Historical periodization distinguishes several stages in the development of man and human society. More recently, historians have suggested that the Stone Age with the Bronze Age followed one after another. But not so long ago it was established that there was a time gap between them, which was classified as the “copper age”. What served as a change in the opinion of historians about the gradual transition of mankind from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age? What distinguished this time period from others and what features are inherent in this period in the development of mankind? Read about all this below.
Copper Age Timeline
The Copper-Stone Age, also known as Eneolithic, originates in the VI millennium BC and lasts almost 2 thousand years. The time frame of this period had different meanings depending on the region: in the east and in America it started somewhat earlier than in Europe. It is worth noting that the primitive man began his first acquaintance with copper about 3 thousand years before the beginning of the period in question. It happened on the territory of the Ancient East. Initially, nuggets were taken for a soft stone, amenable to the impact of harder rocks, that is, cold forging. And only after many centuries, man learned to melt copper and cast many useful objects from it: needles, jewelry, spearheads and arrows.
Further development of metal marked the beginning of such a period as the copper-bronze age, when man became aware of the methods and technologies for manufacturing alloys, which in their characteristics were better than pure copper. In a word, this period is very significant in the historical development of mankind and civilization as a whole.
Why is copper?
The copper age in archaeological and historical periodization is characterized by the beginning of the use by primitive man of metal tools, namely copper. This led to the gradual replacement of stone and bone devices with softer, but at the same time convenient to use axes, knives, scrapers from it. In addition, the development of methods of processing this metal allowed a person to make even simple, but at the same time more original and sophisticated jewelry and figurines. The copper age marked the beginning of a new round of stratification in a primitive society on the basis of welfare: the more copper a person had, the higher his status in society.
The economic activity of man in the copper age
Awareness of the value of copper as a means of exchange between tribes and as the main material for the manufacture of many devices contributed to the active development of early craft industries. It was the copper age that laid the foundation for the emergence of such crafts as ore mining, metalworking and metallurgy. At the same time, the phenomenon of specialized farming and animal husbandry spread. Pottery production also acquired new features during this period.
Actively developed during this period and trade. At the same time, the tribes that mined copper and produced various products from it could exchange with those who are far beyond their settlement. This is evidenced by the fact that in Europe found products from copper mined in the Near Asian region and the Middle East.
Archaeological finds from the copper age
The most characteristic and brightest finds that date back to the copper age are statuettes of women. This is primarily due to the worldview of people living in the Eneolithic. The greatest value for them was the crop and fertility, which just symbolized such products. At the same time, a large number of them are made of clay, and not of metal.
Pottery paintings also depicted women and the world around them. According to the ideas of people who lived in the copper age, the world was divided into three components: the Earth with plants, animals and people, the Middle Sky, radiating the sun's rays, and the Upper Sky, filled with rains, filling the rivers and feeding the earth.
In addition to products endowed with the sacred meaning of being, archaeologists find knives made of pure copper or bone, tips, needles and much more.