Latest news with #slaveLabour
The Independent
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Archaeologists solve mystery of Iraq's huge network of ridges and canals
Archealistgists may have finally figured out the origin of a vast network of ridges and canals in Southern Iraq. New evidence suggests that the lines, long thought to be the remains of a large-scale agricultural system, may indeed have been constructed using slave labour. An international team of archaeologists has uncovered findings that support this theory. By dating the construction of some of the massive earthen structures, the team discovered that their creation spanned several centuries, beginning around the time of a notable slave rebellion in the 9th century A.D. The research, which sheds new light on the history and social structures of the region, was published in the journal Antiquity. The enslaved people from that era are known today as the 'Zanj,' a medieval Arabic term for the East African Swahili coast, although there are different theories about where in Africa most of them actually came from. They carried out a large-scale revolt in Iraq in 869 AD under the Abbasid state, known today as the 'Zanj rebellion.' The rebellion lasted for more than a decade until the Abbasid state regained control of the region in 883 A.D. Many descendants of those enslaved people now live in the southern port city of Basra in modern-day Iraq. While they are part of the fabric of modern-day Iraq, 'their history has not been actually written or documented very well in our history,' said Jaafar Jotheri, a professor of archaeology at the University of Al-Qadisiyah in Iraq, who was part of the research team. Researchers from Durham and Newcastle universities in the U.K., Radboud University in the Netherlands, and the University of Basra in Iraq also took part. 'So that's why this (finding) is very important, and what is next actually is to protect at least some of these huge structures for future work. It is minority heritage,' he said. The researchers first reviewed recent satellite imagery and older images from the 1960s showing the remains of more than 7,000 massive manmade ridges across the Shaṭṭ al-Arab floodplain. The size and scale of the network indicate the 'investment of human labour on a grand scale,' the report in Antiquity said. Sites were selected across the system to be analyzed with radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence dating. All four of the ridge crests sampled date to the period between the late ninth to mid-13th century A.D., situating their construction during the period when slave labor was in use in the area — and providing evidence that the use of slave labor likely continued for several centuries after the famous rebellion. Their findings demonstrate 'that these features were in use for a substantially longer period than previously assumed and, as such, they represent an important piece of Iraqi landscape heritage,' the researchers wrote. The finding comes at the time of a resurgence of archaeology in Iraq, a country often referred to as the 'cradle of civilization,' but where archaeological exploration has been stunted by decades of conflict that halted excavations and led to the looting of tens of thousands of artifacts. In recent years, the digs have returned and thousands of stolen artifacts have been repatriated.
CTV News
3 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Archeologists find new evidence of ancient slave labour in southern Iraq
Archeologists work at an archaeological site where researchers uncovered massive earthen structures, believed to have been built with slave labour, and found that their construction spanned several centuries, near Basra, Iraq, Friday, Jan. 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Jaafar Jotheri) BEIRUT — A system of thousands of ridges and canals across a floodplain in southern Iraq has long been believed to be the remnant of a massive agricultural system built by slave labour. Now an international team of archeologists has found new evidence to support the theory. The team undertook testing to determine the construction dates of some of the massive earthen structures and found that they spanned several centuries, beginning around the time of a famous slave rebellion in the 9th century A.D. The research findings were published Monday in the journal Antiquity. The enslaved people from that era are known today as the 'Zanj,' a medieval Arabic term for the East African Swahili coast, although there are different theories about where in Africa most of them actually came from. They carried out a large-scale revolt in Iraq in 869 AD under the Abbasid state, known today as the 'Zanj rebellion.' The rebellion lasted for more than a decade until the Abbasid state regained control of the region in 883 A.D. Many descendants of those enslaved people now live in the southern port city of Basra in modern-day Iraq. While they are part of the fabric of modern-day Iraq, 'their history has not been actually written or documented very well in our history,' said Jaafar Jotheri, a professor of archeology at the University of Al-Qadisiyah in Iraq, who was part of the research team. Researchers from Durham and Newcastle universities in the U.K., Radboud University in the Netherlands, and the University of Basra in Iraq also took part. 'So that's why this (finding) is very important, and what is next actually is to protect at least some of these huge structures for future work. It is minority heritage,' he said. The researchers first reviewed recent satellite imagery and older images from the 1960s showing the remains of more than 7,000 massive manmade ridges across the Shaṭṭ al-Arab floodplain. The size and scale of the network indicate the 'investment of human labour on a grand scale,' the report in Antiquity said. Sites were selected across the system to be analyzed with radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence dating. All four of the ridge crests sampled date to the period between the late ninth to mid-13th century A.D., situating their construction during the period when slave labour was in use in the area — and providing evidence that the use of slave labour likely continued for several centuries after the famous rebellion. Their findings demonstrate 'that these features were in use for a substantially longer period than previously assumed and, as such, they represent an important piece of Iraqi landscape heritage,' the researchers wrote. The finding comes at the time of a resurgence of archeology in Iraq, a country often referred to as the 'cradle of civilization,' but where archeological exploration has been stunted by decades of conflict that halted excavations and led to the looting of tens of thousands of artifacts. In recent years, the digs have returned and thousands of stolen artifacts have been repatriated. Abby Sewell, The Associated Press
The Independent
14-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Measures to establish state-owned GB Energy on verge of becoming law
Great British Energy will not invest in any supply chains that involve slave labour, energy minister Michael Shanks has said, with measures to establish the state-owned energy company on the verge of becoming law. In the Commons on Wednesday, MPs supported a Lords bid to ensure slavery and human trafficking do not take place in GB Energy's business or supply chains. Concerns had been raised about the prevalence of slave labour in the renewables sector, particularly material used in solar panels being linked to exploitation in Xinjiang, China. Speaking in support of Lords amendment 2B, tabled by energy minister Lord Hunt of Kings Heath, Mr Shanks said it would 'strengthen our existing framework'. He added: 'We expect all UK businesses to do everything in their power to remove any instances of forced labour from their supply chains, and Great British Energy will, of course, be no different. But in fact, we have stated many times already that we expect it to be a sector leader on this matter. 'Amendment 2B makes it clear that Great British Energy is committed to adopting measures so that it can take the appropriate steps to act on any evidence of forced labour in its supply chains, as we would expect from any responsible company.' Intervening, Conservative former minister and Father of the House Sir Edward Leigh asked the minister to 'ensure that no solar panels are installed on British farms that are made with slave labour by the Chinese government'. Mr Shanks replied: 'We have absolutely committed that they will not invest in any supply chains that involve any evidence of forced labour, and the measures we are outlining today are how we will deliver that. There is a wider question about forced labour in broader supply chains, of which Great British Energy will not have responsibility.' Shadow energy minister Andrew Bowie accused the Government of making a U-turn after Labour MPs voted down an amendment on slave labour in a previous stage of the Bill. He said: 'A screeching U-turn, literally weeks after having whipped their own MPs against the modern slavery amendment at the last reading, the Government conceded on what we all knew to be the case at the time, that the mechanisms cited by the minister in this House were simply not up to the job. 'And yet we sincerely welcome the acknowledgement that the UK must take a principled stand.' Mr Bowie said his party remains 'resolutely opposed to the creation of Great British Energy entirely', adding: 'If the route to decarbonisation relies on importing technology made with slave labour from China, then surely there should be a rethink of whether or not this mission is indeed conducive to good policy.' Labour peer Baroness O'Grady of Upper Holloway, former chairwoman of the House of Lords Modern Slavery Act 2015 Committee, has been appointed to ensure Great British Energy employs 'robust practices' to tackle forced labour and ensure ethical supply chains. The Great British Energy Bill is ready for royal assent.
BBC News
09-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
New memorial announced for Jersey slave labourers
A Jersey visitor destination has unveiled plans for a new public memorial to honour slave labourers who were brought to the island in World War War Tunnels, which tells the story of life in the island during the German Occupation, is planning a large sculpture called Sentinel of Souls and a commemorative trail, said owner Lance said the aim was to "create a significant memorial that draws public attention to the terrible cost of war, the lives lost, and the human suffering endured during the Occupation".Thousands of slave labourers were brought to the Channel Islands by the Germans to build concrete defences, including a gun emplacement at Corbiere. Mr Trevellyan said the privately funded project, part of wider plans under way to upgrade the tunnels, would involve a consultation with local communities, artists, and historians, with local artists expected to contribute to the final tunnels are a former underground hospital complex in St Lawrence.
