Which risk increases when copper used in Early Bronze Age axe heads incorporates high arsenic concentrations?

💡 Explanation

When arsenic is present at high concentrations in early bronze age copper, brittle intermetallic phases form during casting because arsenic segregates to grain boundaries, reducing ductility and toughness. Therefore, increased brittleness results, rather than corrosion, reduced hardness, or increased ductility which would need different alloy compositions or different metallurgical processes.

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