In the modern world, much of the natural resources as rivers and lakes are being polluted. Many try to compare the situation now from how it was before industrialization. Man, however, is known to change much of the environment. An ancient river has been found, and scientists want to know if this is the first polluted river in human history.
Pollution has been one of effects of progress. Modern society has much to contend with it. Yet the past has also been affected by pollution. Scientists think that a 7,000 year old river might have been polluted by early man.
The river has now largely dried up. It is located in the Wadi Faynan region of southern Jordan. Investigating the dried riverbed is Professor Russell Adams from the Department of Anthropology at the University of Waterloo. Early humans around the time the riverbed has been polluted might be learning metallurgy.
The Neolithic period has been seen as a time of change for humanity. Humans are moving out of the use of wood and stone tools, and are starting to learn how to make metal instruments. This period has been known as the Copper Age.
The Copper Age has been characterized by much experimentation, as explained by Adams. Much of that time saw man discovering how to use fire and the use of copper. By experimenting, humanity gradually began to make better equipment that would later on lead to even more complex ones.
Copper at that time was made through combining charcoal with a blue-green copper, according to Waterloo News. This was then mixed inside pots and then heated in fire. The by-product of early copper production though has been slag. This has the combination of many chemicals on them. Lead and arsenic are some of the compounds that have been used to create copper.
Much of these would simply be discarded away, often in open areas. Rivers and streams were often used as dumping grounds. Animals and vegetation would be contaminated, and they in turn would be eaten by people. Researchers note that people in that time period likely have high levels of copper and lead in their bones, as Phys Org reports.
The research of Adam and his team will look further into human history. Soon after the Copper Age, the Bronze Age followed. Much would still be revealed in the Faynan region. Researchers wonder about the riverbed there, is this the first polluted river in human history? Early humans like the Neanderthals have also given much to humans today, such as the ability to adapt.
