Bronze is one of the most durable, attractive and basic alloys discovered by man, yet it remains a popular metal thousands of years from its discovery. Understanding the history of bronze casting is an important part of appreciating this versatile metal as well as the objects it is made into.
Discovery
Bronze was discovered some time before 3,000 BC and replaced the softer copper and less reliable flint or stone tools. Its first casting was into hammers and other tools.
Classic Uses
In classic Greece, bronze was considered the best metal ever used by man. They cast it into shields, weapons and even statues.
Wartime
Originally cast into church bells, the strength of bronze was put to good use by early users of gunpowder, such as the Ottoman Turks, who used bell casting and founding techniques to create massive cannons.
Monuments
Even after iron and steel production eclipsed bronze's strength and utility, bronze was (and still is) cast into molds to make statues, including war memorials in Washington, D.C. such as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the USMC War Memorial (also known as the Iwo Jima Memorial).
Tradition
The techniques used to cast bronze have remained virtually unchanged in almost 5,000 years, though bronze formulas have changed to suit the needs and uses of the casters.
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