games-pc empire earth Manuel D’Utilisation
Empire Earth
39
Copper Age (5,000 – 2,000 BC)
Copper was one of the first metals widely used by humans, owing to its malleability and
durability. Like gold and silver, copper could be easily fashioned into many shapes, but it
proved to have greater strength. Consequently, copper was prized by early metalworkers for
making tools and weapons. Copper-headed maces were first cast in Mesopotamia in the 3rd
Millennium BC. Iron also began to find limited use around this time, due mainly to its great
abundance, though many centuries passed before it claimed its place as the preferred material
for tools. Yet, despite the availability of these materials, not all weapons made an immediate
transition from stone to metal. Bowmen, for example, continued to use stone arrowheads
throughout the Copper Age because they were sufficiently lethal and much easier to produce.
durability. Like gold and silver, copper could be easily fashioned into many shapes, but it
proved to have greater strength. Consequently, copper was prized by early metalworkers for
making tools and weapons. Copper-headed maces were first cast in Mesopotamia in the 3rd
Millennium BC. Iron also began to find limited use around this time, due mainly to its great
abundance, though many centuries passed before it claimed its place as the preferred material
for tools. Yet, despite the availability of these materials, not all weapons made an immediate
transition from stone to metal. Bowmen, for example, continued to use stone arrowheads
throughout the Copper Age because they were sufficiently lethal and much easier to produce.
By the start of the Copper Age the Egyptians were already constructing warships out of
bundles of reeds. Such vessels were essentially rafts, suited for duty only on the relatively
calm waters of the Nile. By 2,000 BC, both Egypt and Crete had wooden ships capable of
navigating the choppy, wind-swept waters of the Mediterranean. For propulsion, these
warships used a combination of a square sail (for speed) and oars (for maneuverability).
bundles of reeds. Such vessels were essentially rafts, suited for duty only on the relatively
calm waters of the Nile. By 2,000 BC, both Egypt and Crete had wooden ships capable of
navigating the choppy, wind-swept waters of the Mediterranean. For propulsion, these
warships used a combination of a square sail (for speed) and oars (for maneuverability).
Another defining phenomenon of this epoch was the explosion of agriculture. The ability to
farm enabled people to settle in one area – a necessary condition for the emergence of
civilisation. The earliest known civilisation arose in Sumer, in southern Mesopotamia, during
the 5th Millennium BC. In addition to growing crops like barley, wheat, and grapes, the
Sumerians domesticated animals for meat and other materials, as well as to provide power for
plows and carts. Lists of commodities, including the lineages of horses, were recorded on
clay tablets using cuneiform, the first system of writing. By the end of the Copper Age,
agriculture had spread from the Middle East through all of Europe.
farm enabled people to settle in one area – a necessary condition for the emergence of
civilisation. The earliest known civilisation arose in Sumer, in southern Mesopotamia, during
the 5th Millennium BC. In addition to growing crops like barley, wheat, and grapes, the
Sumerians domesticated animals for meat and other materials, as well as to provide power for
plows and carts. Lists of commodities, including the lineages of horses, were recorded on
clay tablets using cuneiform, the first system of writing. By the end of the Copper Age,
agriculture had spread from the Middle East through all of Europe.