What was the initial clue? Gold impurities in ancient silver coins and lead contamination in Greenland ice. This showed that the Romans were pioneers of recycling. The University of Liverpool and the University of Warwick came to this conclusion.
The ancient extraction of silver from ores and its refining in mints resulted in extensive lead contamination. Ancient pollution entered the atmosphere and crossed the Atlantic. And it left a trace of pollution on the Greenland ice. But there was a dramatic decline in lead contamination levels in ice during the late Roman Republic.
Recycling silver
During the 1st and 2nd centuries BC, Rome’s access to silver mines in Iberia and southern France was interrupted by conflict. But this doesn’t fully explain the drops in lead pollution. Liverpool researchers Dr Jonathan Wood and Dr Matthew Ponting explain this phenomenon. They point out that the Romans recycled silver to make coins. It was often looted after conflicts in Iberia and southern France.
The researchers analyzed the amount of another element present in the currency: gold. All silver produced in ancient times contains small amounts of gold. Around the year 120 BC. C. Groups of coins with very low levels of gold began to appear. In 49 BC, a new infusion of silver with high levels of gold appears to enter circulation. Indeed, Julius Caesar returned to Rome from his battles with the Gauls in 49 BC. C. That is why researchers propose that this new silver in circulation was looted by his army.
Ingenious solution
Dr. Jonathan Wood said this in a statement. “Degrading silver was a way to deal with fluctuations in silver supply. Melting existing silver, whether its own or someone else’s, was another. For the Romans, recycling coins would have been considerably less expensive than mining new silver. “It was a benefit to their finances, as well as the environment.”
It is true that the Romans were pioneers of recycling. Maybe they didn’t think about the environment, it’s true. But recycling is a solution that has worked on many levels, for thousands of years.
