Intentional production of brass began in the 1st millenium B.C., probably in Asia Minor. By the 7th century B.C. the Greeks knew of it, but very few Greek Cu alloys and only two Etruscan ones contain Zn. Brass was made by the cementation process in Rome in the 1st century B.C. and used first for coins and later for ornamental metalwork. By the 3rd century A.D. a third of all Roman Cu alloys are brass, many containing small amounts of Pb and Sn in addition to Zn. In the Renaissance and later European literature, the terms bronze and brass are often confused; Johnson defines bronze as brass in his Dictionary (1755). Analyses of Roman brasses will be published in a subsequent paper. -- AATA