Bronze Working

“Men are not made for safe havens. The fullness of life is in the hazards of life.” — Edith Hamilton

The discovery that copper and tin could be alloyed into bronze — harder, more durable, and more versatile than either metal alone — ushered in a new age. Bronze weapons, tools, and armour gave those who mastered the alloy a decisive edge over their rivals.

Unlocks

• Buildings: Barracks
• Wonders: Colossus of Rhodes
• Resources: Iron (reveals on map)

Historical Background

The Bronze Age began around 3,300 BCE in the Near East when metalworkers discovered that adding tin to copper produced a far superior alloy. Bronze was harder than copper, held a sharper edge, and could be cast into complex shapes. It quickly became the material of choice for weapons, armour, tools, and prestige goods. The bronze swords, spearheads, and shields of the ancient world were the cutting-edge military technology of their era.

Bronze working required long-distance trade networks, since copper and tin deposits rarely occur together. The demand for tin, in particular, drove some of the ancient world’s most ambitious trading ventures — Phoenician merchants may have sailed as far as Cornwall in Britain to secure supplies. The collapse of these trade networks around 1,200 BCE contributed to the catastrophic Bronze Age Collapse, which toppled empires across the eastern Mediterranean and ushered in centuries of upheaval.