Minimal metal pollution at the Timna mines?

ARCHAEOLOGY: Ancient copper smelting at ‘King Solomon’s mines’ was less toxic than today’s industry. Soil samples from Timna show that previous studies have exaggerated the environmental impact of the mining industry in antiquity, Tel Aviv University research team finds (Gavriel Fiske, Times of Israel).

Much like mines in the modern age, scholars have long assumed that ancient mining and metallurgy were highly toxic and dangerous, claiming the industry had a long-term, detrimental effect on the environment and nearby communities. But new research based out of what some consider King Solomon’s fabled copper mines is upending that hypothesis.

A new study of soil samples from two Timna-area mines in southern Israel, authored by Prof. Erez Ben-Yosef of Tel Aviv University and his team, has shown that metal pollution as a result of the ancient copper industry was minimal. Most of “the population in the past, and today, most probably did not suffer at all from any kind of health consequences” resulting from the mines, Ben-Yosef told The Times of Israel by phone.

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For much more on the Timna Valley excavation, especially its important organic remains, start here and follow the links.

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