Bronze
AROUND 3,500 BCE
The use of tin began in the Middle East and the Balkans and became an essential metal in the creation of bronze. The rising civilisation of Mesopotamia was the first to set off a revolution in metallurgy when they learned to combine tin with copper, to form a stronger metal alloy. Made out of a combination of 10-percent tin and 90-percent copper, bronze became the metal of choice over copper as it was easier to cast in moulds and was a much harder material. Ancient metalworkers were able to create better tools and weapons that were more durable and stayed sharp for a longer time, and though it was a laborious process, bronze was used in a wide variety of things from axes and awls, to hammers, sickles and weapons like daggers and swords.
Civilisations entered the Bronze Age at different times – Greece began working with bronze before 3,000 BCE whilst the British Isles and China entered the Bronze Age around 1,900 BCE and 1,600 BCE, respectively. It is widely believed that the creation of bronze was an accidental mix of tin and copper, since the earliest bronze objects were found to contain less than two percent tin, which historians surmise could have come directly from copper ores as they are known to contain traces of tin. Though archaeologists generally believe that the Bronze Age began around 3,500 BCE, artefacts have been recovered that point to it having occurred much earlier.
It is widely believed that the creation of bronze was an accidental mix of tin and copper bronze objects were found to contain less than two percent tin, which historians surmise could have come directly from copper ores as they are known to contain traces of tin