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Horror_in_Vacuum OP t1_j1aqbch wrote

Reply to comment by Mech-Monkey in How did the Romans manage to arm most of their soldiers with swords? by Horror_in_Vacuum

But iron swords were already considerably more difficult to make than bronze swords, weren't they? Because of the whole thing that bronze can be molded and iron needs to be forged. Not to mention the higher melting point of iron ore.

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Welshhoppo t1_j1atm6g wrote

Not really. To make Bronze you need both copper and tin. So you require a more complex economic network to bring the raw materials to the same place.

Sure Iron is harder to forge, but you can slap an iron forge right by an iron mine and your job is done.

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