The Types of Metals Known to the Ancients


Alchemy does have its roots in metals, their uses, and their properties. Early man realized that certain ores can be melted down and made into useful tools. The earliest ore to be melted down, copper, has been used for at least 5,000 years. An example is a figure containing nearly pure copper which was found at Tello in Ancient Chaldea that dated from between 3,000 and 4,000 B.C (Stillman 2). The likelihood that the copper in this figure was refined is very low, but the find does prove how long man has been working copper. Unfortunately, the early mining occurred so long ago that very few written documents are available for study. Therefore, most of what we now know about early Alchemy has been obtained from artifacts.
Tin, another metal that was worked fairly early in history, became relatively common. The Greeks named tin "kassiteros," which probably refers to the ore as well as the metal (Stillman 4). The ancients had a ready supply of tin from Persia. By the fifth century the British Islands supplied large quantities of tin to meet the growing demand. The Latins referred to tin as white lead. They came to use it as a coating for other metals - a very early form of galvanizing (Stillman 5).
Another early and very important metal was lead. The Greeks knew it as molybdos and the Latins knew it as plumbum. The Egyptians referred to it as the mother of metals since silver was often mixed in (Stillman 5). The idea that it was the mother of metals may have given later alchemists the idea that gold could be created from it.
Iron was used by the ancients, however, examples are not here for us to examine due to the fact that iron deteriorates over time. Instead we must rely, for the most part, on what few writings there are about iron. There are a few surviving iron artifacts such as one found in the pyramid of Cheops. It dated to around 2,500 B.C. By 1,300 B.C. steel was used by the Egyptians (Stillman 6).
Of the precious metals silver was highly regarded by the ancients. Some even considered it to be worth more than gold, since it had to be separated out from other metals. Silver was used extensively, but in a combination with gold, since the two often occurred together.
The second of the two main precious metals, gold, was used very early in history. Its properties made it ideal to make into jewelry and figures. It is extremely malleable and is therefore easily formed into shapes. Its rarity is what caused it to have more value than other metals known to man at the time.


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