Early modern mines were like subterranean roots from which fiscal-military states drew military, economic, and scientific power. To improve this vital trade, fledgling European mining administrations encouraged the gathering of useful knowledge in many forms. One

case in point was the Swedish Bureau of Mines (Bergskollegium). For over 100 years – from

the late seventeenth century until the early 1800s – it maintained a program of intelligent

travel, sending its officials to mining and metal-working communities across Europe. The

notes and reports by the travelers were one vital ingredient in a collective effort to compile

state-of-the-art knowledge about contemporary mining and smelting techniques. This

knowledge, in turn, became a vital component in a national effort to improve Swedish metal

making.

 

This panel draws on new methods for investigating the massive body of travel reports

compiled through this program. Using a combination of methods and theories from digital

history and the global history of science and technology, the participants in this panel

emphasize different aspects of this material, such as: the transnational sinews of state-related knowledge gathering, the practices and infrastructures observed and employed by the travelers, and how new digital methods can be used to discern long-term trends of

technological change and state making in early modern hand-written archives.

 

Presentations:

”Från handskriven text till maskinläsbara data: Hur AI förändrar förutsättningarna för

arkivbaserad teknikhistoria”, Olof Karsvall, Stockholm university

”Från folianter till interaktiva kartor: att utforska tidigmodern teknikhistoria med digitala

Verktyg”, Jacob Orrje, Uppsala university

”Kontroll och förbättring: mobila tjänstemän och arbetspraktiker i den tidigmoderna

Metallnäringen”, Måns Jansson, Uppsala university

”Samuel Gustaf Hermelin och drömmen om järnet. Om kunskapsmobilisering och kolonial

resursexploatering i norra Sverige runt 1800”, Tim Berndtsson, Uppsala university

 

Moderator: Jacob Orrje, Uppsala university

Room: Innovatören, Tekniska museet