There is a strangely popular theory that the copper used by bronze age Europeans came from ancient copper mines in the Great Lakes region.

The theory says that this north American copper was excavated in enormous quantities for thousands of years in prehistory. And that this copper was then transported across the Atlantic to Europe and the Ancient Near East.

The fact is, we do know where European copper came from. There are many Bronze Age mines in the Old World that collectively produced thousands of tons of copper, enough to make millions of tools, weapons, and decorations for Europe and the Near East.