Creamsteak
Explorer
This is a question that occationally pops up in the back of my mind when I think of metal for game purposes. I've never thought about it during times when I can post though.
How did Europe and Asia acquire enough metal to make their weapons, armors, tools, and other equipment? I understand that they used other materials for a majority of things, but I'm still unsure of where they found or acquired this stuff.
In a game with magic and other dndisms, people can detect the metal, or just ask the nearest dwarf. Did we just dig around till we hit something? I can't imagine how that method would have been successful, since there's just so-much "ground" out there. So what were the tools used to "divine" where metal might be found? Is it fairly common to find ore on the surface?
I don't know how we had as much metal (though still relatively little) during the dark ages. I remember that even the greeks had a good deal of bronze, and some degree of silver for currency. How old is the act of actually "mining" metal from inside the earth?
Thanks in advance for opinions and answers.
How did Europe and Asia acquire enough metal to make their weapons, armors, tools, and other equipment? I understand that they used other materials for a majority of things, but I'm still unsure of where they found or acquired this stuff.
In a game with magic and other dndisms, people can detect the metal, or just ask the nearest dwarf. Did we just dig around till we hit something? I can't imagine how that method would have been successful, since there's just so-much "ground" out there. So what were the tools used to "divine" where metal might be found? Is it fairly common to find ore on the surface?
I don't know how we had as much metal (though still relatively little) during the dark ages. I remember that even the greeks had a good deal of bronze, and some degree of silver for currency. How old is the act of actually "mining" metal from inside the earth?
Thanks in advance for opinions and answers.