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Thursday, November 18, 2010

How well do we know our history?

Aluminium axe found in Aiud, Romania (10,000 years old)       In 1974 a strange object was discovered on the riverside of Mures river, near the town of Aiud, Romania. The object similar to a hammer was brought to the Institute of Archaeology from Cluj-Napoca were it was thoroughly studied. Surprisingly, the object was made from alumimium, a metal first obtained in 1808 and produced in large scale after 1885. Aluminium is obtained from bauxite - aluminium oxide found in great quantities in Earth's crust. It has the advantage of resisting corosion. This is the reason the object found near Aiud was so well preserved, having approx. 10,000 years.

        One question remains: When was aluminium actually discovered?