Volume 1

An historical inquiry into the production and consumption of the precious metals / By William Jacob.

  • William Jacob
Date:
1831
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An historical inquiry into the production and consumption of the precious metals / By William Jacob. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    on or near the surface was attempted to be se- parated into the two parts of metal and scoria. At first, sharpened flint-stones were used for excavating; and till harder tools could be found, the search for ore must have been a most la- borious employment ; for what was found on the surface in a pure state would be soon expended. An improvement in the tools commenced as early as the art of giving hardness to copper, by mixing with it some other metal, had been discovered. The hammers and chisels found in Nubia in the time of Agatharchidas were of this hardened copper’. In the course of time iron was dis- covered, and found to be the most applicable to the purpose of the miners. As early as the time of Moses, the Egyptians were not only acquainted with iron stone, but knew how to separate the metal and apply it to the various purposes of mankind *. Its discovery is carried back by the heathens to the fabulous ages, when their gods were supposed to have lived with and to have instructed mortals. Agatharchidas attri- butes to Vulcan the instruction of the Egyptians in the art of working the metals*. By whatever ' Agatharchidas, apud Photium, p. 1341. 2 The chief passages which give information respecting iron, in the early parts of the Old Testament, are, Job, xx. 34, xxviii, 2, and xli. 27; Leviticus, xxvi. 19; Deuteronomy, Xxvili. 23 and 48. 3 Agatharchidas, apud Photium, p. 134].
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