Doctoral Dissertation Research: Long Term Environmental Effects of Metallurgy

Regents Of The University Of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor MI

Investigators

Abstract

Metallurgy is a transformative technology that left an indelible mark on our world. Along with social and cultural shifts, it introduced contamination by toxic elements such as lead, arsenic, and cadmium into the environment. This doctoral dissertation project investigates the impacts of the toxic elements associated with the spread of intensified metallurgical production. Archaeology is particularly well suited to monitor the impacts of metallurgy, due to its ability to examine the short and long-term impacts of pollution through time. The project offers a new theoretical approach to study technological intensification which focuses on nuanced differences in the adoption and pursuit of intensification among contemporary communities. By examining contamination from metallurgical activity, the research contributes to broader questions of how societies perceive and respond to environmental degradation. The project provides research experience in both fieldwork and laboratory methods for students from different field of studies and promotes further discussion of environmental degradation in the past and present. The results of the research are presented in peer-reviewed journals, lectures, and domestic, international, and interdisciplinary conferences, and presented to the wider public through workshops, social media, podcasts, and websites. The research evaluates the contrasting modalities of metallurgical production and intensification between different time periods. Using data from six archaeological sites, the research merges archaeological evidence of metallurgical activities with methods commonly used in public health and geo-medicine to track environmental contamination. Domestic and wild animal teeth and site sediments provide direct evidence of metallurgical production from settlements and their surroundings. The diachronic and interdisciplinary nature of the research makes it possible to track the nuanced social and environmental impacts of technological intensification. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.