Summarizing the results of the long-term investigations of ancient metallurgy in cultural and historical contexts, the author claims that one of the main aims of metal production and metalworking was making artifacts which served as symbols. These included weapons, ornaments, and pieces of ritual significance, and practically the whole repertory of finds from the cemeteries. Some calculations were made based on the materials of the Circumpontic metallurgical province which existed in the Early and Middle Bronze Ages. The author demonstrates that the symbolic spheres of culture probably consumed no less than half of the bronze produced in the territory of the province.