6 1.The First Materials (Stone Age and Copper-Stone Age) copper ages coexisted for a long time.This led to the above-men- tioned name,Chalcolithic,or Copper-Stone Age. The exact time when Neolithic man begun to use copper will probably never be exactly known,but it is believed that this was about 8000 B.C.Copper weapons and utensils were found in Egypt- ian graves dating about 5000 B.C.The epics of Shu Ching mention the use of copper in China at 2500 B.C.Native copper for orna- ments is believed to have been used in the Lake Superior area in Michigan(USA)starting A.D.100-200 where rich deposits of native copper are present.(Other scholars date Native American copper use as early as 4000 B.C.) Eventually,native copper and other metals must have been nearly exhausted.Thus,Neolithic man turned his attention to new sources for metals,namely,those that were locked up in minerals.A widely used copper ore is malachite(Plate 1.3).It is plentiful in certain regions of the earth such as in Anatolia,or on the Sinai peninsula.Other regions,such as Cyprus,contain chalcopyrite (a copper-iron sulfide).Now,the smelting of cop- per from copper ore,that is,the separation of copper from oxy- gen,sulphur,and carbon,was (and is),by no means,a trivial task.It requires intense heat,that is,temperatures above the melting point of pure copper (1084C)and a"reducing atmos- phere";in other words,an environment that is devoid of oxygen and rich in carbon monoxide.The latter is obtained by burning wood or charcoal.When all conditions are just right,the oxygen is removed from the copper ore and combines with carbon monoxide to yield gaseous carbon dioxide,which is allowed to escape.Finally,a fluxing agent,for example,iron ore,assists in Charcoal. Ore. Flux Clay Bellows Bricks 9 FIGURE 1.2.Schematic representation 0/Q0 Slag of an ancient copper smelting furnace which was charged with a mixture of Cu charcoal,copper ore,and flux (e.g., iron ore).The oxygen was provided by forcing air into the furnace by means of foot-operated bellows.copper ages coexisted for a long time. This led to the above-men￾tioned name, Chalcolithic, or Copper–Stone Age. The exact time when Neolithic man begun to use copper will probably never be exactly known, but it is believed that this was about 8000 B.C. Copper weapons and utensils were found in Egypt￾ian graves dating about 5000 B.C. The epics of Shu Ching mention the use of copper in China at 2500 B.C. Native copper for orna￾ments is believed to have been used in the Lake Superior area in Michigan (USA) starting A.D. 100–200 where rich deposits of native copper are present. (Other scholars date Native American copper use as early as 4000 B.C.) Eventually, native copper and other metals must have been nearly exhausted. Thus, Neolithic man turned his attention to new sources for metals, namely, those that were locked up in minerals. A widely used copper ore is malachite (Plate 1.3). It is plentiful in certain regions of the earth such as in Anatolia, or on the Sinai peninsula. Other regions, such as Cyprus, contain chalcopyrite (a copper-iron sulfide). Now, the smelting of cop￾per from copper ore, that is, the separation of copper from oxy￾gen, sulphur, and carbon, was (and is), by no means, a trivial task. It requires intense heat, that is, temperatures above the melting point of pure copper (1084°C) and a “reducing atmos￾phere”; in other words, an environment that is devoid of oxygen and rich in carbon monoxide. The latter is obtained by burning wood or charcoal. When all conditions are just right, the oxygen is removed from the copper ore and combines with carbon monoxide to yield gaseous carbon dioxide, which is allowed to escape. Finally, a fluxing agent, for example, iron ore, assists in 6 1 • The First Materials (Stone Age and Copper–Stone Age) ￾￾ ￾ ￾￾ ￾￾￾￾ ￾￾￾￾￾ Bellows ￾￾￾￾￾￾ ￾￾ ￾￾￾￾￾ ￾￾ Cu Charcoal, Ore, Flux Tuyere Slag Bricks Clay FIGURE 1.2. Schematic representation of an ancient copper smelting furnace which was charged with a mixture of charcoal, copper ore, and flux (e.g., iron ore). The oxygen was provided by forcing air into the furnace by means of foot-operated bellows