How did people figure out the extraction of metal from ore/rock via mining and refining?

Question

One hears about the iron age and the bronze age—eras in which people discovered metallurgy. But how did that happen? Was it like:

1. Look at rock
2. See shiny
3. Try to melt the shiny out of the rock
4. Profit?

Explain it to me!

In: 1643

Answer 1

Maybe not a full answer for you, but I think good supporting information. There’s a YouTube channel “Primitive Technology” where he genuinely refines his own low quality iron using only mud and home built (mud built) techniques. Turn on captions for more details or enjoy the wild soundtrack for what it is. Excellent channel, and really informative about what a single guy can do in a plot of land without modern materials.