Copper Age facts for kids
The Copper Age, also called the Chalcolithic period, was an important time in human history. It came after the Neolithic (New Stone Age) and before the Bronze Age. During this period, people started using copper to make tools and weapons. Before this, most tools were made of stone. Copper was a big step forward because it was the first metal people used widely.
Scientists have found the oldest proof of copper making in the world at a place called Belovode in Serbia. This happened around 5,000 BCE, which is 7,000 years ago!
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What Does Chalcolithic Mean?
You might hear this period called by a few different names, like Copper Age or Eneolithic. This is because experts recognized the period at different times. The word "Chalcolithic" comes from Greek words meaning "copper" and "stone." It shows that people were using both stone and copper tools during this time.
An archaeologist named John Evans first pointed out in 1881 that people used copper before they learned to mix copper with tin to make the harder metal called bronze. So, the Copper Age came right before the true Bronze Age.
How Did Copper Change Things?
When people started using copper, it changed how they made tools. Before copper, people made tools from stone. They often traded special kinds of stone from far away to make their tools.
But once copper became available, people started making more tools from local materials. Families often made their own stone tools at home. This shows how new technologies, like working with copper, can change daily life and how people get their supplies.
Where Did Copper Use Begin?
The idea of working with metals, called metallurgy, might have started in a region called the Fertile Crescent. This area is in the Middle East. From there, it led to the Bronze Age around 4,000 BCE.
However, some very old copper finds have also been made in Europe. These finds from the Vinča culture in Europe are even older than those in the Fertile Crescent. This suggests that metalworking might have started in different places around the same time.
Copper in the Americas
Interestingly, people in the Americas also learned to work with copper and bronze on their own. This happened first in the Andean civilizations in South America. Later, this knowledge spread through trade by sea to the Mesoamerican civilizations in West Mexico.
Copper and Trade
During the Copper Age, people traveled and traded a lot. For example, similar pottery styles have been found in the Indus Valley civilization, southern Turkmenistan, and northern Iran. These similarities suggest that people were moving and trading goods over long distances between 4300 and 3300 BCE.
When Was the Copper Age?
The Copper Age in the Middle East and a region called the Caucasus began in the late 5th millennium BCE. It lasted for about 1,000 years before the Early Bronze Age began.
In Europe, the Copper Age also ended around the same time. The shift from the European Copper Age to the Bronze Age Europe happened between the late 5th and late 3rd millennia BCE.
What Was Made from Copper?
People used copper to make many different things. They created sharp weapons like knives, swords, spearheads, and axes. Copper was also used for jewelry, such as brooches and pins. Even useful items like belt boxes and containers for food and drink were sometimes made from copper.
Images for kids
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A Copper Age mine in the Timna Valley, Negev Desert, Israel.
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A nine-hole ring from the Hongshan culture during the Chalcolithic period in Mongolia.
See also
In Spanish: Edad del Cobre para niños
