The symbiotic relationship between materials and civilization has been receiving increasing attention in recent years. In this article a brief history of the nonferrous metals in antiquity is narrated. The metals include gold, copper, silver, lead, tin, mercury and tin. A few alloys of antiquity, in particular electrum, tumbaga, arsenical and tin bronzes, are also described. Further silk and diamond have been added in view of the prominence they have enjoyed since antiquity. The historical development of these materials is viewed against the geographic landscape of continental Africa, Asia, Europe and America. The transition from the predominant use of one material to that of another material is discussed from technical and socio-cultural perspectives. The anticipation of modern science in ancient metallurgical practice is a recurrent theme.
