The Age of Metal, The Iron Age, Copper Age, Bronze Age

Once man had learned to use stone he seemed content to stick with this single method of tool making for thousands of years. Stone was plentiful, relatively easy to work with, and seemed to satisfy his needs.
Finally, around 3500 B.C. man ventured into the Age of Metal. The first metal which he learned to work was copper. This metal is extremely soft, melts easily in a simple campfire and can be worked into tools with relative ease. Copper make tools of a poor quality. Because copper is soft (have you ever tried to bend copper electrical wire?) it will not hold an edge (stay sharp) for any length of time. Copper knives could be made, but the simple act of cutting animal flesh instantly dulled the blade and it had to be reformed. …