Copper Age: chronological framework. Human activity in the copper age

Historical periodization distinguishes several stages in the development of man and human society. Until recently, historian scholars assumed that the stone age with the bronze age followed one after another. But not so long ago it was found that there was a time gap between them, which was classified as a "copper age". What was the change in the opinion of historians about the gradual transition of mankind from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age? What distinguished this time interval from the others and what peculiarities are inherent in this period in the development of mankind? About all this read further.

Timeframe of the Copper Age

The Copper-Stone Age, also known as the Eneolithic, dates back to the 6th millennium BC and lasts almost 2,000 years. The timeframe for this period was of different significance depending on the region: in the east and in America it began somewhat earlier than in Europe. It is worth noting that the first acquaintance with copper primitive man began about 3 thousand years before the beginning of the period in question. It happened in the territory of the Ancient East. Initially, the nuggets were taken for a soft stone, susceptible to harder rocks, that is, cold forging. And only after many centuries man learned to melt copper and to cast from it a lot of useful things: needles, ornaments, tips for spears and arrows.

Further development of the metal laid the beginning of such a period as the copper-bronze age, when the man became aware of the methods and technologies of making alloys that by their characteristics were better than pure copper. In a word, this period is very significant in the historical development of mankind and civilization as a whole.

Why "copper"?

The copper age in the archaeological and historical periodization is characterized by the beginning of the use of primitive man's tools of metal, namely copper. This entailed the gradual replacement of stone and bone devices with softer, but at the same time easy-to-use axes, knives, scrapers from it. In addition, mastering the ways of processing this metal allowed the man to make even simple but at the same time more original and refined ornaments and figurines. The Copper Age marked the beginning of a new round of stratification in primitive society on the basis of well-being: the more copper there was in man, the higher the status he had in society.

Economic activity of man in the copper age

The recognition of the value of copper as a means of exchange between the tribes and as the main material for the manufacture of many adaptations contributed to the active development of early craft manufactures. It was the copper age that initiated the emergence of such crafts as ore mining, metalworking and metallurgy. At the same time, a phenomenon such as specialized farming and animal husbandry spread. Pottery during this period also acquired new features.

Trade was also actively developing during this period. At the same time, the miners who extracted copper and produced various products of the tribes could exchange with those who are far beyond their settlement. This is evidenced by the fact that products from copper mined in the Near East and the Middle East were found on the territory of Europe.

Archaeological finds from the Copper Age

The most characteristic and vivid findings that relate to the copper age are statuettes of women. This is due primarily to the worldview of the people living in the Eneolithic. The greatest value for them was represented by the harvest and fertility, which just symbolized such products. In this case, a large number of them are made of clay, and not of metal.

Painting on pottery also depicted women and the world around them. According to the ideas of people who lived in the copper age, the world was divided into three parts: the Earth with plants, animals and people, the Middle Sky radiating the sun's rays, and the Upper Sky filled with rain, filling the rivers and feeding the earth.

In addition to products endowed with a sacred sense of being, archeologists find knives made of pure copper or bone, tips, needles and much more.