Lead obtained from the smelting of coarsely powdered galena, "Schliegwerkeblei"

Lead obtained from the smelting of coarsely powdered galena, "Schliegwerkeblei"

Galena is the natural mineral form of lead sulfide, an ore of lead, as well as a source of silver. This is a German example of the mineral once it has been smelted into lead. Galena must be ground into a powder, ‘Schlieg’ in German, before it can be smelted. Lead has a low melting point for a metal, which means it can be easily melted in a wood fire. There is evidence of lead smelting going back thousands of years.