The ecology of mining. Human–environmental relations in the Medieval and Early Modern mining in Central Europe

Abstract

The study evaluates the living conditions of inhabitants of mining regions in relation to the environmental impact of mining and smelting industries in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Period. The research is based on the analysis of finds from the Black Forest (Schwarzwald), the Harz Mountains, the Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge), Silesia, Lesser Poland, Bohemia, Moravia, and modern-day Slovakia. Mines and smelters affected to the greatest extent their immediate vicinity. Deforestation due to the great demand for wood, used as fuel and building material, was the most visible change in the landscape. The speed of this process varied depending on types of deposits and used mining techniques, although it could be also slowed down by a proper forest management. Woodlands were also destroyed as a result of open-pit mining and general transformation of ground surface, which led to intensified erosion and, in some regions, even desertification. Toxic elements (lead, copper, cadmium, arsenic) were released to the environment during all stages of mining production. Contaminated waste products of the initial preparation of ore (crushing, grinding) were generally deposited near mines. Some pollutants got directly into watercourses in the process of ore washing and were transported with water to even remote agricultural regions. The most toxic and dangerous substances were released during the smelting, with their highest concentration found near smelters and gradually lowering with the distance. In those highly polluted places, miners, smelters and other workers connected with mining activity lived with their families. They absorbed the toxins with food, water and air, resulting in various diseases and even in higher than average death rate. Those people were probably aware of the negative effects such living conditions had on their health. However, optimization of production costs was more important than the health and wellbeing of workers. This approach is confirmed by dwellings and permanent settlements being located in the close proximity of mines and places of the initial preparation of ore. Unquestionably, the production intensification and the changes in social organisation of miners caused the general deterioration of living conditions in the mining regions.

Keywords

• mining archaeology
• settlement
• man-environment
• Middle Ages
• Early Modern Period