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60 Centuries of Copper

By B Webster Smith

The story of copper and its principal alloys, bronze and brass, is virtually a chronicle of human endeavor since man emerged from the Stone Age. The ubiquity of the copper metals and their contribution to every civilization since Sumeria and Pre-Dynastic Egypt gives them a unique position in the history of technology.

This section is based on Sixty Centuries of Copper by B Webster Smith which was published by the UK Copper Development Association in 1965. Based on another UK CDA publication, Copper Through the Ages, Sixty Centuries of Copper is intended for the reader who is interested in the general history of copper mining, the development of metal-working processes and the uses of copper through the past six thousand years. The scope of the subject is so enormous that some sections have been covered only briefly, but it is felt that the book will be a useful introductory guide to students of history, particularly since the teaching of history has been broadened to embrace the origins of applied science. It should also help metallurgists, architects, industrial designers, engineers and other technologists to appreciate the part played by the copper metals in the past and recognize their potential contribution to future advances in civilization. The book traces the links between man's early uses of copper and the applications of today, and thereby outlines a continuous record of satisfactory service in which new uses for copper have been found in practically every century.

The Copper Development Association, UK is a non-trading organization, sponsored by the copper producers and fabricators, whose aim is to encourage the correct and efficient use of copper and its alloys.