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Old Copper Complex/Culture

Old Copper Artifacts

The Old Copper Culture is an unpopular Prehistoric (4000-1000 BCE) North American Culture located in the Great Lakes region(Bebber).As time passed through this time period the culture gradually moved throughout the United States Mid West and the border of Canada(Extraordinary Societies). These cultures were apart of Native Americans everyday life at the time and other Hunter-Gatherers. The individuals at the used multiple different methods to shape the copper into usable items.(Bebber). Over time these copper tools diminished in quality and production as more time passed and as more civilizations populated the area. We see these methods through Artifacts found in Burial sites and cremations(Wittry)(Ritzenthaler). This Culture was researched to be one of the earliest Metallurgical traditions (Bebber). These Archeologists used Radiocarbon dating to determine the age of these Artifacts.

Other Locations

The Old Copper Culture spread around North America pretty quickly. A few places that encountered this culture was Manitoba, Ontario, and most of the Mid Western states of the United States(SteinBring). The people of this culture and the different regions traded with other individuals. These trades consisted of Copper for different materials that they could use for survival(Extraordinary Societies). These trades were prominent in their survival as the copper tools loss efficiency and value as time passed.

Artifacts

Most Artifacts were found in Burial sites and cremations. Artifacts found in these sites consisted of finger rings, small clasp, and bracelets(Wittry) (Ritzenthaler).Other copper Artifacts that were found in other places were spear points, knives, ulus, awls and other survival weapons and tools(Bebber). Fish hooks and needles were also found as artifacts.(Bebber)

Methods

Hot Hammering(Extraordianry Studies) - Hammering a piece of Hot iron to make it curve or bend

Cold Hammering - Causes the metal to eventually become brittle

Annealing - "A heat treatment used to increase the workability of a metal by altering physical properties" (Bebber)

The Recrystallization temperature of Copper - 375 degrees Celsius (Bebber)