The Living Rock (book review)

1. Title :- The Living Rock – The story of metals since earliest times and their impact on developing civilizations.
By :- A.J. Wilson.
Published :-Woodhead publishing Ltd. –paperback England, 1996. (270 pages).

Outline :- First section very interesting with earliest underground mining & smelting from Egypt as confirmed through archeology with the end of the stone age and start of copper age around 4,000 years BC ? This stimulated trade & growth, and to keep certain techniques secret. The author follows this trend to bronze age, with big questions not yet fully answered as to where the tin came from the bronze. Then the book swings more towards trade where the Phoenicians from around Lebanon opened up sea trade and circumnavigated Africa a 1,000 years BC. Then the book moves on to iron age and refocuses on England and the industrial age. There are great gaps in the development of civilization as per after the fall of Rome, the European dark ages and so on. But it seems silver as a source of money seems to be reoccurring awakening of trade and development