Passage:
Recent excavations of Bronze Age slag heaps in Anatolia demonstrate that early metallurgists adapted their smelting furnaces to process complex chalcopyrite ores containing high concentrations of arsenic and antimony. Previous historical models assumed that arsenic-rich copper alloys were produced exclusively through deliberate co-smelting—the intentional addition of separate arsenical minerals to a refined copper melt. However, chemical analysis of slag residues at these Anatolian sites reveals that furnace temperatures were maintained below 1,150 degrees Celsius specifically to prevent the premature volatilization of arsenic already embedded within the raw chalcopyrite ore matrix. By sustaining these moderate thermal conditions, smelters achieved high arsenic retention in the resulting bronze without requiring supplemental mineral additives. Nonetheless, because antimony volatilizes at a significantly lower thermal threshold than arsenic under identical furnace atmospheres, any trace antimony present in the raw ore was entirely lost as vapor during this single-stage process.
Based on the passage premises, evaluate whether the following statement is True or False:
Anatolian metallurgists operating furnaces below 1,150 degrees Celsius would be unable to produce bronze containing antimony from raw chalcopyrite ore using the single-stage smelting process described.
Answer: Answer