Wykład w języku polskim: In the Middle Ages, the exploitation and processing of natural resources to extract silver and iron has already been conducted on a large scale. In the Lower Silesian-Lusatian Heath in the west of Poland, no less than forty hammer mills were running in the 15th and 16th centuries. Even today, archaeological research in the field is able to prove traces of iron smelting and charcoal production. The intensive medieval silver mining in the Ore Mountains on both sides of the Saxon-Czech border had a profound impact on the landscape in those days. The effects of silver mining are in parts still visible today. It becomes apparent that the Middle Ages were far from an ideal world with a pristine environment. Through cross-border research endeavours, Polish and Saxon archaeologists focus on pivotal eras in their respective national histories including what was then considered cutting-edge technology for mining and production processes. The lecture is held in Polish and German with translations.

Speakers:

Dr Paweł Konczewski studied archaeology at the Wrocław University, where he also obtained his doctoral degree. Currently, he is a lecturer at the Chair of Anthropology of the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences and the editor-in-chief of the scientific quarterly Archeologia Żywa.

Dr Christiane Hemker has been heading the archaeological mining research programme at the Archaeological Heritage Office Saxony for many years. The research focus of her international projects is on medieval mining in Saxony and Bohemia.