Copper was discovered and used by humans over 10,000 years ago. Archaeological evidence includes a copper pendant dated to around 8700 B.C. found in what is now northern Iraq, making copper one of the earliest known metals to mankind. Copper use dates back to the Neolithic period, around 9000 years ago, with significant developments in smelting, casting, and alloying occurring later, leading to the Copper Age and then the Bronze Age (when copper was alloyed with tin). Early evidence of copper metallurgy appears in regions such as Anatolia (modern Turkey), Egypt, and China, among others.