In history, copper is the first kind of metal ever
used. Cyprus in the Mediterranean area, for centuries was the largest
producer of copper throughout antiquity. The word copper comes from
"Cycrum," the Latin name known for Cyprus. Copper when heated
with tin will form bronze. The Bronze Age, around 3000 B.C., introduced
a metal to advance civilization.
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Copper ore |
Miners on Cyprus left behind thousands of copper producing pits and
more thousands of crude hammering stones with which the pits had been
worked. The ancients apparently worked the copper bearing rock by
alternately using fire and cold water, to break the copper ore into
smaller pieces from which they could extract the metal with hand held
hammering stones or stone hatchets. With this copper, they made tools
that were prized possession. Cyprus became a wealthy nation because of
their abundant copper resources.
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Copper alloy, 2300 BC
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