the impact of ancient metalworking practices on the environment. The study suggests that lead contamination was relatively localized during ancient Greece's Bronze Age, Classical period, and Hellenistic period but increased significantly around 2,150 years ago, coinciding with the Roman conquest of Greece and a surge in demand for silver.
Caryatid statues that prop up the porch of the 5th century B.C. Erechtheion temple are pictured at Acropolis hill, in Athens in 2024.Researchers studying sediment cores recovered from mainland Greece and the Aegean Sea have found the oldest known evidence of lead pollution in the environment dating to around 5,200 years ago.
In antiquity, lead was released into the atmosphere as a byproduct of smelting ore for copper and silver. The toxic metal later condensed as dust and settled onto the soil. The site with the earliest signs of lead contamination is located in northeastern Greece, near the island of Thasos. Prior archeological evidence suggests Thasos was one of the region’s most significant sites for silver mining and metalwork, said Maran.
The researchers found that levels of lead contamination remained fairly low and localized in ancient Greece, considered the cradle of European civilization, throughout the Bronze Age, the Classical period and the Hellenistic period. The Classical period is famous for Athenian democracy, Socrates and Plato, and the Hellenistic period saw Greek cultural influence peak across the Mediterranean region.
LEAD POLLUTION ANCIENT GREECE ROMAN EMPIRE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT METALWORKING
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