Hepatizon

Alloys · Legendary · Ancient

A bronze that Pliny names for its colour, close to that of liver. He ranks it below Corinthian bronze, which held more gold or silver, and above the bronzes of Delos and Aegina, and says it was prized for statues. The way of making it, like that of Corinthian bronze, had been lost long before his day.

Identity

Source
Greek / Roman antiquity, recorded by Pliny the Elder
Composition
Copper, Gold, Silver
Over time
Pliny names it for its liver colour and gives no recipe. It is now read as copper with a little gold and silver, patinated dark, of the Corinthian bronze family.
Also known as
Black Corinthian bronze, Liver-colored bronze
Ores, before industry and since
Azurite (Copper), Chalcocite (Copper), Chalcopyrite (Copper), Copper (Copper), Malachite (Copper), Tetrahedrite (Copper), Gold (Gold), Sylvanite (Gold), Acanthite (Silver), Chlorargyrite (Silver), Freibergite (Silver), Galena (Silver), Proustite (Silver), Pyrargyrite (Silver), Silver (Silver), Tetrahedrite (Silver)
Ores of the industrial age
Bornite (Copper), Chrysocolla (Copper), Covellite (Copper), Cuprite (Copper), Enargite (Copper), Calaverite (Gold)

Physical Properties

Appearance
Deep liver-brown with a subtle violet-purple sheen under torchlight
Luster
Metallic
Density
8.7 g/cm³
Melting point
900 °C
Boiling point
1700 °C
Lighter
Veinstone Metal
Denser
Orium
Magnetism
Non-magnetic
Electrical conductivity
High

Mechanical Properties

Mohs hardness
4
Tensile strength
400 MPa
Softer
White Gold
Harder
Cold Iron
Workability
Moderate
Brittleness
Moderate
Malleability
High
Ductility
High

Chemical Properties

Corrosion resistance
Moderate
Reactivity
Low

Lore & Narrative

Pliny gives no recipe. It is now read as copper with a little gold and silver, darkened by deliberate patination, of the same family as Corinthian bronze.

Notable uses
Statues
Forge uses
Statuary, Ritual vessels, Ornamentation
Worldbuilding traits
Lost, Imperial, Ritual, Ancient

Sources

Browse the Metal Encyclopedia — MGS Toolbox