Why “Bronze” is being discussed
The most recent Hacker News stories and comments contributing to this topic's mentions.
I don't understand the article's premise that iron kept kingdoms fragmented. Even larger empires arose during the iron age than what existed in the bronze age. Maybe I'm missing…
by mahboi · Oct 1, 2026
I've never heard that the Sea People were a cohesive force, attacking all of Bronze civilization in anything like a coordinated attack. Waves of invaders can take many generatio…
by IAmBroom · Oct 1, 2026
I think that's only correct when looking at the time period immediately before Rome. Many Bronze Age empires had complex centralized bureaucracies and are generally considered s…
by TheCoelacanth · Oct 1, 2026
>In TFA it is stated that before bronze (i.e. copper-tin alloy) copper was used for tools. > Before bronze, for several millennia tools were made from alloys of copper and arsen…
by hungryhobbit · Oct 1, 2026
Yes, that’s the exaggerated tale that everyone knows. In “Destruction and Its Impact on Ancient Societies at the End of the Bronze Age” < https://www.lockwoodpress.com…
by db48x · Oct 1, 2026
In TFA it is stated that before bronze (i.e. copper-tin alloy) copper was used for tools. This is not true, because pure copper has always been too soft to be used in any tool.…
by adrian_b · Oct 1, 2026
Interest
Proportion of Hacker News items mentioning "bronze" over time.
Mentions
Total number of Hacker News items mentioning "bronze" over time.
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals and sometimes non-metals or metalloids. These additions produce a range of alloys some of which are harder than copper alone or have other useful properties, such as strength, ductility, or machinability. Read more on Wikipedia