Guest Lecture: "Culture and Society" by Dr. Radivojević

Dear Nazarbayev University Community,

As a part of the "Culture and Society" lecture series, the Sociology and Anthropology Department is pleased to invite you to a guest lecture by Dr. Miljana Radivojević. 

Topic: "Fuelling the Anthropocene: technology, networks and environmental impact of the Bronze Age steppe metallurgy"

Miljana Radivojević is an 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.

Abstract. 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 study, I present new findings from metal production debris analysis, recipe development over the Bronze Age, and experimental reconstructions. I also provide estimates of fuel demands, 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.

Hope to see you there!