Which one among the following elements is known to be discovered the earliest ?

Copper is widely recognized as the first metal discovered and utilized by humans, marking the transition from the Stone Age to the Metal Age [1]. Archaeological evidence suggests that native copper was used for tools and ornaments as early as 9000–10,000 BCE in the Middle East. This period of early copper use, known as the Chalcolithic or Copper Age, preceded the Bronze Age (c. 3000 BCE), where copper was alloyed with tin [2]. While gold was also known in antiquity and found in its free state, copper's widespread utility in metallurgy for tools and weapons makes it the earliest significant discovery in human technological history [3]. In contrast, oxygen was not scientifically identified until the late 18th century (c. 1774), and uranium was discovered by Martin Heinrich Klaproth in 1789. Therefore, copper is the element discovered the earliest among the given options.

Sources

1. [1] FUNDAMENTALS OF HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 4: Primary Activities > MINING > p. 32
2. [2] Themes in world history, History Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 1: Writing and City Life > Mesopotamia and its Geography > p. 12
3. [3] Science , class X (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 3: Metals and Non-metals > Figure 3.9 > p. 50