ABSTRACT
The study of copper-alloy metal casting has been plagued by variations in terminology. Basically, “bronze” is comprised of copper and tin (with a little lead), while “brass” contains copper and zinc (again, with some lead). Indigenous terms for copper-alloy cast works give an interesting perspective. Turning to the scientific study of copper-alloy works, the actual determination of a cast-metal object’s complete composition in an absolute sense is virtually impossible. For decades, copper-alloy castings from southern Nigeria were puzzling because it was assumed that the necessary metals (mainly tin, lead, and zinc in addition to copper) were not available locally and must have come from outside of Nigeria. The problems with analyzing metal will be treated momentarily but it must first be noted that Lower Niger Bronzes suffer from neglect in even this regard due to their “miscellaneous” status – as always, the orphan gets less attention.
