Why did the ancient Greeks use bronze?

Bronze — surpassing marble with its tensile strength, reflective surface, and ability to capture fine detail — was used for dynamic compositions, dazzling displays of the nude body, and vivid expressions of age and character.

Why did iron replace bronze for use in making tools and weapons?

Bronze was superior to the iron produced commonly, so why did iron ultimately replace bronze? Bronze weapons were indeed of higher quality than the common iron weapons typically produced. However, tin, which is required for the production of bronze, is not abundantly available.

Are bronze weapons better than iron?

Iron is more brittle than bronze, and thus is more prone to break when used as armor. Bronze bends more often when hit (while being used as armor), and thus is better than iron as armor. Bronze’s bending is good while in armor form, but you would never want your sword to bend.

Did ancient Greeks use bronze?

The ancient Greeks and Romans had a long history of making statuary in bronze. Frequently, these metal sheets were embellished by hammering the bronze over wooden forms in order to produce reliefs, or by incising designs using a technique called tracing. By the Late Archaic period (ca.

Why did few bronze sculptures survive throughout history?

A majority of famous sculptors and sculptures we know only through marble Roman copies and the few bronzes that survived, often due to shipwreck. Early Classical bronzes are sculpted in the lost wax method of casting.

Why was bronze used instead of iron?

It is also harder than pure iron and far more resistant to corrosion. The substitution of iron for bronze in tools and weapons from about 1000 bc was the result of iron’s abundance compared to copper and tin rather than any inherent advantages of iron.

Why did we use bronze before iron?

With ancient technology, bronze was far easier to make than iron. In order to make iron, you need to make furnaces that can reach temperatures of more than 1200 oC (the temperature where iron oxide can be reduced by carbon), while for bronze, only 1083 oC is needed (the melting point of copper).

Was bronze valuable in ancient Greece?

Bronze was expensive and copper was to be brought from other areas. The richer class could afford the metals and this was proved by the excavations found wherein people where buried with metal jewelry. An excellent example of the Early Bronze Age in Greece is the excavation of the Lerna village.

What metals did the ancient Greeks use?

The metals in regular use were gold, electrum, silver and bronze. Gold, always the most precious, was kept mainly for jewellery, anyhow till the mid fourth century when the Macedonian and then the other Hellenistic kingdoms made regular issues of gold coinage.