The interplay of iron and environment
Metallurgy, and iron production in particular, has had a profound impact on human society and technological development. The practice of metallurgy is, however, associated with major negative effects on ecosystems, especially forests. Despite this known ecological cost, little has been done to quantify the impact of iron production on the planet. Now, the EU is funding the project 'Impacts of metallurgy: Iron production and the environment in the Pare Mountains, Tanzania' (ENVIRON) to investigate the ecological effects of past iron production in an iron-producing area of northern Tanzania. ENVIRON researchers first underwent training in a range of analytical techniques pertinent to the project — mostly advanced metallographic and petrographic methods. Following this, researchers conducted extensive fieldwork in the Pare Mountains, building on the results of a previous EU-funded project on the Historical Ecology of East African Landscapes (HEEAL). Three sites were selected for excavation, and archaeological samples were taken from each site. At the same time, researchers interviewed several members of local clans still involved in smithing. Sample analysis and radiocarbon dating is underway at various facilities. ENVIRON has determined that two of the sites were active in the 11th to 13th centuries AD, while the third operated later in the 2nd millennium AD. From these results, as well as an extensive literature review, researchers are compiling a report on the iron industries in the area over the last 1 000 years. This will provide the information needed to model the impact of iron production on the Pare Mountains’ environment and, by extension, other global environments.
Keywords
Environment, iron production, ecosystems, metallurgy, Tanzania