History of Metallurgy

The production and use of metals and metallic materials date back to very ancient times, which are difficult to pin down and differ from one part of the world to another. It started with the use of metals in their native state, and then moved on to their production by smelting ores from the surface of the ground and easily accessible ores from underground. It is estimated that in the area that includes the territory of Romania, the processing of metals in their native state began about a millennium earlier than in the area that includes most of Europe. The new discoveries regarding the beginnings of iron metallurgy in Romania are an additional argument, besides the general historical considerations, in favor of the idea that the first iron age began in the Carpatho–Danube area before 1150 BC. The metallurgical industry in Romania has evolved over the years, being in certain periods an important player in the field. The most important metallurgical areas in our country: Călan, Hunedoara, Reşiţa, Galaţi, Slatina, Bucharest. Along with the evolution of the metallurgical industry, the Romanian metallurgical education also developed in university centers such as Timişoara, Bucharest, Iaşi, Braşov, Reşiţa, etc.