Water Reservoirs in North-Western Hispania Roman Gold Mining: Technology, Chronology and Paleoenvironmental Evolution

Abstract

ABSTRACT Water reservoirs located on the mining fronts were essential for the operation of Roman gold mining. They served purposes such as the extraction and washing of gold deposits, and the final disposal of waste. The history of a Roman gold mine is intricately linked to its hydraulic network. Therefore, dating the construction, usage, and abandonment layers of water reservoirs enables us to comprehend the evolution of mining operations. In this paper, we present a methodological approach consisting of the opening of archaeological sondages in the water reservoirs to understand their stratigraphy and operating phases, together with sampling to obtain chronological and pollen information. We present the work carried out in four case studies located in various mining areas in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Results indicate that water reservoirs serve as paleoenvironmental archives, facilitating the chronological unravelling of mining operations and the landscape reconstruction from the period immediately preceding the onset of mining operations to their abandonment. Results also have highlighting some of the challenges when interpreting radiocarbon results. We conclude that the archaeological analysis of hydraulic mining infrastructure is an effective methodology for understanding the evolution of mining landscapes.