History of Chemistry

Heating the rocks in a fire is all that's needed to extract several metals from their ores, most notably tin, lead, and (at a greater temperature) copper. The term "smelting" describes this operation. Archaeological sites in Serbia at Majdanpek, Jarmovac, and Plonik from the Vina culture provide the earliest evidence of this extractive metallurgy, dating back to the sixth and fifth millennia BC. The Belovode site contains the earliest known examples of copper smelting, such as a copper axe dating back to 5500 BC. Other sites, such as Palmela in Portugal, Los Millares in Spain, and Stonehenge in the United Kingdom, show evidence of early metals as early as the third millennium BC. These earliest metals were either isolated elements or naturally occurring alloys. Bronze, an alloy produced from copper and tin, is a better metal. The transition to Bronze Age technology occurred around 3500 BC. Smelting copper and tin from natural outcroppings of copper ores and then smelting those ores to make bronze represents the most advanced metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread application) during the Bronze Age of human cultural progress. Arsenic was frequently found as an impurity in these naturally occurring ores. The lack of tin bronzes in western Asia prior to 3000 BC is indicative of the scarcity of copper/tin ores in the region. Armies searching for superior armament marked the history of metallurgy after the Bronze Age. Manufacturing the superior alloys that allowed for the creation of superior armour and weapons benefited the states of Eurasia.Affirmed Use of Citation Needed India made major strides in the fields of alchemy and metallurgy in the ancient era. However, as is typical in the study of ancient history, definitive beginnings are difficult to pin down and fresh findings are always being made.