Home >> Collecting >> Antiques

Ancient Copper Tools

Tools made from stone, wood, bone and ivory have been used since the time of early man. As civilizations discovered different metals, they made them into tools. It is believed that the Egyptians crafted and used tools made of copper as early as 4000 B.C. Craftsmen of the day were often buried with their tools, and this has helped us to date the use of copper tools further back than even those made of gold or bronze.

Woodworking Tools
- Copper is a soft and malleable metal. Although this meant frequent sharpening of copper tools, it could be shaped with more precision than wood or stone. Saws used by the Egyptians had blades with teeth and were forged from copper. Copper saw blades were curved and given a handle made of wood. This enabled users to grip the handle firmly and even allowed two workers to move a saw back and forth, greatly improving woodworking time. Adze blades were also made of copper. An adze is a tool that is used to shape and sand wood to a smooth finish.
Stone Working Tools
- Although copper is quite soft, it was nearly equal in hardness to limestone. This fact, along with the practice of using fire to temper and harden the copper, allowed the Egyptians to form tools that could be used on stone. Chisels and axes made of a copper blade and wooden handle could break apart limestone. Pincers were crafted from copper, rudimentary pliers that could hold stone in place to be shaped. Drill bits were also made of copper. A copper drill bit was twisted by a wooden bow drill to bore into stone.
Weapons and Hunting Tools
- Although spears and arrows had long been made of stone, hunting and battle capabilities advanced when copper began being used to make far sharper points on these weapons. Copper knives were crafted for up close animal kills and were also used, along with hatchets made of copper, to cut up dead prey. Man to man fighting and defense also got a lot more serious with the ability to utilize a sharp metal blade instead of stone. One of the most sophisticated hunting advances that came from copper was the ability to use the malleable metal to shape a thin, barbed hook for fishing.
Domestic Tools
- Because copper was lighter and far easier to shape than stone, it made a useful source for domestic tools and necessities. Copper plates and knives were used in Egypt's homes. The thin metal could be pounded and shaped into items such as bowls or ewers for water, as opposed to stone having to be dug and hollowed out. Precision tools in the home were made of copper as well. Needles, pins and scissors were made of copper, far thinner and sharper than anything that came before.

Antiques