Hello

I am a geology student from Romania, interested in doing his bachelor paper in geological methods applied in mining archaeology. Unfortunatelly, I haven't found many documents regarding mining archaeology, so my view on the subject is quite profane.

I was wondering if anyone can give me some hints, titles or ideeas. The mine I am going to explore/work on is an old roman-silver mine, in Baia Sprie, northern Romania

Thank you very much

ps: Terribly sorry if I posted this on the wrong section of the forum

In the UK there are many clubs and also professional archaeologists studying mining.
Look at Peak District Mines Historical Society for a start.
In Germany also there is a strong archaeological input.
Try 'AdM Michael' on www.aditnow.co.uk

Les

I'll pass on the request to my brother who is the better contact for professional mining archaeology in Germany.

http://forum.untertage.com/  is probaly the best place for a general request in Germany. You'll find me there as well.

I've just registered to make things a little bit easier. The following taken from an article in preparation may be helpful for a start (I hope so):

Archaeology in general is the study of past human societies on the basis of material culture and environmental data left behind by them. Within this wide field the sub-discipline mining archaeology (mining= the entire extraction of raw materials, processing and working in the sense of mining industry) is concerned with recording, research, interpretation and to a certain extent with the conservation of the material heritage of artefacts, plants and systems in mining within their cultural and historical context. The contribution to history is of a special character due to specific sources. Mining archaeology is not restricted to particular periods and can be conducted all over the world. It is only missing where mining was not possible due to geological, morphological, climatic or topographical conditions.
As several different basics and methods are applied it is an interdisciplinary branch of research. Features and finds of mining and smelting (underground mining, quarries, beneficiation, smelting and working) are examined without any restriction to a particular period. Apart from archaeological sources written accounts, pictorial evidence, ethnology and experimental archaeology are also to be considered.

Thank you very much for answering. I have a few ideeas regarding what I would like to do, but I don't have materials for any of them or any archaeological knowledge (only geology).
The topics I was thinking of reaching were : paleomagnetic studies of burnt structures, ore estimations (how much they managed to exploit), studies on gangue (sedimentology and mineralogy - this I find quite interesting, but have no materials) and also studies on different pigments found in the areea and see if they are based on minerals found in the mine.
As I said earlier, the mine is an old Roman silver mine, but unfortunatelly, I have no ideea wether it was exploited in medieval times or not. I guess that's one thing I will have to find out.

There are a few publications on these topics, some in German. The estimations will be a problem. But it might be possible to get a clearer picture of the post-Roman phases. Are there any finds or recorded sections of the adits?

As far as i know there aren't. I know that some folks from Baia Mare speomontana (a speology club) entered the mine, but haven't seen a map yet. I'll talk with someone tomorow and see if he has some ideeas. But what I was told is that they didn't chart it.
http://www.speomontana.ro/imagini/displayimage.php?album=81&pos=0 

Photos are fine, too, as long as there is a scale in the picture. One (2nd pic?) looks like it is Roman. Picture 11 shows a nice example of firesetting. There may be some charcoal for radiocarbon dating. The workings are difficult to tell from the photos.

I'll try to have a list with some publications ready for you by tomorrow.

Here's a first list of publications that might be interesting for you.

General:

B. Ancel/P. Fluck, Archäologie und Bergbauspeläologie. In M. M. Grewenig (ed.), Leben im Mittelalter - 30 Jahre Mittelalterarchäologie im Elsaß. Katalog zur Ausstellung vom 25. Oktober 1992 bis 2. Mai 1993). Historisches Museum der Pfalz, Speyer 1992, pp. 429-433.

J. Babist, Geological Survey and conventional Surface Survey as Base Method for mining archaeological Field Prospection. In J. Silvertant (ed.), Mining archaeological Research: Interdisciplinary Methodology. 5th International Symposium on archaeological Mining History Freiberg 2010, Valkenburg aan de Geul/Freiberg 2010, pp. 165-179

P. Fluck, Einführung in die Elsässische Bergbauarchäologie. M. M. Grewenig (ed.), Leben im Mittelalter - 30 Jahre Mittelalterarchäologie im Elsaß. Katalog zur Ausstellung vom 25. Oktober 1992 bis 2. Mai 1993). Historisches Museum der Pfalz, Speyer 1992. pp. 417-428

G. Goldenberg: Die montanarchäologische Prospektion – Methoden und Ergebnisse. Erze, Schlacken und Metall: Freiburger Universitätsblätter, H. 109, Sept. 1990, pp. 85-113

M. Roe, Recording the underground archaeology of mines: a descriptive specification, o.O. 2002

H. v. Petrikovits, Anregungen zu Zusammenarbeit von Archäologen mit Berg- und Hüttenleuten. Der Anschnitt, 11, 1959, H. 2, pp. 3-8

H. Steuer/U. Zimmermann, Montanarchäologie in Europa: Archäologie und Geschichte Bd. 4, Sigmaringen 1993.

H. Steuer/U. Zimmermann (ed.), Alter Bergbau in Deutschland, Hamburg 2000

M. Straßburger, Archäologische Dokumentation von Altbergbau über- und untertage sowie die Datierung und Interpretation der Befunde. In W. Busch/K. Maas/G. Meier/A. Sroka et al. (eds.), 3. Altbergbaukolloquium (6.-8. Nov. 2003 TU Bergakademie Freiberg), Essen 2003 S. 89-103

M. Straßburger, Mindestanforderungen einer archäologischen Dokumentation von Altbergbau im Rahmen von Erkundung, Sicherung und Verwahrung. In W. Busch/K. Maas/G. Meier/A. Sroka et al. (eds.), 7. Altbergbaukolloquium (TU Bergakademie Freiberg), Essen 2007, pp. 166-178

M. Straßburger, Miningarchaeology in Southwest Germany: Methods, results and protection of mining sites. In J. Silvertant/J. Ní Mhaírtin (ed.), What lies Beneath. 3rd International Symposium on Archaeological Mining History, Maastricht May, 9th-11th 2008, Valkenburg aan de Geul 2008, pp. 58-79

St. Adlung/M. Straßburger, Dating of Mine Gallery Profiles; A Contribution to Typo-Chronology in Mining Archaeology. In J. Silvertant (ed.), Recognition, Investigation and Preservation of ancient Mining Relics. 4th International Symposium on archaeological Mining History, Valkenburg aan de Geul 2009, pp. 81-107

G. Weisgerber, Montanarchäologie. Grundzüge einer systematischen Bergbaukunde für Vor- und Frühgeschichte und Antike. Der Anschnitt 41, 1989, pp. 190-204

G. Weisgerber, Montanarchäologie. Grundzüge einer systematischen Bergbaukunde für Vor- und Frühgeschichte und Antike. Der Anschnitt 42, 1990, pp. 2-18

G. Weisgerber, Aufgaben der Montanarchäologie. Archäologie Österreichs 6, 2, 1995, pp. 23-29

G. Weisgerber, Zur Geschichte der Bergbauarchäologie. Nachrichten aus Niedersachsens Urgeschichte 66, 1, Stuttgart 1997, pp. 7-19

http://www.archaeologie-online.de/magazin/thema/montanarchaeologie/einfuehrung_in_die_ 
montanarchaeologie/

H. Wilsdorf, Bergleute und Hüttenmänner im Altertum bis zum Ausgang der römischen Republik – ihre wirtschaftliche, soziale und juristische Lage, Berlin 1952


Firesetting:

John Barnatt/Terry Worthington, Using Coal to Mine Lead: Firesetting at Peak District Mines. Mining History, Vol. 16, No. 3, (2006)


Pigments:

M. Vitruvius, De Architectura Libri Decem, translated by C. Fensterbusch, Darmstadt 1996

M. H. Crawford/J. M. Reynolds, The Aizani Copy of the Prices Edict. Ztschr. f. Papyrologie und Epigraphie, 34, 1979, pp. 163-210

F. Delamare, Le bleu égyptien, essai de bibliographique critique. A paraître dans les Actes de la Table Ronde „La couleur dans la peinture et l'émaillage de l'Egypte ancienne“, CU-EBC, 1988

A. Eibner, Entwicklung und Werkstoffe der Wandmalerei vom Altertum bis zur Neuzeit, Wiesbaden 1970

L. Heck, Blaue Pigmentkugel aus der römischen Villa von Borg: Frühe chemische Industrie auf der Basis des Azuritbergbaus zwischen Mosel und Saar. Metalla, 6.1, 1999, pp. 13-39

E. Riha, Anhang: Blaue Pigmentkugeln. In: Römisches Toilettgerät und medizinische Instrumente aus Augst und Kaiseraugst, Augst 1986, pp. 87-100, 188

G. Weisgerber, Wallerfanger Bergblau – seit der Römerzeit stark gefragt. Archäologie in Deutschland 2/2001, pp. 8-13

Thank you very much for answering. I have a few ideeas regarding what I would like to do, but I don't have materials for any of them or any archaeological knowledge (only geology).
The topics I was thinking of reaching were : paleomagnetic studies of burnt structures, ore estimations (how much they managed to exploit), studies on gangue (sedimentology and mineralogy - this I find quite interesting, but have no materials) and also studies on different pigments found in the areea and see if they are based on minerals found in the mine.
As I said earlier, the mine is an old Roman silver mine, but unfortunatelly, I have no ideea wether it was exploited in medieval times or not. I guess that's one thing I will have to find out.

http://www.peakmines.co.uk/ 

Another possibility if there are sediment deposits outside of the mine which have been exposed to sunlight then buried is to try Optically Stimulated Luminesence (OSL) dating on them - this was successfully used on a UK site to show that an iron mine had been active in Roman times (see Brown, A., Bennett, J., and Rhodes, E. (2009) ‘Roman mining on Exmoor: a geomorphological approach at Anstey’s Combe, Dulverton’ Environmental Archaeology 14 (1) p. 50-61)

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Here is more:

Ph. Andrews, Excavating mines, with examples from Cwmystwyth, Chinflon und Kestel. Bulletin of the Peak District Mines Historical Society Vol. 12, No. 3, 1994, pp. 13-21

B. Craddock, Drawing Ancient Mines. Bulletin of the Peak District Mines Historical Society Vol. 12, No. 3, 1994, pp. 9-12

G. A. T. Duller, Luminescence Dating: guidelines using luminescence dating in archaeology, Swindon 2008

S. Timberlake, How old is the Old Man: Discovering ancient Mines. Bull. P. D. M. H. S., Vol. 14, No. 6, 2001, pp. 54-60

Wow..thank you very much!
Guess now I have to start digging for the papers. Hope I find at least a couple of them. To be honest, I was a bit unsure when I came up with the ideea, because as far as I know, the only serious example of mining archaeology I read about in Romania, was at Rosia Montana, and well I was't sure if it was a good ideea for a bachelor paper in geology.
I have no idea why it is so hard to find materials for such a study.
Thank you again very much!

http://www.pdmhs.com/BackIssues.asp 

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I find it quite hard to find the books with the documents in German, and pretty sure that I can't find them as pdf's. The pdmhs site is very good, found a lot of interesting stuff on it. Also, the thermoluminiscence idea is great. I shall speak with one of my professors the following days and see if it is possible.

I'll be back home in Bavaria on Friday and will see what I can do.

I spoke with my professor, and unfortunatelly, I don't have the option to use thermoluminiscence in our University, only in Cluj. I'll start searching for different companies/laboratories that might have the necessary equipment... I really want to do this, it's actually very very interesting.

If you want to look at sediments from outside the mine, optically stimulated luminescence would be a better technique than thermoluminescence. However, thermoluminescence may work on burned rock within the mine - if you can find somewhere that can carry out the analyses for you, they will be able to advise you further on what materials might be suitable for both techniques.

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