[TheForge] Re: Fwd: [blacksmiths] Early metal history

[Mike Spencer]

Richard Ferguson (via Dave Mudge) wrote:

> Several sources indicated that the early iron was from meteors,
> identifiable due to the nickel content. I am having a little trouble
> imagining finding enough meteors to make things. Is this correct?
> What have they found from meteors? Where?

_Man and Metals_, vol. 2, has several pages on where NiFe meteorites
have been found, estimates of how many were likely found in antiquity,
specific artifacts analysed (or believed) to be meteoric etc.

I don't think they made plough shares or or cart tires out of such
rare stuff. :-)  Beads, tools, weapons.

BTW, I only have Vol. 2 of Man & Metals.  Does anybody have Vol. 1
they'd like to sell me?


- Mike


Man and Metals, A history of mining in relation to the development of
civilization, Vols. 1 & 2, T.A. Rickard, ARSM, DSc., Whittlesey House,
McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York & London, 1932.

References at end of each chapter, index covers both volumes, which
are paginated sequentially, viz. Vol. 2 begins with p. 507.