Although by the 3rd century BC the Iron Age was in full swing, bronze was often still used to make armour - for two reasons. Firstly, it could be moulded with relative ease into complex shapes just by hammering, whereas iron was brittle and therefore required the development of more advanced working techniques before it could be reliably used for the purpose. Secondly, the dominance of iron made bronze a relative rarity by this point in history. This was probably due to a shortage of the tin required for its manufacture. These two elements ensured that fine armour of bronze, despite its vulnerability to blows from iron weapons, eventually became a status symbol for its wearer. Only the wealthiest could afford it, plus of course no one could deny that it was far more pleasing to the eye than iron - the "ugly metal", as described by Chinese metallurgists of the time.
