Bronze casting – how one technique changed the world

### Saturday, May 30 through Friday, June 5, 2026 Bronze, an alloy of copper and tin, possesses a multitude of positive properties: when molten, it is easy to cast; it is durable; it can be recycled by remelting; it has a beautiful, golden-yellow hue—and yet it is as hard as steel! The earliest finds of intentionally crafted bronze objects date back to what is now Iran and Afghanistan in the 4th millennium BCE, from where knowledge of the alloy spread south, east, and west into European regions. Here, too, people quickly realized that bronze was superior to stone tools. As a result, European societies began to undergo fundamental changes. A continent-spanning trade in tin—a precious metal that was very rare in many places—flourished. The use of bronze enabled new techniques and economic practices. The population grew, conflicts smoldered, institutions were founded… Much of what seems familiar to us today gained momentum during this period, the so-called “Bronze Age.” In his smithy, experimental archaeologist and bronze smith Erik Häußler shares his knowledge of this important era while demonstrating how bronze was worked and with what tools. Tip: In Mr. Häußler’s smithy, guests have the opportunity to craft their own personal metal amulet.