Giannis vs Polinik on the color of bronze :)

[caiusbeerquitius]

The colour simply depends on the amount of tin. While alloys under 10 % have a reddish colour, alloys over 10% tin have a more yellowish colour. You can also "play" with the colours, as on the Haltern helmet, which had a reddish brow guard and a yellowish skull. Generally it seem: the earlier, the less tin. But there are also early examples with high tin content. Zink alloys are rather rare before Caesar, but exist here and there, e.g. there seems to be a "brass" Negau helmet from the black sea area. Then there are the arsenic and phosphorous bronze alloys, which also are of the reddish variant, unless zinc / tin in enough quantities is also present.