Arsenic Bronze Age
- Thread starter Domoviye
- Start date
Arsenic *did* fuel a bronze age. It was the preferred bronze through the Middle Bronze Age, only replaced in Europe by tin-copper bronze because the latter is harder. Meso-Americans continued to use arsenical bronze because it is more ductile and thus more easily hammered into sheets.
The importance of bronze is it makes metal implements cheap enough for everyone to use. In the Copper Age, metal was only used for ornamental purposes. On the other hand, I don't know if arsenic-copper bronze is strong enough for use in general warfare and plowing and other utilitarian purposes.
When I get home, I'll log into my JSTOR account and look things up. I'm have a big interest in metallurgy
Arsenic *did* fuel a bronze age. It was the preferred bronze through the Middle Bronze Age, only replaced in Europe by tin-copper bronze because the latter is harder. Meso-Americans continued to use arsenical bronze because it is more ductile and thus more easily hammered into sheets.
The importance of bronze is it makes metal implements cheap enough for everyone to use. In the Copper Age, metal was only used for ornamental purposes. On the other hand, I don't know if arsenic-copper bronze is strong enough for use in general warfare and plowing and other utilitarian purposes.
When I get home, I'll log into my JSTOR account and look things up. I'm have a big interest in metallurgy
I know that arsenic copper was used for household and simple implements. Like you I'm not sure if its good for the harder stuff.
If you could check the information I'd really appreciate it.
Thank you.
Stephen
Banned
There already was an arsenic bronze age. It was just less widely used because such smiths had low life expectancies. Once the trade routs opened up to good sources of tin tin bronze quickly took over and became much more widely used. Probably because tin bronze smiths had better health and life length making it a much more popular profession and leading to more plentiful and cheaper bronze.
The begining of the Iron age probably played a role in the simplification of bronze age civilizations. As it made all the copper and tin trade routes that bronze age cities depended on obsolete as iron can be found in any old bog and only needs charcoal to alloy with.
The begining of the Iron age probably played a role in the simplification of bronze age civilizations. As it made all the copper and tin trade routes that bronze age cities depended on obsolete as iron can be found in any old bog and only needs charcoal to alloy with.
Stephen, that would help any community if it had iron ore nearby as they need no longer desperately trade for the copper and tin to make bronze, barring the unlikely event of the both copper and tin having been close at hand, as copper is fairly common but tin is not.
Bronze could take a sharper edge, was easier to cast or recast if it was broken, and bronze consisting of @10% tin and 90% copper actually has a lower melting point than copper. Bronze was also stronger than copper, nonetheless as an ornament, as a utensil or container not requiring violent physical contact or even as a tool involved in extreme physical labor copper was still superior to many types of stone or wood and could at least be reused if it broke.
Bronze could take a sharper edge, was easier to cast or recast if it was broken, and bronze consisting of @10% tin and 90% copper actually has a lower melting point than copper. Bronze was also stronger than copper, nonetheless as an ornament, as a utensil or container not requiring violent physical contact or even as a tool involved in extreme physical labor copper was still superior to many types of stone or wood and could at least be reused if it broke.
Because copper was used for tools as well as ornamentation. The ancient Egyptians used copper chisels to quarry the stone from which they built the pyramids. Sure, the copper chisels dulled quickly, but they solved that by simply having guys assigned to do nothing but sharpen dull chisels all day.
Hapsburg
Banned
Yeah, but that's 'cuz in the myth, he was tossed from a freaking mountain.
Though that thing you mentioned is a very astute analysis of the Greeks imposing their own experiences upon the gods when personifying them.