Some things plated with antimony and made out of antimony were found in Egypt and Chaldea . An artifact made of antimony dating to about 3000 BC was found at Tello , Chaldea ( part of present-day Iraq ) , and a copper object plated with antimony dating between 2500 BC and 2200 BC has been found in Egypt . One contemporary commented , `` we only know of antimony at the present day as a highly brittle and crystalline metal , which could hardly be fashioned into a useful vase , and therefore this remarkable ` find ' must represent the lost art of rendering antimony malleable . ''