How did ancient people first figure out metallurgy? Wouldn’t they have had to know to dig up the metals from deep underground in the first place?

Question

Basically what the title says, how did people first figure out that metal would be useful, how to work it, etc, if metal is buried under the ground and requires a substantial effort to extract?

In: 8

Answer 1

Because not all metal is buried under the ground and requires a substantial effort to extract. Plenty of metal ores can be found above ground. Gold is thought to have been the first metal worked, since it can be found and worked in its pure form. It wouldn’t take much effort to recognize that some types of rocks, when heated, would produce other metals that can also be worked.