The Haifa ingots date back more than 3000 years, which brings us all the way to the Late Bronze Age.The Late Bronze Age is approximately from 1600 - 1200 BCE. Dating of the ingots was done on the basis of their Cypro-Minoan inscriptions, to which we shall return later on. Back then, ingots such as these were indispensable as they were made of tin, a metal that was needed for the manufacturing of weapons and tools. Many Late Bronze Age societies did not have (enough of) these essential metals available nearby and therefore had to rely on trade in order to meet their needs. Since the transportation of raw ores was both cumbersome and wasteful, they came up with the idea to smelt and cast the ores into ingots. This way the tin took up less space and was easier to carry and ship. In order to facilitate trade, most ingots were similar in size and shape.