"Almost 200 pieces of green stone fragments were found alongside charcoal in 23 combustion pits. Malachite is not native to the cave so must have been transported there."
"Heating malachite breaks it down into carbon dioxide and copper oxide. Adding charcoal then releases the carbon dioxide and leaves a nugget of copper behind."
"Many of these fragments are thermally altered, while other materials in the cave are not, which clearly suggests that fire played an important role in their processing."
"The hearths cut across each other, indicating that the visitors reused this space frequently, but are still distinct, suggesting that those visits were separated by plenty of time."
Excavations at Cave 338 in the eastern Pyrenees uncovered four layers of human occupation from the early 5th millennium B.C. to the late 1st millennium B.C. The site, at over 7,333 feet, is the highest-altitude cave with sustained prehistoric occupation. Artifacts include charcoal, animal bones, ceramic vessels, and green mineral fragments believed to be malachite, indicating early copper mining. The presence of combustion pits and thermally altered fragments suggests intentional processing of malachite, with evidence of repeated use of the space over time.
Read at www.thehistoryblog.com
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