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Environmental metal pollution revealed in archaeological human remains
Environmental metal pollution revealed in archaeological human remains
Environmental metal pollution revealed in archaeological human remains
Environmental metal pollution revealed in archaeological human remains

An ERC Consolidator Grant to establish the impact of
environmental metal pollution in ancient populations

Discover Pollutedpast

Environmental metal pollution threatens us all. Metals such as mercury, lead, copper, cadmium or arsenic are toxic even at low doses. Researchers all over the world are trying to explore new future scenarios forgetting the historical dimension of this long-term problem.
PollutedPast aims to develop a new research field to address metal exposure of humans in the past by linking the information obtained from archaeological skeletal remains with the one from natural archives. The overall objective is to determine the severity of metal pollution in preindustrial populations, since pollution seems to be so ancient as it is mining and metallurgy. We want to better understand the historical cost of technology in the life and body of our species.

PollutedPast is funded by the European Union, Horizon Europe

It is an European Research Council project. Number 10108783

Universidade de Santiago de Compostela in Spain is the main institution

The project is also based at Stockholms Universitet in Sweden

You can find our last publication here

Metal concentration

More than 35 elements will be studied

Iberian peninsula and fenoscandia

Special focus in N Spain, C Portugal and Swedish islands

Roman and medieval period

Late Iron Age, Migration Period, … AD 0-1500

Objectives

Our main objectives are:

  • To produce detailed data about human exposure to metal pollution during Roman and Medieval times in Iberia and Scandinavia, and compare these data with that of natural archives.
  • To provide a long-term view of the footprints of metal emissions in human bodies, aiming to decipher the global and local narratives of the relationship between humans and metals.
  • To investigate the transfer of metal pollution from environmental sources to high-risk population strata.
  • To explore the connection with the social- cultural- and economic- background, and activity.

We are also opened to other periods are regions in order to obtain
a global vision of the role of metal pollution in Human History

Toxic metal exposure

These are the most important metals that our project addresses, however many others have a place in our research.

Archaelogical human remains

Are analysed to trace metal exposition, and then connected to different knowledge obtained
from the study of the funerary sites, such as

Physical Antropology

Demography, anthropometry and growth are aspects in which we have led previous work, and today we apply them to paleopollution study

Paleopathology

Paleohealth is reconstructed through paleopathological studies to relate it to exposure to metals. Infectious diseases and metabolic disorders are of special interest.

Paleodiet

Our team is expert in the reconstruction of food preferences and mobility through geochemistry (stable isotopes...) and oral pathology.

ANCIENT TEXTS

Historical texts, especially from the Roman and medieval periods, will be analysed for traces of use and exposure to metals. We consider both medical texts and those indicating the ownership and exploitation of mines and metallurgical sites.

NATURAL ARCHIVES

Natural archives such as peatlands and lakes have been researched for decades to address the level of atmospheric metal pollution. In our work we will combine this information with that obtained from skeletons, as shown in this article of ours, about metals and skeletons from A Lanzada site.

ARCHAEO-ARTEFACTS

In the project we want to understand the role of metals in all aspects of daily life in the past. To do this we analyse archaeological contexts (such as Necrosols) and many artefacts. We also explore experimental archaeology to simulate certain practices.

Combining all this knowledge with an adisciplinary perspective (beyond borders), we imagine…

Do you like it? Check our Team, Scholarships and Job offers

These are some of our material and methods

Sampling peat

Funerary sites

Necrosol sampling

Coring sediments

Mosspheres

Collagen extraction

This project is led by a team that believes in addressing the past of women and children as a way forward into the future. Poppies of the cemetery: they seem ephemeral growing in the barren earth, but they are life.

We believe that local perspectives complement global ones, so our motto is glocalization.

And finally, we try to be guided by strict ethical principles, including minimizing the use of photos of archaeological skeletons on the internet.

“Knowing the past for improving the present and have a better future is the most important gift that Archaeology can give to humankind”

Mercury

Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg. It is toxic to humans in all forms, but Methylmercury is extremely dangerous. However, cinnabar (mercury sulphide) was commonly used in the past to make a bright red pigment called vermilion. Mercury was also used as remedy of diseases or cosmetic. PollutedPast researches its use and consequences in human health, especially the mercury pollution derived from mining and metallurgy, and how mercury was incorporated into the body.

Lead

Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb from the Latin Plumbum. Lead was widely used since Antiquity because is easy to extract and work with (melting point at reltively low temperature). It is incorporated into de body and storage in skeletons, but its release into blood can cause several serious health problems. Lead poisoning has been since ancient times, a fact that did not prevent for a massive use in pipes, remedies, coffins, curse tablets or toys. PollutedPast investigates the level of lead polltion in environment and human bodies, and to distinguish diagenetic from antemortem lead

Arsenic

Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As. Arsenic is extremely poisonous being a health risk in all its forms, even in low doses it is also a carcinogen. In the past, Arsenic was used as beauty treatment, food preservative or as part of metallurgic activities in combination to lead or copper. Arsenic can be found naturally in some water courses becoming a curse for those societies. PollutedPast researches arsenic presence in human and animal bones, an also its speciation, we are interested in knowing its use by following arsenic mentions in ancient texts.

Copper

Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu. Small amounts of copper are found in the healthy human body, as it is necessary for life. However, abuse of copper can be dangerous. Copper isotopes can inform us about physiological stress. Copper has been widely used and named one historical period: the Copper Age (Chalcolithic). Copper acetate has a bright green colour and was used as remedy for infectious diseases – for example Avicena recommended it to treat otitis. Copper isotopes can tell us about physiological stress. PollutedPast investigates copper in human bones and natural archives, with a particular focus on its use as a medical treatment.

Cadmium

Cadmium is a chemical element with the symbol Cd. It has no biological function. Cadmium can be found in zinc ores and is the most unknown pollutant we research. Incorporation of cadmium into the body can cause several disorders, including osteoporosis, and appears to preferentially affect women. Inhalation of fine dust and fumes, or ingestion are major issues today, but little historical information is available. After lead and mercury, cadmium is the third most important pollutant in the EU Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive. PollutedPast want to address bePer its biogeochemistry and past use.