Copper was one of the first metals ever extracted and used by humans, and it has made vital contributions to sustaining and improving society since the dawn of civilization. Copper was first used in coins and ornaments starting about 8000 B.C., and at about 5500 B.C., copper tools helped civilization emerge from the Stone Age. The discovery that copper alloyed with tin produces bronze marked the beginning of the Bronze Age at about 3000 B.C.

In the United States, a piece of what is believed to be a copper bracelet was found in a Native American burial on the coastal plain of Georgia in 2017. The burial was a cremation dated to roughly 3500 years ago. The copper contained trace elements that linked it to geological deposits in the Great Lakes region. These discoveries suggest a long-distance trade connection between Georgia and the Great Lakes region, a greater distance than was ever known before.

Copper is easily stretched, molded, and shaped; is resistant to corrosion; and conducts heat and electricity efficiently. As a result, copper was important to early humans and continues to be a material of choice for a variety of domestic, industrial, and high-technology applications today.