Ancient Europe, Metal Ages (3500 BC-AD 800): Bronze Age (3500-500 BC)

Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin, the optimum proportion being about nine parts of copper to one part of tin. It has a number of advantages of pure copper: a lower melting point, it is harder, and above all it is easier to cast without flaws. Tin and copper do not normally occur naturally in proximity and this resulted in a significant rise in trade, which led to the rapid diffusion of ideas and was an important factor in the progressive differentiation of status./

In Europe the Bronze Age conventionally spans the period (2000-800 BC). Metalwork centres were established in the Aegean (Minoan/Mycenaean), central Europe (Unetice), Spain (Argaric), Britain (Wessex), Ireland and Scandinavia. During the Later Bronze Age, the great folk movements led to the spread of the Urnfield culture (c.1300-c.750 BC).