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Sardinia: Forgotten Silver Age

Project Host
Monash University
Revenue
$3,022,000,000 AUD
Charity Number
Project aims
To conduct a geochemical survey of a former silver-mining region in Sardinia to determine the toxic legacies which persist today and develop strategies to remediate contaminated soils.
Project description
While mining is commonly perceived as a modern phenomenon, thousands of pre-industrial mines altered numerous ecosystems, often irreversibly, by depositing toxins such as lead, mercury, silver and arsenic into surrounding soils, waterways and airways. Many of these sites are obscured today by abandonment, revegetation or have been unknowingly re-developed. Their invisible presence limits our understanding of how mining changed ecosystems, including how they impact modern communities. Consequently, we plan to conduct a multi-year survey of the landscape and environmental-health dynamics of pre-industrial mining in the Iglesiente, a major silver-mining region in Sardinia, Italy. To date, limited geochemical and archaeological work has been undertaken in the Iglesiente, hence any toxicological findings will strengthen environmental accountability and potential climate positive remediation strategies. We are a multidisciplinary team based at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and involving scholars from The Netherlands, France and Italy, composed of experienced researchers from the disciplines of history, archaeology and materials engineering. Our team is collaborating with international scholars, heritage organisations and scientific partners, in addition to partnering with key organisations and stakeholders in Sardinia to cultivate strong regional alliances and accelerate advocacy for the region’s environmental sustainability.
Contact name
Daniel Italia-Prasad
Phone
+61 416 436 271
Email
dita0001@student.monash.edu
Website
https://premodernhealthscaping.hcommons.org/

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