The ancient Romans are famous for their grand architecture, innovative engineering, and vast empire.
But did you know they were also one of the early recyclers?
A fresh study reveals fascinating insights into how Romans made use of their resources.
What’s This All About? Researchers from the University of Liverpool and the University of Warwick have made an exciting discovery: the Romans recycled silver to make their coins. How did they figure this out? Through two main clues: gold traces in silver coins and pollution patterns in Greenland ice.
Pollution in Ice? When silver is extracted and refined, it releases lead pollution. This pollution can travel long distances, even crossing the Atlantic Ocean, and then settle down in places like Greenland. By studying the pollution in Greenland’s ice, scientists can get hints about ancient silver production.
Interestingly, even though the Romans kept making silver coins, there was a significant drop in this pollution during the late Roman Republic era.
So, What Happened to the Silver? During the 1st and 2nd centuries BC, wars interrupted Rome’s access to silver mines in places like Iberia (modern-day Spain) and southern France. Some might think the Romans just mixed their silver coins with copper because they had less silver. But this theory doesn’t fully explain the drop in lead pollution.
The researchers, Dr. Jonathan Wood and Dr. Matthew Ponting, believe the answer is recycling. Instead of using fresh silver from mines, the Romans melted down old silver items, often those they got as spoils from wars.
The Golden Clue All silver, when produced, has tiny bits of gold in it. By studying the gold in ancient silver coins, researchers can guess where the silver came from.
Around 120 BC, they found coins with very little gold. This kind of silver reappeared in coins half a century later. Then, in 49 BC, they saw a sudden jump in the gold content in new coins. Since this was the same time Julius Caesar returned from his wars with the Gauls, it’s believed this new batch of silver, rich in gold, was taken from the conquered lands by Caesar’s army.
Why Does This Matter? This discovery is a part of a bigger project trying to understand how Romans used money as a tool to grow their empire. It also reminds us that the Romans were smart with their resources.
As Dr. Jonathan Wood said, melting down and reusing old silver was cheaper and more environmentally friendly than digging up new silver. Just like how recycling today helps our planet and saves money, the Romans recycled silver for similar benefits.
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Source: University of Liverpool.
