How did mankind discover metal?
In: Technology
The first metals worked by humans were tin and copper, which occur naturally in rocks on the surface and critically will melt in temperatures producible in a bonfire.
Humans were probably already producing ceramics by then, heating clay in hot fires to make hardened pots.
It probably happened by accident, a couple of these rocks got into a particularly hot bonfire while making ceramic pots and while picking through the ashes someone noticed that one of the rocks had melted.
Through some basic experimentation, and creation of a ceramic or sand mold they were able to produce the first copper tools.
Bronze is a mixture of tin and copper, which was also probably discovered by accident.
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