4 research outputs found
The Iron Age copper industrial complex: A preliminary study of the role of ground stone tools at Khirbat en-Nahas, Jordan
The first industrial revolution in the southern Levant crystallized during the Iron Age when copper production reached scales never before seen in this part of the Middle East. Ever since copper ore was first smelted during the Chalcolithic period, the Arabah valley, and its widespread distribution of copper mineralization, was the main source for copper ore in the region. The main ore deposits are located in Timna (Israel) in the southern part of the valley, and some 105 km to the north, in the Faynan region (Jordan). Faynan is the largest copper ore resource zone in the southern Levant. Excavations at the Iron Age Faynan site of Khirbat en-Nahas and the recent final publication of that project have revealed peaks in industrial-scale production during the 10th and 9th centuries BCE. However, the role of ground stone tools in the Iron Age copper industry in Faynan has not been systematically presented. This paper presents a preliminary study of the ground stone assemblage from one excavation season at Khirbat en-Nahas, thereby highlighting the great potential for ground stone tools research at the site. Using the chaîne opératoire method of technological study, this paper takes a quantitative approach to the typological, material, and spatial distribution of ground stone artefacts at Khirbat en-Nahas to understand their role in copper production. Ethnoarchaeological study of hereditary bronze casting workshops in southern India provides a compelling model of how ground stone tools played a critical role in one of the most important dimensions of metal production in all periods - recycling - in an Iron Age copper factory
Recommended from our members
Green Energy: Global Policy andIssues Affecting the Development ofAlgal Aquaculture for Biofuel
As the global population continues to grow, the corresponding increase of demands upon natural resources will present special challenges. Problems involving the scarcity of fresh water and arable land, additional requirements for energy, and accumulating pollution may all reach critical tipping points in the near future. In anticipation of such crises, governments worldwide are regularly convening to discuss possible strategies intended to mitigate these issues. High on the list of considered solutions is the enactment of biofuel development policies. To gain a broad perspective on the benefits and risks any biofuel policy/program faces, I examine the approaches taken to date by the US Government and the European Commission - the two prominent regulating bodies now involved in biofuels. Careful dissection of the two different approaches taken by these parties, with their successes and failures, reveals lessons broadly applicable to all biofuels and sustainability policy in general. U.S. and European policy trends have increasingly encouraged renewable fuel use in recent years. Many of these mandates and incentives have favored corn-based ethanol because of its existing market presence, infrastructure, and political influence. However, corn-based ethanol does not align with many of the social objectives that motivate renewable fuels policy. Algal biofuels are better united with these objectives along several dimensions, but economics continue to pose obstacles for large-scale production. This paper evaluates the role for algal biofuel in the context of modern policy and is intended to be a resource for policy makers, investors, and researchers interested in evaluating the political landscape associated with renewable energy for transportation and the potential for algal biofuel as a preferred feedstock
Recommended from our members
Green Energy: Global Policy andIssues Affecting the Development ofAlgal Aquaculture for Biofuel
As the global population continues to grow, the corresponding increase of demands upon natural resources will present special challenges. Problems involving the scarcity of fresh water and arable land, additional requirements for energy, and accumulating pollution may all reach critical tipping points in the near future. In anticipation of such crises, governments worldwide are regularly convening to discuss possible strategies intended to mitigate these issues. High on the list of considered solutions is the enactment of biofuel development policies. To gain a broad perspective on the benefits and risks any biofuel policy/program faces, I examine the approaches taken to date by the US Government and the European Commission - the two prominent regulating bodies now involved in biofuels. Careful dissection of the two different approaches taken by these parties, with their successes and failures, reveals lessons broadly applicable to all biofuels and sustainability policy in general. U.S. and European policy trends have increasingly encouraged renewable fuel use in recent years. Many of these mandates and incentives have favored corn-based ethanol because of its existing market presence, infrastructure, and political influence. However, corn-based ethanol does not align with many of the social objectives that motivate renewable fuels policy. Algal biofuels are better united with these objectives along several dimensions, but economics continue to pose obstacles for large-scale production. This paper evaluates the role for algal biofuel in the context of modern policy and is intended to be a resource for policy makers, investors, and researchers interested in evaluating the political landscape associated with renewable energy for transportation and the potential for algal biofuel as a preferred feedstock
Recommended from our members
The Iron Age copper industrial complex: A preliminary study of the role of ground stone tools at Khirbat enNahas, Jordan
The first industrial revolution in the southern Levant crystallized during the Iron Age when copper production reached scales never before seen in this part of the Middle East. Ever since copper ore was first smelted during the Chalcolithic period, the Arabah valley, and its widespread distribution of copper mineralization, was the main source for copper ore in the region. The main ore deposits are located in Timna (Israel) in the southern part of the valley, and some 105 km to the north, in the Faynan region (Jordan). Faynan is the largest copper ore resource zone in the southern Levant. Excavations at the Iron Age Faynan site of Khirbat en-Nahas and the recent final publication of that project have revealed peaks in industrial-scale production during the 10th and 9th centuries BCE. However, the role of ground stone tools in the Iron Age copper industry in Faynan has not been systematically presented. This paper presents a preliminary study of the ground stone assemblage from one excavation season at Khirbat en-Nahas, thereby highlighting the great potential for ground stone tools research at the site. Using the chaîne opératoire method of technological study, this paper takes a quantitative approach to the typological, material, and spatial distribution of ground stone artefacts at Khirbat en-Nahas to understand their role in copper production. Ethnoarchaeological study of hereditary bronze casting workshops in southern India provides a compelling model of how ground stone tools played a critical role in one of the most important dimensions of metal production in all periods - recycling - in an Iron Age copper factory