The Bible is not only a collection of holy books, the source of faith for Jews and Christians but also an amazing source of knowledge about the ancient times. The very word copper appears in the Bible sixteen times – for comparison - gold is mentioned 359 times, silver in turn - eight times. Bronze, alloy of copper and tin, is quoted in the Bible as many as 98 times, whereas gunmetal eight times. In the Bible we can also find information about mines (2) and foundries and casting technology (26)

Where did the metal which kingdoms of that time obtained in order to gain raw material for making tools, weapon and other ornaments come from? Archaeological researches and thorough analysis of biblical texts let the issue study closer. One of the copper sources was biblical land called Edom located south – west from Israel. It was a country founded before creating the Jewish country by Esau, Jacob’s brother. In the 10-9th BC it was a considerable centre of copper extracting and metallurgy.

According to the Bible, copper mines were located in Wadi al-Araba Valley, being a part of the Jordan River extending south from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba at the eastern end of the Red Sea (Job 28:2-4). Copper also occurred in the mountain of the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 8:9). Salomon made copper castings near Sukkot (1Kings 7:14-46; 2 Chronicles 4:1-18). Cooper mines were in Cyprus, additionally the Bible also mentions other places, from which this metal was imported Jawan, Tubal and Meszech (Ezekiel 27:13).

Iliad and Odyssey are not only masterpieces belonging to the canon of European literature but also they are an excellent sourced to study the usage of copper in ancient times. The individual passages of Homer’s song about Ilion are up to this day an evidence about the versatile usage of this metal by ancient Greek, Trojans and other nations entangled in the conflict several years ago.

Homer’s works not only presents warriors dressed in gunmetal but they also allow to learn the secrets of work of Greek artisans. It is worth looking at the description of Achilles's shield made by Hephaestus.

And on the fire he put stubborn bronze and tin and precious gold and silver; and thereafter he set on the anvil-block a great anvil, and took in one hand a massive hammer, and in the other took he the tongs

[478] First fashioned he a shield, great and sturdy, adorning it cunningly in every part, and round about it set a bright rim, threefold and glittering, and therefrom made fast a silver baldric. Five were the layers of the shield itself; and on it he wrought many curious devices with cunning skill. (…)

[606] Therein he set also the great might of the river Oceanus, around the uttermost rim of the strongly-wrought shield. But when he had wrought the shield, great and sturdy, then wrought he for him a corselet brighter than the blaze of fire, and he wrought for him a heavy helmet, fitted to his temples, a fair helm, richly-dight, and set thereon a crest of gold; and he wrought him greaves of pliant tin. But when the glorious god of the two strong arms had fashioned all the armour, he took and laid it before the mother of Achilles. And like a falcon she sprang down from snowy Olympus, bearing the flashing armour from Hephaestus.

Translation: https://www.theoi.com/Text/HomerIliad18.html

In the Middle Ages copper was no longer such a precious metal as it was in the previous centuries. Its extraction was mainly connected with the demand for silver, which was the basis of monetary economy in Europe from the 8th century.

In the period from 10th to 15th century several mining centres related to extraction of silver and copper can be distinguished. The earliest written sources inform us about the discovery of copper deposits on Rammelsberg hill, overlooking Goslar (Harz, Germany), being from the 10th century one of the imperial residence. Is has been estimated that until the end of the 14th century 140 000 tons of copper were extracted only from this particular deposit. A bit later copper started to be excavated in the proximity of Mansfeld (11th -12th century). In the 13th century there was a boom of mining at the territory of today’s Czech Republic including Kutna Hora. Silver from these deposits was used by the king Waclaw II to implement a monetary reform, introducing pennies in Prague. In Kutna Hora 2500 tons of silver and 100 000 tons of copper were extracted.

Outcrops in the proximity of Banska Bystrica, Banska Stiavnica and Kremnica (so-called Hungarian mining towns) were one of the most important copper deposits, from which copper was imported all over Europe. They were active from the 13th century, however, the flourishing of the local mines took place in the 15th and 16th century. It has been estimated that between 1495-1546 year the Fuggers company operating in the area of Banska Bystrica gained approx. 30 000 tons of copper and 115 tons of silver.