Lead pollution in Greenland ice shows rise and fall of ancient European civilizations
Mon, May 14, 2018
Ice-core study finds evidence of plagues, wars and imperial expansion.
DESERT RESEARCH INSTITUTE—Reno, NV (May 14, 2018): To learn about the rise and fall of ancient European civilizations, researchers sometimes find clues in unlikely places: deep inside of the Greenland ice sheet, for example.
Thousands of years ago, during the height of the ancient Greek and Roman empires, lead emissions from sources such as the mining and smelting of lead-silver ores in Europe drifted with the winds over the ocean to Greenland – a distance of more than 2800 miles (4600 km) – and settled onto the ice. Year after year, as fallen snow added layers to the ice sheet, lead emissions were captured along with dust and other airborne particles, and became part of the ice-core record that scientists use today to learn about conditions of the past.
https://popular-archaeology.com/article/lead-pollution-in-greenland-ice-shows-rise-and-fall-of-ancient-european-civilizations/
