Introduction
Throughout history, humans have used what was present in the environment to aid their survival. The discovery and use of metals have been a gradual but extremely influential one. Evolving with early humans from personal adornment to the development of more efficient tools and lastly to full integration in every aspect of our modern life. This paper will look at how humans related to their environment before the discovery of metals. It will further go on to describe what metals are and how we incorporate them into our lives, and how extraction and use affect the environment around them. Lastly, the discussion will return to the Human Niche and how it has changed since the rise of mining and our need for metal.
The Human Niche without Metal
To begin the story of how metals changed the human niche we begin with the Neolithic humans and how they lived in their environment. Being resourceful people, they spent their time hunting, fishing, gathering vegetation and other materials such as rocks and minerals to aid in their survival. (Aitchison, 1960) The typical rocks and minerals used for cutting were Obsidian and Chert due to the conchoidal fracture pattern, which creates sharp edges when pieces are broken off. Granite and Quartzite developed into grinding tools, as these rock types are durable and resistant to erosion and were abundantly available. Wood and bone developed into needles and handles due to the malleability of the material. (Hartenbery S. & McGeough A, 2013)
They began experimenting with farming and domesticating animals; they were starting to settle down, building houses from sunbaked clay. They began creating pottery and trading their grains, tools, knowledge and trinkets with other traveling g...
... middle of paper ...
...ralding metal. A history of metals (pp. 1-17). New York: Interscience Publishers, Inc. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015027254625
Evans, A. M. (1997). The environmental impact of mineral exploitation. An introduction to economic geology and its environmental impact (pp. 27-37). Malden, MA: Blackwell Science.
Hartenbery S., R., & McGeough A, J. (2013). Hand tool. Retrieved November 11, 2013, from http://www.britannica.com/topic/254115/contributors
Lynch, M. (2002). Mass production. Mining in world history (pp. 267-319). London, UK: Reaktion Books.
Oxford University Press. (2001). Metal. In C. Soanes (Ed.), Oxford dictionary of current english (Third ed., pp. 565). New York: Oxford University Press.
Skinner, B. J. (1969). Metals: The scarce elements. In A. Lee McAlester (Ed.), Earth resources (pp. 47-73). Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
Marshak, S. (2009) Essentials of Geology, 3rd ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, ch. 11, p. 298-320.
The term “zinc” was not in use until the 16th century, at the earliest. The ancient Greeks called it “pseudargyras,” meaning “false silver,” and made very little use of it (Mathewson 1). The unassuming bluish-gray mineral was given a warmer welcome by the Romans, who were already using it to make brass by “about the time of Augustus, 20BC to 14AD”; the Romans used, not purified zinc, but the mineral calamine (“zincky wall accretions” from caves) and fused them in a crucible with bits of copper to make their brass (Mathewson 1). Around the world, zinc was being exploited by the Chinese civilization as well, although documentation of Asian use of zinc does not come until the 7th century of AD, from Kazwiui, the “Pliny of the Orient.” Kazwiui, “who died in 630AD, stated that the Chinese knew how to render the metal malleable and used it to make small coins and mirrors” (Mathewson 2). The discovery and use of zinc, then, was widespread in ancient times and through the Middle Ages. However, it seems that it had not yet been used for anything much more practical than a mirror, a fact that would very quickly change in the 18th and 19th centuries as higher-grade zinc became available and new applications presented themselves.
center of a wooden stick which they would sharpen in with a smoothed groove stone. With the
...graphy." Mining Techniques of the Sierra Nevada and Gold Country. N.p., n.d. 16 May 2014. .
iron” and finally to “alloy and electricity”. The work is also intensely concerned with the relationship between war and technology. Though the book was written in 1934, its
Where the minerals that America uses came from? Americans use and waste large amounts of substance and material every day. Most people disregard and ignore the places where this material may come from. Putting little to no time into researching on the subject, makes it difficult to ever figure out and appreciate the stories and history behind our beloved substance and consumption of it. But actually putting the effort of working and looking into it, someone may be pleasantly surprised at the amount of backstory on it, and may find it rather interesting. So if someone were to say, look into the history of the Berkeley pit. They would most likely find plenty of sources explaining how it supplied copper and many minerals for the U.S. for years. Of course anyone who already knew information on the pit could tell you its amazing and introcut stories of how it came to be, and how it has been doing over the years. The pit is a “toxic attraction” in the town of Butte. Being the town’s income and source of tourism. Most people in Butte Montana, the home of the pit, could tell how amazing it is.
Stepping into a museum, large or small, locating in east or west countries, as long as it exhibits ancient Asian artworks, one can hardly not find bronzes placed in the most prominent spot, shone by a beam of cold white light. Bronze Age is not as lackluster or icy-cold as this dark metallic alloy shown to us ostensibly; instead, it was full of creativity and innovation. It is amazing but not surprising that ancient Chinese are considered one of the most intelligent group of human-being, produced such remarkable amount of artifacts to either use in their daily life as necessities or decorations, or sacrifice their ancestors, or record important events. This paper will provide a specific description of two bronze vessels respectively from Shang and Zhou dynasties, giving interpretations of their production process and their roles in ritual performance.
Gold mining has had a significant economic, social, and environmental impact in Colombian history. Thousands of years ago artisanal mining in Colombia was a practice without any chemicals involved; however, since 1850 artisanal and industrial mines use chemicals to optimize gold extraction. Because of this, mining has become incom...
Prior to living in homes build to with stand the test of time, growing food their food source, and raising animals, humans were nomads who followed their food source around and were hunters and gathers. Although it took many years, from 8000B.C. to 3000B.C. for humans to go from hunters and gathers to a more common day life as we now know it, the result is referred to as the Neolithic Revolution the begins of human civilization. As the people of this time began to settle down and they began to both farm the land and domesticate animals for the better of the community. Along with the development of these communities as for the first time began to create social class among the many different roles they played in their community. Because the people of this time no longer roamed around some of the first signs of technology began to appear around this time as well.
Paleolithic age presents the era when key human adaptations evolved in response to a variety of environmental changes experienced at the time. This period of human evolution coincided with change within the surrounding of man. Such included cooling, drying and unpredictable climatic patterns over the time. This increased amount of variability in environmental conditions raised the level of uncertainty and instability in their respective terms of survival, necessitated the man to adopt new habits to increase adaptability to the new and changing surroundings. The evolved structures and behaviors led to specialization to enable coping with changing and unpredictable conditions.
Despite not having an established society or economy, man in the Paleolithic Age had increasing technology. Their weapons and tools were made of wood and stone, and they had manifested the ability to control fire. The Paleolithic Age also berthed language and thus established the first historical backgrounds of modern man. Paleolithic art gives the background for the culture of the time. Depicting a society classed only by sex: Men hunted, made weaponry and tools, and fought other nomadic bands; Women gathered, made clothing, and bore children.
Lins, C., & Horwitz, E. (2007). Sustainability in the Mining Sector. Retrieved November 6, 2017, from http://www.fbds.org.br/IMG/pdf/doc-295.pdf
It is recognized that in a time when the Internet and technology have taken over; mining still employees and provides livelihood to a vase number of people. However, the process of mining affects our health and our environment. According to Wikipedia, “The environmental impact of mining include erosion , formation of sinkholes, loss of biodiversity, and contamination of soil, groundwater and surface water by chemicals from mining proces...
Brooks, Mick. "What Is Historical Materialism." Maxism. 14 Nov. 2002. Web. 25 May 2012. .
Metals are currently in high demand by society. A high percentage of common everyday items you use and see utilises a form of metal. That wooden table in a common kitchen that looks like it is made completely of wood. Metals are still used in that "completely wooden table" as the screws used to hold it together are made of metals. Many commonly used metals such as iron, aluminium, and/or copper are all found from ores. An ore is a mixture in the form of a rock that is mined. For example, bauxite is an ore that contains a high percentage of pure aluminium. That pure aluminium is then extracted, refined, and crafted in to many everyday items such as cars, foil, and ladders. Chemists are continuously researching an innovative approach to extract and refine pure metals from ores while using fewer amounts of energy. Society's requirement of metals is increasing by the year as science and technology advances.