Revolutionary sediment core analysis from the Roman town of Aldborough in Yorkshire has shattered long-held beliefs about Britain’s post-Roman economic collapse, revealing that metal production not only continued after 410 AD but actually expanded during what historians have traditionally called the “Dark Ages.” The study, published in the journal Antiquity, provides the first unbroken timeline of British metal production from the 5th century to present day, fundamentally challenging assumptions that industrial-scale commodity production disappeared with Roman withdrawal.
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Aerial photograph of Aldborough showing the extent of the walled town and the location of the sediment core (D. Powlesland & V. Herring/Antiquity Publications Ltd).
