Lake Superior mining 6,000-7,000 years ago spread Old Copper artifacts across Manitoba, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Saskatchewan. Kehoe: it fueled Mediterranean copper age.
Old Copper Complex: Lake Superior mining fueled long-distance trade
Site mentioned
📍 Old Copper Complex
Key facts
- Academic literature estimates 400,000 to 680,000 tons of copper were extracted from 9,000 BC to around 1,000 BC
- Copper deposits from around Lake Superior and into northern Michigan and Ohio were mined starting around 6,000-7,000 years ago
- The Old Copper Complex artifacts are found across southern Manitoba, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and into southeastern Saskatchewan
- An undergraduate study found Old Copper artifacts reach the western slopes of the Appalachians but not the eastern side, where slate was used instead
- Kehoe: hypothesizes much of the extracted copper may have fueled the copper age in the Mediterranean
Sources
Old Copper Culturempm.edu
The Old Copper Complex, also known as the Old Copper Culture, refers to the items made by early inhabitants of the Great Lakes region during a period that ...
Prehistoric Copper Heist in Michigan's Keweenawtheinnatstonecliffe.com
Archaeological evidence links copper tool use to Old Copper Complex ... Based on supposed Old World metallurgy that matches Lake Superior copper isotopes.
Miners Left a Pollution Trail in the Great Lakes 6000 Years Agoeos.org
Scientists find evidence of ancient copper mining in polluted lake sediments from Isle Royale National Park.
Old Copper complexen.wikipedia.org
The Old Copper complex or Old Copper culture is an archaeological culture from the Archaic period of North America's Great Lakes region.
Archaeological History of Isle Royale and Ancient Copper ...nps.gov
The copper itself was cold-hammered into knives, points, and a variety of ornaments, either on Isle Royale or taken to the mainland and then ...
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