Archaeologists have discovered settlements of the first metallurgists dating from the time of the Egyptian pyramids in the Republic of Tatarstan.

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      Archaeologists have found settlements of the first metallurgists from the era of the Egyptian pyramids in the Republic of Tatarstan

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      Archaeologists have found settlements of the first metallurgists from the era of the Egyptian pyramids in the Republic of Tatarstan (photo: Committee of the Republic of Tatarstan for the Protection of Cultural Heritage Sites)

      During the excavation of the cultural layers, both isolated and clustered fragments of copper ore containing inclusions of malachite and azurite were discovered.

      This year archaeologists made a sensational discovery in the Menzelinsky District of Tatarstan. While investigating the area of the Novobiksinteevsky burial ground, they uncovered the first large-scale evidence of developed copper metallurgy in this territory as early as the 3rd millennium BCE — the era when the great pyramids were being built in Egypt and the pharaohs of the Old Kingdom ruled. As reported by the Committee of the Republic of Tatarstan for the Protection of Cultural Heritage Sites, work was carried out on the territory of two ancient settlements, where specialists were able to identify traces of full-scale metallurgical production. Numerous fragments of copper ore with inclusions of malachite and azurite were found in the cultural layers, as well as copper slags — waste from the metal smelting process.

      The most important evidence consisted of finds of finished items: fragments of copper awls, piercing tools and a fragment of a sleeve. But most importantly — archaeologists unearthed remnants of the production itself: fragments of ceramic crucibles for smelting and half of a clay tuyere that was used to blow air into the furnace and raise the melting temperature, writes Kazanfirst. Analysis of the slags showed their unique geochemical composition, characteristic of the copper-bearing sandstones of the Pre-Urals. Scientists noted that the technology was still imperfect: metal losses during smelting were high, which is confirmed by the large number of small copper droplets (korolki) in the waste.

      This discovery proves that already 5,000 years ago local inhabitants, belonging to the Garin culture, not only knew how to locate copper ore but also had mastered the complex technology of smelting and manufacturing metal items, which for that era was a genuine technological breakthrough.

      Arina Mikhailova

      Published: 05.09.2025 10:36

      Edited: 05.09.2025 10:36