8/1/2015

AHistoryofMetalworking|banrepcultural.org

MUSEODELORO
BANCODELAREPBLICA

Buscar

AHistoryofMetalworking
Modernlifeispossiblebecausewehavemetalsandweknowhowtousethem.Theysupportourbuildingsand
bridges,allowustofly,sailandgetaround,andarefundamentalinindustryandtrade.Withmetalswemeasuretime,
buildmonuments,worship,adornourselves,makeartandwagewar.Butithasnotalwaysbeenlikethis.

Historiadelosmetales
frommuseodeloro

12:51

AHistoryofMetalworking(http://vimeo.com/9691630)avideofrommuseodeloro(http://vimeo.com/user621868)onVimeo
(http://vimeo.com).

http://www.banrepcultural.org/goldmuseum/prehispanicsocieties/prehispanicmetallurgy/ahistoryofmetalworking

1/3

8/1/2015

AHistoryofMetalworking|banrepcultural.org

Intheancientpast,metalswereunknown.Whentheywerediscoveredandmanlearnedhowtoworkthem,people's
liveschanged.Thehistoryofmetalscanbetracedbacktoalmostninethousandyearsago,intheNearEast.The
firstmetaltobeusedwascopper,whentheancientinhabitantsofPalestineandAnatoliahammeredpiecesofnatural
coppertomaketools.Overthefollowingcenturies,manlearnedtoextractcopperfromoresandtomixitwithtinto
makebronze.
Bronzeenabledancientempirestoproduceweaponsfortheirconqueringarmies.Strongtoolswereusedinagriculture
andthemanufactureofhandicrafts,andproductionincreased.Metalshavebeenusedformanypurposessincethose
times.Goldandsilveradornedgreatfiguresandaccompaniedthemtotheirgraves.Theywereusedinreligious
worshipformakingornamentsandsymbols.
Newtechnicalprocessesmadeitpossibleforothermetalstobeused:theresultwasstrongertoolsandweapons,
buildingsreinforcedwithhooks,anddoorswithlocksandironfittings.Irongavethenationsthatproduceditagreat
advantage,fortherulersofthosekingdomsdemandedmoreandbetterornaments.Bronzeandironmetallurgyand
goldandsilvermetalworkthusgrewsidebyside.
By1000B.C.,almostallthepeoplesoftheOldWorldhadmetalsfromtheMediterraneanandrightacrossPersiato
India,weapons,instrumentsandawiderangeofornamentsweremadeofbronzeandgold.Metallurgyspreadfrom
ChinatoJapan,wherethesamuraiswerearmed,andalsotosoutheastAsia,wheretemplesweregivengolden
domes.
BythetimetheRomanEmpirefell,metalimplementswerepartofeverydaylife.Tradewasimpossiblewithoutcoins,
asweredailyactivitieswithoutmetaltools.ThereligionsoftheancientworldinAsia,AfricaandEuropeturnedtogold
andsilverformakingsacredobjects.Intheupheavalsofthemediaevalworld,metalsoftheWestclashedinwarwith
thoseoftheEast.
WestAfricanstatessouthoftheSaharabegantousebronzearound1300todecoratetheirroyalcities.Convoys
crossedthedesertinordertosupplyblacksmithswiththerawmaterialstheyneededandtodistributetheirproducts.
Africanmetalsmithsmasteredtheartofsmelting,andornamentsanddelicateminiaturesconveyaprofound
symbology.
AncientSouthAmericansbegantoworkcopperandgoldaround1500B.C.Aboutathousandyearslater,various
Andeanculturesadornedtheirleaderswithsumptuouscostumes.Goldandsilverwerereservedforleadersand
religionritualandsymbolicobjectsconveyedaviewoftheworldthatwassharedbythewholesociety.
By500A.D.,metallurgyhadbecomeacommonactivityfromcentralMexicotonorthernChileandArgentina.
Individualstylesdevelopedineachregion:sheetfiguresinMexico,smallgoldornamentsinCentralAmerica,gilded
tumbagaornamentsinColombiaandEcuador,colourfulgildedcopperandsilverattireinPeru,andbronzeplatesin
thesouthernAndes.
MetallurgyinpreHispanicColombiawas,aboveallelse,goldwork.Overaperiodoftwothousandyears,many
differentstylesdevelopedandthousandsofobjectsweremadeforritualsandofferings.Theindiansmasteredgold,
copper,tumbagaandplatinum.TheEuropeanconquestin1500cutthisdevelopmentshortandresultedingoldwork
productionceasing.
Theproductionofmetalshasprogressedbyleapsandboundsoverthelast300years.Thevastindustryuses
millionsoftonsofmetaleveryyear,withevennonindustrialsocietiesusingevermoremetalsforthemostvariedof
purposes.Thehistoryofmankindinthelastninethousandyearshasbeenthehistoryofmetals,asitiswiththese
thatwehavebuilttheworldwelivein.

http://www.banrepcultural.org/goldmuseum/prehispanicsocieties/prehispanicmetallurgy/ahistoryofmetalworking

2/3

8/1/2015

AHistoryofMetalworking|banrepcultural.org

http://www.banrepcultural.org/goldmuseum/prehispanicsocieties/prehispanicmetallurgy/ahistoryofmetalworking

3/3