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Old Copper Complex

The Old Copper Complex was an Archaic-period culture of the Great Lakes region distinguished by widespread manufacture of copper tools, weapons, and ornaments, among the earliest known metalworking traditions in the world.

Copper-tool production declined sharply after ca. 3000 BCE and ceased almost entirely by 1000 BCE CE, when the culture dissolved into subsequent Woodland-period traditions of the Great Lakes region with no single named successor.

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Further reading

• Ancient North America Brian M. Fagan · 1991

  Covers Old Copper Complex within the broader survey of Archaic North American cultures.

• The Cambridge History of the Native Peoples of the Americas Bruce G. Trigger and Wilcomb E. Washburn (eds.) · 1996

  Reference for Great Lakes Archaic cultures and metallurgical traditions.

Sources

• Wikipedia, 'Old Copper complex' (Q7083763), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Copper_complex — article states dates 6500 to 1580 BCE, characterizes the culture by copper artifacts including tools, weapons, and ornaments.
• Wikidata Q7083763 confirmed via MediaWiki API pageprops query 2026-06-18 (redirect from 'Old Copper Complex' to 'Old Copper complex').