Cambridge study finds Britain's industry survived Rome's fall

A recent study by researchers from Cambridge and Nottingham universities has challenged the long-held belief that Britain’s industrial economy collapsed following the Roman withdrawal around 400 AD. By analyzing a 16-foot sediment core from Aldborough, a former Roman tribal town in Yorkshire known for metal production, the team established the first continuous timeline of metal production in Britain. Their findings reveal that iron and lead production did not decline immediately after the Romans left but instead experienced fluctuations, with production continuing steadily through the 5th and mid-6th centuries using the same ore sources and coal as during Roman times. The study further shows that metal production expanded during the Viking Age (8th to 10th centuries), indicating economic prosperity in the region, before dipping after the 11th century and rising again in the 12th and 13th centuries. The researchers noted a sudden crash in production around 550-600 AD, the cause of which remains unclear, though historical records suggest that epidemics such as bubonic plague