Not often a book review shocks.
From the June 24 issue of a Peter Thoneman review in the TLS:
Perhaps the most impressive chapter in Imperialism, Power, and Identity (and one which ought to be read anyone with even a passing interest in the Roman world) is an extended study of the ROman copper mines in the Jordanian desert north of Petra. This was one of the larges mining and smelting operations in the Roman world, infamous for the horrific treatment of Christians condemned to hard labour. The smelting process demanded huge quantities of charcoal, and the vast human and animal workforce needed food and fodder. As a result, the surrounding landscape was farmed and grazed far beyond its normal carrying capacity, resulting in the permanent desertification of the region. Simultaneously, the smelting process generated such intense heavy-metal pollution that the landscape is still today dangerously toxic, with alarming consequences for the local Bedouin population.
Yikes, Cf. Chernobyl.
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