Page 27 - A Historical Lie: The Stone Age
P. 27
HARUN YAHYA
arsenic, zinc and antimony,
know at what temperatures
these are to be melted, and
possess a kiln in which to melt These pieces of copper, dating back to be-
and combine them. Without tween 8,000 and 10,000 BCE, are believed to
have been used as beads. The people of the
all this knowledge, it will be time possessed the technical know-how to
very difficult to produce a find copper ore and then work it.
successful alloy.
To begin with, copper ore is found in old, hard rocks in powder
or crystalline form (which is also referred to as "native copper"). A
society that uses copper must first possess a level of knowledge to
identify it in powder form in these rocks. It must then construct a
mine to extract the copper, remove it, and carry it to the surface. It is
clear that these things cannot be done using stone and wooden tools.
Copper ore must be introduced to red-hot flame in order for it
to liquefy. The temperature needed to melt and refine copper is
o
o
1,084.5 C (1,984 F). There also needs to be a device or bellows to en-
sure a steady flow of air to the fire. Any society working with copper
must construct a kiln able to produce such high heat and also make
such equipment as crucibles and tongs for use with the furnace.
This is a brief summary of the technical infrastructure needed to
work copper—which by itself, is too soft a metal to hold a sharp
edge for long. Producing harder bronze by adding tin, zinc and other
elements to copper is even more sophisticated, because every metal
requires different processes. All these facts show that communities
engaged in mining, producing alloys and metal-working must have
possessed detailed knowledge. It is neither logical nor consistent to
claim that people with such comprehensive knowledge would never
have discovered iron.
25