tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886680068187530519.post5396776437651351550..comments2024-02-07T23:25:07.429-06:00Comments on Bell Beaker Blogger: Lead Mining in the British Isles (1800 B.C.)bellbeakerbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848982163843593127noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886680068187530519.post-9408829509042922162015-02-07T17:59:55.337-06:002015-02-07T17:59:55.337-06:00"One theory suggests impotence from lead pois..."One theory suggests impotence from lead poisioning brought down the Roman Empire."<br /><br />Doesn't make sense: lead plumbing was widespread in Modern Europe until recently (my house, built in the 1920s, still had some lead pipes years ago) and people managed quite well. Sure: long term health may be affected but the hygienic advantages of plumbing make up for it with a big plus. <br /><br />Another thing is using lead as "medicine" or cosmetic but that was surely less common (most people wouldn't have access to such "luxuries" - well, actually not even to plumbing for all I know). Majuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12369840391933337204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886680068187530519.post-63418497124921249752015-02-07T17:55:01.207-06:002015-02-07T17:55:01.207-06:00Romans used lead massively in plumbing (plumbus = ...Romans used lead massively in plumbing (plumbus = lead). Apparently Minoans did the same much earlier and I guess that it were the Etruscans who transmitted this knowledge (would need to check but sounds plausible). <br /><br />I can't find any reference either for significant use of lead in Chalcolithic Iberia. Some was used in the Bronze Age in "bronze" alloys, whose composition varied quite a bit, and then it was used in the Iron Age as "paper" for writing. <br /><br />Let me throw a wild guess: the lead may have been exported to Crete. Else, where is all that mined lead? Majuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12369840391933337204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886680068187530519.post-65589339960833865922015-02-07T14:10:35.908-06:002015-02-07T14:10:35.908-06:00Doing some reading I found mentions of early lead ...Doing some reading I found mentions of early lead mining in other places, especially Iberia 5kbp, but couldn't find any references. Lead useage goes back at least to the PPNB so it is I think fairly probable that the first metallurgist in Western Europe, especially the Isles, were more sophisticated than is popularly believed.<br /><br />The Greeks and Romans made very substantial use of lead. One theory suggests impotence from lead poisioning brought down the Roman Empire.bellbeakerbloggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01848982163843593127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886680068187530519.post-63138691848240454962015-02-06T14:38:58.804-06:002015-02-06T14:38:58.804-06:00Acton Park Phase palstaves have a certain lead con...Acton Park Phase palstaves have a certain lead content. North Wales was supplying these to lowland Britain. The Deceangli tribe were known to be mining lead on Halkyn Mountain in North Wales during the Roman period, however I suspect that this was being carried out in the area far earlier, contemporary with copper mining on the Great Orme 30 miles to the west.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13013399855770625556noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886680068187530519.post-50885715754846849202015-02-06T02:14:20.851-06:002015-02-06T02:14:20.851-06:00Seems like an interesting idea but do we have any ...Seems like an interesting idea but do we have any evidence of any such uses of lead, for example broken casts?Majuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12369840391933337204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886680068187530519.post-41579400374690538392015-02-05T22:57:51.835-06:002015-02-05T22:57:51.835-06:00They were certainly mining lead. A few other site...They were certainly mining lead. A few other sites seem to indicate this was more widespread than we might think.<br />It will be interesting if more heavy metals testing on human remains reveal high levels of aresenic and lead.<br />It's thought lead poisoning sterilized Roman men. In those days lead salt was used to sweeten wine(!)bellbeakerbloggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01848982163843593127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886680068187530519.post-67269496244795037682015-02-05T22:37:20.550-06:002015-02-05T22:37:20.550-06:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08172964121659914379noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886680068187530519.post-1671216396183525642015-02-05T22:18:36.519-06:002015-02-05T22:18:36.519-06:00Lead and tin make pewter, an easily worked metal f...Lead and tin make pewter, an easily worked metal for a variety of purposes. Lead is also a good material for making dies in which to pure molten metal to make tools.andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08172964121659914379noreply@blogger.com