▁depends ▁upon ▁a ▁smaller ▁or ▁greater ▁amount ▁of ▁z inc . ▁In ▁early ▁times ▁this ▁metal ▁seems ▁to ▁have ▁been ▁sp aring ly ▁employed , ▁but ▁from ▁the ▁Middle ▁A ges ▁on ward ▁the ▁industry ▁in ▁br ass ▁was ▁a ▁very ▁important ▁one , ▁carried ▁out ▁on ▁a ▁vast ▁scale ▁and ▁applied ▁in ▁widely ▁different ▁directions . ▁The ▁term ▁" lat ten ", ▁which ▁is ▁frequently ▁met ▁with ▁in ▁old ▁documents , ▁is ▁rather ▁lo os ely ▁employed , ▁and ▁is ▁sometimes ▁used ▁for ▁objects ▁made ▁of ▁bronze ; ▁its ▁true ▁application ▁is ▁to ▁the ▁al loy ▁we ▁call ▁br ass . ▁In ▁Europe ▁its ▁use ▁for ▁art istic ▁purposes ▁centered ▁largely ▁in ▁the ▁region ▁of ▁the ▁Me use ▁valley ▁in ▁south - east ▁Belg ium , ▁together ▁with ▁north - e astern ▁France , ▁parts ▁of ▁the ▁Netherlands ▁and ▁the ▁R hen ish ▁provinces ▁of ▁which ▁C ologne ▁was ▁the ▁center . ▁As ▁far ▁back ▁as ▁the ▁ 1 1 th ▁century ▁the ▁inhabitants ▁of ▁the ▁town ▁of ▁H uy ▁and ▁Din ant ▁are ▁found ▁working ▁this ▁metal ; ▁z inc ▁they ▁found ▁in ▁their ▁own ▁country , ▁while ▁for ▁co pper ▁they ▁went ▁to ▁C ologne ▁or ▁Dort mund , ▁and ▁later ▁to ▁the ▁mines ▁of ▁the ▁Har z ▁Mountains . ▁Much ▁work ▁was ▁produced ▁both ▁by ▁casting ▁and ▁rep ouss é , ▁but ▁it ▁was ▁in ▁the ▁former ▁process ▁that ▁they ▁excel led . ▁Within ▁a ▁very ▁short ▁time ▁the ▁term ▁" din ander ie " ▁was ▁co ined ▁to