Chalcolithic

The Chalcolithic (/ˈkælkəˌlɪθɪk/ KAL-kə-LI-thik) (also called the Copper Age and Eneolithic) was an archaeological period characterized by the increasing use of smelted copper. It followed the Neolithic and preceded the Bronze Age. During this time, people began to work with copper, which was a big step forward because copper tools were harder and more useful than stone ones. However, stone tools were still mostly used.

The Chalcolithic happened at different times in different places. In some areas like Russia, there wasn't a clear Copper Age between the Stone Age and the Bronze Age. One important place is Belovode on Rudnik mountain in Serbia, where scientists found evidence of copper smelting dating back to around 5,000 BC, making it one of the oldest known examples.

In Europe, the Chalcolithic lasted from the late 5th to the late 3rd millennium BC. In the Ancient Near East, it began in the late 5th millennium BC and lasted about a thousand years before the Early Bronze Age started. Interestingly, some early tin bronze objects were found in places like Bulgaria and Serbia that are dated to before 4,000 BC, showing that bronze use began earlier than once thought.

In Britain, the Chalcolithic was a shorter period between about 2,500 and 2,200 BC. During this time, the first copper and gold objects appeared, new types of ceramic were developed, and people from the Bell Beaker culture began to move into the area, marking the end of the local late Neolithic period.

Terminology

See also: List of archaeological periods

The Chalcolithic, also called the Copper Age or Eneolithic, has several names because people have defined it in different ways. Long ago, scholars thought the Bronze Age included both copper and bronze tools. Later, scientists realized that copper was used before bronze.

One scientist suggested calling this time the Copper Age because many copper objects were found in a certain area. Others used the term Eneolithic, meaning "bronze-stone" transition. Today, the words Copper Age, Eneolithic, and Chalcolithic all refer to the same period when people started using copper tools before they discovered bronze. The name Chalcolithic comes from Greek words for "copper" and "stone."

Regions

Near East

See also: Ancient Near East § Chalcolithic, and Levantine Chalcolithic

The Chalcolithic period saw the rise of using copper, a metal made by heating certain rocks. One of the first metals humans used was lead, which can be found easily in nature. Early examples of lead use include small beads and bracelets from places like Chatal/Çatal Hüyük in Anatolia and Jarmo. Copper smelting, the process of making copper from its ores, was also happening around this time, with evidence found in sites like Tell Maghzaliyah. In the Timna Valley, copper mining took place between 7000 and 5000 BC.

Europe

One of the oldest pieces of evidence for copper smelting in Europe is a copper axe found in Prokuplje, Serbia, dating to around 5500 BC. This discovery shows that copper smelting might have been developed separately in Europe and Asia. In northern Europe, copper artefacts from around 4000 to 3300 BC have been found, mostly belonging to the Funnel Beaker group. Even people who did not use copper directly made stone tools that looked like copper tools. Famous finds include a copper axe carried by Ötzi the Iceman, who lived around 3300 BC.

South Asia

In South Asia, during the Chalcolithic period, there was a lot of trading and moving around between places like the Indus Valley Civilisation, Turkmenistan, and Iran. People in places such as Mehrgarh in Pakistan made tools from copper as early as 7000 BC. Different cultures, like Ahar or Banas, Kayatha, Malwa, and Jorwe, each had their own styles of pottery and used copper in their creations.

Americas

Main articles: Metallurgy in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica and Metallurgy in pre-Columbian America

In the Americas, copper was used long before Europeans arrived. In South America, Andean civilizations developed copper smelting on their own. In North America, especially around the Great Lakes region, early people used copper to make tools and ornaments. These copper objects are some of the oldest known in the world, dating back as far as 6500 BC.

East Asia

Main article: History of metallurgy in China § Copper

In East Asia, copper objects began appearing around the 5th millennium BC, although they were not commonly used at first. By the Yangshao period (5000–3000 BC), people in places like Jiangzhai and the Hongshan cultures were making copper items. This shows that people in the Yellow River valley learned how to work with copper during this time.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Main articles: Copper metallurgy in Africa and Iron metallurgy in Africa

In the Aïr Mountains of Niger, people began smelting copper between 3000 and 2500 BC. This was a local development, not influenced by other regions, and became more advanced around 1500 BC.