In various parts of the world the history of copper is the history of civilization down to the present day. It has been one of the main metals used by humankind throughout the last 6.000 years. Even though it is very delicate in its unadulterated state in nature, humans have been able to process it since the very first beginnings of civilization, and used it to make tools, weapons and ornaments.

In prehistory the first humans learned how extract copper form seams of copper oxide, which had a very striking colour. Later they succeeded in

extracting copper from sulphide seams through repeated roasting and smelting. In later periods they utilized its ability to be made into an alloy with tin and developed Copper-Tin alloys; and this period in human history is known as the Bronze Age.

We can see from the copper works of the art unearthed by archaeological excavations that since 4.000 B.C. copper was widely used in Anatolia, Iran, Iraq and Egypt, which were the cradles of splendid civilizations. Our ancestors gave considerable importance to copper and endowed it with special meanings. For example, the ancient Egyptians used the sign for immortality to represent copper. Two thousand years age copper was associated with the planet Venus and thus with Cyprus, the birthplace of the goddess Venus.

The fact that copper had a very striking colour, that it could be processed and easily made into alloys and had a high resistance to corrosion, meant that was extensively used. In later periods copper's other properties, such as high heat and electricity conductivity and ease with which it could be soldered, greatly increased its importance. In addition to its unique characteristics and the fact that different properties could be utilized at the same time, copper has become a principal industrial metal because it is very difficult to substitute other metals in its place.
In the modern age, as high technology is utilized in everyday life, copper continues to add brightness and confidence to people's lives; and copper will continue to always be one the foundation stones of modern civilization.