Cyprus: Source of Rome's copper

[guy]

I found this short video surprisingly informative. Cyprus was a significant supplier of copper to Ancient Rome, if not the largest. The connection between Cyprus and copper was so strong that the metal's name became associated with the island.

 

 

The ancient Romans sourced copper from several regions across their vast empire. Some of the most significant sources included:

·         • Cyprus – The island was a major supplier of copper, and its name is believed to be the origin of the Latin word for copper, cuprum.

·         • Iberia (modern Spain) – Rich copper deposits were actively mined here.

·         • Elba and Sardinia (Italy) – These islands provided copper and other metals for Roman use.

·         • Britannia (modern UK) – Copper mining was conducted in Roman Britain.

·         • Dacia (modern Romania) – Another important source of copper and other minerals.

 

Here is an old post about how Cyprus became part of Rome’s expansion:

 

 

 

Edited Tuesday at 02:47 PM by guy

[guidoLaMoto]

A couple of pertinent points--

-Copper is the element with symbol Cu- for Cuprum in Latin....in classical Latin, "y" is actually pronounced "o-o-o" as in "you," so "Cyprus" would have been pronounced "Koo-prus.'

-It's been calculated that Old Worls coper mines couldn't have produced enough Cu to account for all the bronze in use in The Bronze Age, and that the huge amount of Cu mined during that time in the Lake Superior area of NA can not be accounted for among the NA artifacts.....

...and furthermore, certain genetic markers found in the Minoan population are also found among modern Ojibwa (or do you say Chippewa?) tribe members today (!)...Coincidentally, copper mining and copper usage in NA fell off just when the Minoan civilization collapsed. Go figure. 

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-42185-y

https://chapelboro.com/town-square/columns/common-science/bronze-age-part-ii-the-case-of-the-missing-copper