artisans north of the Mediterranean perfected a metal alloy made from a combination of copper and tin called bronze. From 3000 to 1200 BC, the Bronze Age would give rise, not only to many marvelous artifacts, as well as writing, and much of what we now call civilization, but, until recently, it has not been entirely clear where all the copper and tin came from. Copper, it has been thought, came from various European mines, though there is evidence pointing to sources in North America. As for tin: the sour