On Intensive Late Holocene Iron Mining and Production in the Northern Congo Basin and the Environmental Consequences Associated with Metallurgy in Central Africa

摘要: An ongoing question in paleoenvironmental reconstructions of the central African rainforest concerns role that prehistoric metallurgy played shaping forest vegetation. Here we report evidence intensive iron-ore mining and smelting forested regions northern Congo Basin dating to late Holocene. Volumetric estimates on extracted associated slag mounds from sites southern Central Republic suggest large-scale iron production par with other archaeological historically-known fabrication areas. These data document first spanning approximately 90 years prior colonial occupation (circa AD 1889) during an interval time is poorly represented record. Additional site areas pre-dating these remains by 3-4 centuries reflect earlier period a smaller scale. Microbotanical sediment core collected adjacent riparian trap shows reduction shade-demanding trees concert increase light-demanding species intensification. This shift occurs same when many portions witnessed transgressions return moister more humid conditions beginning 500-100 ago. Although presented here do not demonstrate activities caused widespread vegetation change Africa, argue intense can have localized potentially regional impacts communities. further high value pairing archeological analyses reconstruct regional-scale histories.