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ORDINARY MEETING OF FELLOWS LECTURE
Fuelling the Anthropocene: Technology, Networks and Environmental Impact of the Bronze Age Steppe Metallurgy by Dr Miljana Radivojevic FSA
Over the past 30 years, extensive research has demonstrated that resource control, innovation, and increased production and use of copper and bronze artifacts were pivotal in shaping social, economic, and technological changes across the Eurasian Steppe, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, between roughly 3500 and 1000 BC. These developments were driven by climate shifts and marked the early stirrings of a globally interconnected world. They fostered the rise of large cultural complexes, the spread of horse domestication, wheeled transport, and long-distance trade across the vast Eurasian landscape.
Research into Bronze Age metallurgy has largely focused on the exploitation of copper, tin, and polymetallic ores and the analysis of numerous copper and bronze objects that circulated across the steppes and beyond. Important mining sites, such as the 500 square-kilometer Kargaly complex in the southern Urals, reveal the scale of these operations. However, the relationship between mining, artifact distribution, and production debris remains underexplored.
In this lecture, new findings are presented from metal production debris analysis, recipe development over the Bronze Age, and experimental reconstructions. Estimates of fuel demands are also provided, shedding light on land use and atmospheric carbon impact. This synthesis opens pathways to understanding the spread of metal technology to China and nearby regions.
Miljana Radivojević, Associate Professor in Archaeological Science at UCL, specializes in early metal technology, particularly copper making in the Balkans. With a PhD in Archaeometallurgy, her research spans fieldwork and lab analysis across Europe, Central Eurasia, and China. Dr Radivojević has published over 40 works, including The Rise of Metallurgy in Eurasia (2021). She is an Honorary Fellow at Cambridge, serves on the British-Kazakh Society Education Board, and is a trustee for the Institute of Archaeo-Metallurgical Studies and the British Foundation of Women Graduates. Recently, she secured major ERC/UKRI funding for research on Bronze Age metal technologies in the Eurasian steppes.
This event will be both in person at Burlington House and online. Please select the appropriate ticket below.
Attendance at Burlington House:
Open to anyone to attend.
The event will begin at 5pm, with tea/coffee from 4.30pm.
Pre-registration is essential for non-Fellows but we encourage Fellows to register as well.
Fellows must ensure they sign the guest book.
Sherry is served in the Foyer following the lecture.
Attendance online:
The event will be live-streamed on Zoom (if you register) and recorded on our YouTube channel.
The event will begin at 5pm.
You will receive an email reminder with the link to join the day of the lecture.
If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected].