Archaeologica.org

There have been findings of furnaces that suggest bog iron smelting in the Ohio and Pennsylvania area that pre-date European contact.

But it seems to have been a lost technology.
At the time of European contact the “natives” were very much in the stone age.

And there is evidence of copper smelting on the upper peninsula of Michigan. And I just went through the Space Museum in Almagordo where they have an iron meteorite on display with a story about how the Indians smelted the iron out of meteorites.

I'd like to see some evidence of any of it. What is the first thing they would make with metals? I'd bet weapons. Iron? Copper? Where did they go? Then cooking implements? Can't say they decomposed. If they developed that technology, it must have been just before they were wiped out. A culture with copper dart points or iron axes would have a much better chance at survival than a similar culture with rocks. And an iron skillet beats the hell out of a clay pot.

I'd like a dollar for every time we've gone around the block about the origins of metal smelting.

Anywhere.

So is there a consensus? What is it? Is this the wrong forum to ask?

The consensus was that we could not imagine the circumstances whereby metal might be smelted naturally. That leaves "unnatural" and the only thing I can think of is that someone threw the wrong rock into a pottery kiln and later said..."holy shit! I wonder what THAT is."

Well it makes a lot more sense than some genius waking up one morning and saying to his wife, 'today I'm gonna smelt iron!'

Roy.

I feel a Min cartoon coming on!

I was actually amazed to find any cartoons coming up on the search string "ore smelting cartoon."

I had faith in you Min!

Roy.

The consensus was that we could not imagine the circumstances whereby metal might be smelted naturally. That leaves "unnatural" and the only thing I can think of is that someone threw the wrong rock into a pottery kiln and later said..."holy shit! I wonder what THAT is."

I like that...

From today’s news page.

Not just in N A

And the expected “We know better” ego of the Europeans.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 174030.htm

kbs2244 wrote:And the expected “We know better” ego of the Europeans.

Well, you got it from somewhere!

Start here for the Old World:

1999
Note on Karen Reiter's "Die Metalle im Alten Orient":
An Essential Reference For Historical Work On Impact Events
http://abob.libs.uga.edu/bobk/ccc/cc020999.html

For SE Asia, google search

For the Americas...

E.P. Grondine
Man and Impact in the Americas