Learn About the Importance of the Chalcolithic Phase

The term ‘Chalcolithic’ is derived from the Greek word khalkós, meaning copper, and lithos, meaning stone. Therefore, Chalcolithic means copper-stone. This period is also known as Aeneolithic or Eneolithic. It is a time that is considered a part of the larger Neolithic age. This was when metalwork was discovered, and the use of copper gained prominence. It was just before humans made an alloy of copper and tin, bringing bronze into existence. Bronze quickly became popular because it was harder than both copper and tin. Later bronze surpassed the popularity of copper due to its sturdiness.

Copper metallurgy, in all likelihood, first developed in Mesopotamia. The earliest known sites of the age are in Tell Halaf, dating back to almost 6500 BCE. However, the technology likely existed long before that. Isolated archaeological evidence dating back to nearly 7500 calendar years BC, like axes and adzes, were found in Anatolia and Mesopotamia.

Chronology of the Chalcolithic Age

The Chalcolithic age, like other broad periods of time, such as the Neolithic age and the Mesolithic age, is not characterised by a group of people living in a specific place. Instead, it is the summation of how people lived in diverse environments with a wide array of cultures. These groups have only the seminal characteristics of the age in common. For the Chalcolithic period, it was the metallurgy of copper, the transition from using stone implements to incorporating metal in making usable items.

Following is a chronology of the progression of the Chalcolithic age:

• Early Chalcolithic age – 5500-3500 calendar years BC – began in Anatolia, the Levant, and Mesopotamia.
• Developed Chalcolithic age – 4500-3500 BC – the age had expanded to the Central and Eastern Europe of the South-Eastern part of Europe and South-West Germany and Eastern Switzerland.
• Late Chalcolithic age – 3500-3000 BC – the Chalcolithic age had expanded to the Central and Western Mediterranean, including North and Central Italy, Eastern France, and Western Switzerland.
• Terminal Chlaoclithic age – 3200-2000 BC – by now, the Iberian Peninsula was experiencing the Copper Age.

Lifestyle

One of the significant characteristics of the Copper Age was multicoloured pottery, which included jars with openings cuts. These might have been used for burning incense. Other pottery samples from this period include large jars probably used for storage purposes and pots with spouts. Even though copper was used in this age, stone tools and implements still existed.

Domesticated Animals and Cultivated Food Grains

It is known that people of the Copper Age domesticated animals. Farmers often kept flocks of domestic animals such as sheep, goats, pigs, and other cattle used to add to the meat supply from hunting and fishing. Other dietary items included milk and dairy products, fruits from figs and olives trees, etc. All these were supplemented by cultivated food grains such as wheat, barley, and pulses to meet the demands of the dietary habits of this age.

Houses and Burial

The houses of the Copper age were built with mud bricks. A common style of buildings was the chain style. These were rows of rectangular constructions attached on the shorter ends by a wall. Most of these chains were only six houses long. Some researchers take this to mean that these edifices were actually extended family dwellings belonging to families of farmers.

The burial styles in the Copper Age took a number of forms. These could be rock-cut tombs or small box-shaped ossuaries built above the ground. There were single interment graves and jar burials as well. There are instances of disinterment and placing the buried remains inside family burial sites or vaults. There are also examples of bone stacking or the careful arrangement of bones.

Polychrome Paintings

One major advancement of the Copper age was the advent of polychrome paintings. There are several coloured murals on the walls of the buildings found in Teleilat Ghassul, an archaeological site of the Copper Age. One of the most famous is an architectural plan. But it is not the only one. There is a painting of robed and masked figures following a larger figure. It is called the processional scene. The followers wear robes of red cloth which have black tassels. The other paintings also show the use of colours, mostly red, white, black, and yellow mineral pigments.

Conclusion

The Chalcolithic age is a transition period between the larger Neolithic Age and the advent of the major civilisations of the Bronze Age. The polychrome paintings of the Copper age continued onto the Bronze age, which saw the advent of ochre-coloured pottery in the Ochre Coloured Pottery Culture. The Chalcolithic Age also introduced the dominance of metals in making tools. But like all the great periods of history, this age too has its stages of rising and decline.