SUITMA 2003 Nancy - Consequences of ancient anthropogenic activities on soil contamination
SUITMA 2003 Nancy
| This abstract is about the keynote lecture 1 of the SUITMA 2003 Nancy symposium. |
| André Guillerme.i |
- i - Centre d'histoire des techniques, Conservatoire national des arts et métiers (CNAM), Paris.
As early as the third millennium BC, the indo-european expansion appears through the search of metalliferous ores in Alpes and Carpates. Therefore, metallurgic activities pollute soils. It goes on with the Celts and the Roman conquest – silver, bearning plumb in Spain and British Cornway, gold mines in Dacy – which makes city: a place of anthropic dense population, a strong place of consumption. The city is depositary of the most precious metal for its temples and for its feasts; it oxidizes them, digs them for funerals or smelts them trough frequent fires.
The Middle-Age christianizes west, beautifies city with churches whose finest are covered with plumb. The war smith seat the lord in his fortress as the monetary workshops – gold and silver – increase in a busier and busier Europ.
Renaissance develops new arts to bore, extract, smelt metals to cover up first the strong war demand, next aristocratic one, always urban. The more the city is populous, the more it transforms, the more it enriches, the more it metallizes itself, the more
contamined is its soil.
The end of the 18th century creates new metals – zinc, platinum, cadmium – and new molecules thanks to new chemistry and to mecanics. The so-call industrial revolution blackens the most skillful cities to produce the energy required for modifying these new alloys and molecules. Metals, acids, new dyes pour evaporate, soak the city and its suburbs to figure the 19th century as the Dark Age of pollution, of soil contamination.
The second industrial revolution beginning during the second half of the century concentrates the production on new non biodegradable molecule in the outer suburbs. By concern for hygiene cities cleanse air by proofing soil surface and by discharging downstream the household and craft sweats thought sewage networks: urban and heavy dusts wreath suburbs. The intern burning engine which is a great consumer of petroleum, oils and metal, makes the conquest of the city with the 20th century quickly.
Where are today these dusts, witness of urban anthropic activities ?
