Everything about Copper Age totally explained
The
Chalcolithic (Greek
khalkos +
lithos '
copper stone') period or
Copper Age period [alsoknown as the
Eneolithic (
Æneolithic)], is a phase in the development of human culture in which the use of early
metal tools appeared alongside the use of
stone tools.
The period is a transitional one outside of the traditional
three-age system, and occurs between the
Neolithic and
Bronze Age. It appears that copper wasn't widely exploited at first and that efforts in alloying it with
tin and other metals began quite soon, making distinguishing the distinct Chalcolithic cultures and periods difficult.
The emergence of
metallurgy
was occurred first in the
Fertile Crescent, where it gave rise to the
Bronze Age in the
4th millennium BC. There was an independent and limited invention of
metallurgy in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica form about the
7th century CE, which however didn't go past the "Chalcolithic" stage.
The literature of European archaeology generally avoids the use of 'chalcolithic' (they prefer the term 'Copper Age'), while Middle-Eastern archaeologists regularly use it. The Copper Age in the Middle East and the Caucasus begins in the late
5th millennium BC and lasts for about a millennium before it gives rise to the
Early Bronze Age. Transition from the European Copper Age to
Bronze Age Europe occurs about a millennium later, between the late 4th and the late 3rd millennia BC.
According to, ceramic similarities between the
Indus Civilization, southern
Turkmenistan and northern
Iran during 4300–3200 BC of the Chalcolithic period (Copper Age) suggest considerable mobility and trade.
Europe
Ötzi the Iceman, found in the Ötztaler
Alps and whose remains have been dated to about
3300 BC, carried a copper
axe and
flint knife. The high concentrations of copper found in his hair have lead to speculation that he was a metalworker, who may have died while prospecting for ore in the mountains.
Knowledge of the use of copper was far wider spread than the metal itself. The European
Battle Axe culture used stone axes modelled on copper axes, with imitation "
mold marks" carved in the stone.
The European
Beaker people are often considered Chalcolithic as were the cultures which first adopted urbanisation in south west Asia. Many
megaliths in Europe were erected during this period and it has been suggested that
Proto-Indo-European linguistic unity dates to around the same time.
Mesoamerica
Less commonly, the term is also applied to American civilizations which already used copper and copper alloys at the time of European conquest. The Old Copper Complex, located in present day
Michigan and
Wisconsin utilized copper for tools, weapons and other implements. Artefacts from these sites have been dated from 4000 to 1000 BC, making them some of the oldest sites in the world.
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