PURE GOLD, PURE SILVER AS WELL AS PURE COPPER NUGETS CAN BE FOUND IN RIVERS AND STREAMS OR DUG FROM ROCKS IN SEVERAL AREAS OF THE AMERICAS. CONSIDERING THE METAL WORK THAT WAS DONE IN PRECOLUMBIAN AMERICA NORTH AND SOUTH WHICH IS OBVIOUS IN THE MANY ARTEFACTS FOUND IN MUSEUMS MANY OF WHICH WERE DUG BY ARCHEOLOGISTS THERE CAN BE NO DOUBT THAT METAL WORK WAS DONE OVER A LONG PERIOD AND OVER A LARGE AREA.THE LARGER CIVILIZATIONS (SUCH AS THE MOUND BUILDERS, AZTECK, INCA, MAYA) NO DOUBT SENT OUT PARTYS TO EXPLORE AND TRADE OVER LARGE AREAS IN ANCIENT TIMES SO THEIR TECKNOLOGY WOULD HAVE SPREAD.
THERE ARE ARTEFACTS IN GOLD, SILVER,COPPER AND BRONZE SO PERHAPS THERE WAS RUDIMENTRY IRON WORKING BUT IRON UNLIKE THE ABOVE METALS IS SELDOM FOUND IN NUGGET OR LARGE LUMPS EXCEPT IN METEORITES. THAT WOULD HAVE MADE IT MORE DIFFICULT TO REFINE THAN THE OTHERS PLUS THE HIGHER HEAT REQUIRED SO PERHAPS IF ANY ARTEFACTS WERE MADE OF IT THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN SMALL PERHAPS AMULETS AND NO DOUBT WOULD HAVE RUSTED AWAY. I AM SURE IF ANY OF THE METAL WORKERS OF THE DAY CAME ACROSS IRON THEY WOULD HAVE EXPERIMENTED WITH IT AS THEY DID WITH OTHER METALS.
I WONDER IF ANY ARCHEOLOGICAL DIGGS HAVE FOUND RUST IN ANY OF THE BURIALS THAT HAVE BEEN EXCAVATED?
I AGREE THE IRON OR STEEL KNIVES THAT STARTED THIS THREAD ARE MORE LIKELY AFTER CONTACT WAS MADE, WHICH CAN COVER QUITE A LONG PERIOD AND DIFFERENT POSSIBILITYS AS TO WHO VISITED THE AMERICAS BEFORE COLUMBUS. CHINESE, AFRICANS,PHONECIANS,VIKINGS, EGYPTIANS AMONG OTHER POSSIBILITYS.
JUST MY 2 CENTS WORTH