This paper is the first of four parts dealing with the composition of copper alloys used in the classical world. In this paper there is a discussion of previous analytical work and the use to which the analytical data may be put. For published compositional analyses to be of use it is essential that details of the sampling, analytical procedure and standard deviation of the results be reported. The reasons for this are discussed in detail with examples from literature where failure to do this has made the interpretation of the reported analytical results difficult if not impossible. In this part of the work the composition of about 300 Bronze Age and Geometric Greek bronzes are reported. The data are arranged chronologically within broad limits, and further subdivided typologically. There is a discussion of the results of each group from which it is possible to discern trends in metal composition. The composition of individual objects is also discussed where it is of importance or unusual.