Iron Age

The Iron Age came after the Bronze Age. Actually, the early man knew about iron from the meteorites that fell to earth. Do you know what a meteorite is? It is a stony or metallic mass of matter that has fallen to earth from outer space. Meteorites contain iron, but they rarely fall to earth. So, for a long time, iron was not an important metal. Moreover, iron is hard to make tools with, for it melts at a higher temepature than bronze.

Man did not learn how to use iron till after 1,900 B.C. But, once he discovered how to melt and shape it into weapons and tools, it became very popular. Iron quickly replaced bronze as the most important metal for several reasons. The major advantage of iron over bronze was that the ores from which it could be obtained were widely available. It needed no alloying, and was an admirable material for the manufacture of saws, axes, hoes and nails.

The ore was simply smelted or heated in a coal fire, the pieces of iron were picked out, re-heated into a single lump, and then hammered into the required shape. Razor-sharp cutting edges could be produced from iron. Once iron had been adopted for heavy tools and weapons, bronze was used mostly for decorated personal items, such as pins or mirrors.