Prehistoric India to 1000 B.C. c10.21

c10.21

Nevertheless, in the ancient prehistoric communities of Western Asia we do find that, fairly soon after the agricultural way of life is flourishing, a secondary revolutionary discovery is made – the discovery that certain stones can, under special conditions of firing, be made by heat to turn into a tough substance which can be hammered or cast into any desired form, and take on a keen cutting edge. This recognition of the relationship between copper ore and the metal is one with far-reaching consequences: it is the basis of chemistry and of all metallurgy.