Bronze Age Replicas
Around 3300 BC the Stone Age gave way to the Bronze Age as ancient peoples developed and expanded their ability to process and work metals, creating bronze, an alloy of copper and tin. Copper has been in use by man for over 10,000 years but it is a relatively soft metal and does not cast easily. Early in the Bronze Age, arsenic was used as an add-in to copper, but its toxic properties made it obviously unsuitable. Tin was discovered to create a durable, more easily cast alloy which was also harder than pure iron and much more resistant to corrosion. Classic Bronze is 90% copper with 10% tin. The historic period of the Bronze Age lasted until approximately 1200 BC when iron replaced bronze as the metal of choice.
Civilizations of the ancient world produced tools, weapons, jewelry, utility items, and works of art that still amaze and intrigue us today. Our Bronze Age replicas are based on examples of weaponry styles from Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Asian cultures using production techniques very similar to those used thousands of years ago.
Most of our models have been sourced from purchased originals. Since these items were not obtained from a controlled archaeological dig there is no way to ascribe a certain date to them, but they represent styles common enough to be considered typical examples.
Due to the nature of ancient mold making, where the mold was frequently hand carved from stone, there is tremendous individual variation in ancient bronzes, particularly in European and the Middle Eastern production. Chinese arrow points were often cast in iron molds and are therefore more standardized.
Our bronze items are available polished, antiqued, or rough cast. Polished bronze points and blades appear exactly as they might have in ancient times while antiqued bronze replicas have a patina mimicking the look of an ancient artifact--both make outstanding display and conversation pieces. They mount well in frames, stands, or on replica weaponry. Rough cast items have the extra cast metal removed from the edge but require additional filing and finishing.
