(NLDO) - More than 5,200 years ago, the Egyptians had activities that were almost like the industrial era and caused the Nile River to become the first place to be polluted with metals.
A study recently published in the scientific journal Geology provides shocking evidence of the first human-caused metal pollution more than 5,200 years ago, due to the overdevelopment of metallurgy in Egypt.
The only difference with today's industrialized metallurgy is that the central metal is not iron or steel, but copper.
The ancient port area of Khufu, right next to the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, was the first place in the world to be polluted by industrial activities - Photo: LIVE SCIENCE
According to Live Science , researchers drilled underground below the streets of Cairo, at a location just 1 km from the Great Pyramid of Giza. That is where the world's oldest port - Khufu - is located.
And now, scientists have identified the first place in the world contaminated with metals by humans.
Metal pollution began to receive much attention and research in the 20th century, although it may have appeared and affected humans some time before that, when the industrial revolution changed the world.
But for a long time, the Egyptians on the banks of the Nile had to endure this situation because of the "timeless" development of ancient Egyptian civilization.
According to geochemist Alain Véron from Aix-Marseille University (France), the research aims to search for ancient sediment layers to understand more about the lives of 95% of the ancient Egyptian population.
They were common people whose lives were different from the elites found in the pyramids and lavish tombs.
Located along a now-defunct branch of the Nile near the Giza Plateau, the port of Khufu played a vital role in the transport of materials and was the site of a large bronze tool-making industry.
Some of these tools were also mixed with arsenic by workers to increase their durability during manufacture, including blades, chisels, and drills used to work materials such as limestone, wood, and textiles.
The researchers used inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to measure levels of copper and arsenic, as well as aluminum, iron and titanium, with six carbon-14 dates to establish a chronological framework.
Research has placed the onset of metal pollution at around 3,265 BC, suggesting that people began living and working with metal at Giza 200 years earlier than previously recorded.
Metal pollution peaked during late pyramid construction around 2,500 BC and lasted until around 1,000 BC, with copper levels in sediments up to 5–6 times higher than natural levels.
The authors said this indicated an industrial operation of "significant" scale.
The study provides further insight into how ancient Egyptians adapted to environmental challenges.
As the Nile receded and the port of Khufu shrank, metalworking continued.
When the Nile reached its lowest level, around 2200 BC – a period marked by civil unrest and rumors of cannibalism – metal pollution remained high, suggesting that the infrastructure and workforce were resilient.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/lo-dau-vet-gay-soc-cua-nen-cong-nghiep-5200-tuoi-o-ai-cap-196240831081441245.htm
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