Essay - Metallurgy Has Been Around for Centuries on Many Different Continents...

Metallurgy has been around for centuries on many different continents, in ***** different cultures, and used in a v*****st array of various methods. Some of the earliest pieces available to us come from China and India.

Copper based alloys appeared in ***** between 3000 and 2500 bc, probably nearer ***** latter date" (Tylecote 1992 pg 14).

Tylecote goes on to state that "Because of their comparatively early dating (3000-1500 bc) it is probable that the knowledge of metalworking came through Southern Iran or along the Persian Gulf" (Tylecote 1992 pg 15).

***** many of the Greek and Roman cultures also knew and practiced metalworking ***** most experts have no doubt that "this knowledge spread ***** the Greeks from Anatolia, although some people believe it was introduced from the north" (Tylecote 1992 pg 53), they were not large scale producers of metalworks.

Some of the first mentions we ***** of metallic processes include Galen in AD 129? - 199 who mentioned some metallurgical processes for zinc oxide.

According to Eric Huysecoma (a well-known Belgian-born archeologist, "our present knowledge allows us....***** envisage one or several independent centres of metal innovation in sub-Saharan Africa" (Alpern 2005 ***** 42).

***** of the first 'modern' metallurgists was a man by ***** name of Georgius Agricola, who actually began his career as a small-town teacher ***** Latin and Greek. T***** quickly became to boring ***** him causing ***** to travel to Italy were he would spend three enlightening years of study, particularly in t***** field ***** medicine.

I***** ***** ***** while studying there that he became familiar w*****h the works of the Roman physician, Galen "*****o in the course of his descriptions of his visits to Cyprus to collect materials for ***** medicines incidentally mentions some ***** processes for the sublimation of zinc ores ***** produce zinc oxide to act as a s*****lve" (Craddock *****4 pg 67).

***** would take ***** interest in metallurgical processes ***** go on to be***** one ***** the world's ***** learned metallurgist. He produced a num*****r of books on met*****llurgy, his best known being De re Metallica.

Agricola's pers*****al alchemy was displayed in transmut*****g these ancient, traditional *****ions into practical instructions for contemporary operators and for those who should come after" (Aitc*****on 1960 ***** 379).

What Agricola gave to the art of metallurgy was the science necessary for modern day working of metal. Many of ***** mines he invested in used his methods, and were able to produce more material due to the ***** he instituted, including ***** ***** ***** separating copper and silver.

While many cultures in Europe ***** Asia were ***** with ********** as early as 3000 *****, t***** native people found in North America did not truly have a metallurgical sense. ********** seemed to be less *****clined ***** work with metals than even the people found by Cortes in Mexico, or Pizarro in Peru.

The North *****n Indians picked up ***** gold from streams and ***** beat it into ***** shapes they fancied but, since they could not