Bronze Age: characteristics and phases of this historical stage.

A summary of the characteristics and evolutionary stages of the Bronze Age.

Something as simple as an alloy of two metals gave rise to a critical period for the development of mankind. The Bronze Age was the transition from nomadic humans to sedentary societies, owners and defenders of their lands.The Bronze Age was the transition from nomadic humans to sedentary societies, owners and defenders of their lands and crops by means of the most sophisticated weapons, made, of course, of that metal.

The development of agriculture together with a better handling of metallurgy gave way, little by little, to marked socioeconomic inequalities, hierarchies of power and complex urban systems that would evolve into the greatest civilizations that ruled the ancient world.

Next we will discover what great social, cultural and economic changes took place during the Bronze Age, a period that, if it had not happened, we would probably be hunting rabbits in the countryside to be able to live.

What is the Bronze Age?

The Bronze Age comprises a long period of prehistory that historians place between 3,800 and 1,200 BC. This period saw a series of intense cultural changes that led to the formation of the first great civilizations, together with their social structure, socioeconomic inequalities and complex culture, all as a result of a new element: bronze, an alloy of copper and tin.

This material gave rise to the manufacture of all kinds of utensils, from tools for working the fields to handicrafts for decorating the elites.The bronze was a much more manageable metal than the one used in the previous stage, copper, and it would only be surpassed by the next one, iron. Bronze turned out to be a much more manageable metal than the one that had been used in the previous stage, copper, and it would only be surpassed by the metal of the following one, iron. The Copper, Bronze and Iron Ages are the three that make up the great period of the Metal Age.

The Bronze Age was not a homogeneous period. Historians distinguish the following three subdivisions:

• Old Bronze Age: between 3500 BC and 2000 BC.
• Middle Bronze Age: between 2000 B.C. and 1600 B.C.
• Final Bronze Age: between 1600 B.C. and 1200 B.C.

Characteristics of the Bronze Age

As we commented, the Bronze Age is not a homogeneous period. The three sub-stages that divide it show very different ways of living from each other.

1. Ancient Bronze Age

This stage comprises about 2,500 years and was the one immediately following the Copper Age.. This first period of the Bronze Age is characterized by collective burials, i.e., piling up the corpses of the recently deceased in the same place, as pits.

The human groups of this period, although they had already begun to develop agriculture in some parts of the world, still had a nomadic style of subsistence, gathering fruits and hunting animals. They traveled from region to region in search of food and, when they ran out, they moved from place to place to escape hunger.

Some groups developed agriculture and animal husbandry, developing special tools to work the land, made from bronze.. These early agricultural cultures settled in fixed sites, ceasing to be nomadic and becoming sedentary. They begin to develop the idea of ownership of the land and what it gives them.

The more fortunate farmers had surplus crops, which they exchanged for minerals or other foodstuffs with other herders or members of neighboring cultures. with other herders or members of neighboring cultures. Others who were not so lucky preferred to attack those who had more, in order to seize their goods. This is why weapons began to appear at this time with the clear intention of defending themselves or attacking other people. The first wars arose, albeit tribal.

2. Middle Bronze Age

The Middle Bronze Age lasted approximately 400 years, although the beginning and duration of this period varies according to the region.. Thanks to a better development of agriculture and animal husbandry, together with a better exploitation of iron and steel resources, trade between human groups arose.

It was at this time that the horse was domesticated, allowing goods to be transported from village to village more easily, especially with the help of carts and bags made of leather or vegetable fabrics.

Trade not only involved the exchange of foodstuffs and metals, but also of elaborated objects. At this time the figure of the craftsman was gaining strength and importance, allowing the creation of better weapons and more sophisticated tools, as well as the manufacture of handicrafts such as pots, jars or clothing.

With a greater development of weapons and an increasing interest in the control of the land, wars became more sophisticated. The first military campaigns with strategy were carried out, overcoming the tribal quarrels based on sticks and stones with real pitched battles with swords, shields and rapiers.

3. Final Bronze Age

The Late Bronze Age lasted approximately 400 years, although as with the other stages of the Bronze Age its beginning and end is different depending on the region. Traditionally this period is considered to be the transition to the Iron Age and there are great cultural changes..

In this period there are marked differences between members of the villages, inherited from the two previous ages. Whether it is because they have been lucky with farmland or because they are skilled warriors or craftsmen, there are people who have more wealth and prestige than the rest of their neighbors in the village.

The villages become more complex, with the appearance of figures of power similar to what would end up being, with the passing of the centuries, the first kings. To demonstrate their power, the members of these tribes who had more wealth decorated themselves with bronze and gold jewelry, giving the rest of the people the impression that they were above them.

As the art of warfare has progressed and better strategies have been developed and more damaging weapons have been manufactured, many settlements begin to build walls or are founded on high ground, where they can get a good view of theirwhere they can have a good view of their surroundings. Swords become more damaging and effective and the first spears are created. Sophisticated defensive garments are also created, such as shields, breastplates and helmets.

From farmers to emperors

Archaeologists know that in the Bronze Age the first socioeconomic differences began to emerge, judging by the findings in tombs. As we mentioned, it was in this age that humans became sedentary, thanks to the improvement of agricultural techniques. If people used to depend on nature, being under the chronic threat of hunger and having to constantly search for animals to hunt and fruits to gather, now, with cultivation, they have an almost unlimited source of food, now, with cultivation, they have an almost unlimited source of food..

But not everyone was so lucky. There were those who managed to plant their crops in very fertile lands and, in addition, knew how to work the land, having more benefits. They exchanged their surplus for other products with other lucky farmers or artisans, which gave them a Wide range of products that gave them power.

Others were not so lucky and either starved to death or had to work on someone else's land in exchange for a little food. in exchange for a little food. Those who had more gained more influence in the village, while those who had less ended up becoming their servants.

In other cases, those who had not been so lucky fought to get what they wanted by means of sophisticated stratagems. The war for the control of resources is something that is very important in the Bronze Age, and for this reason it is not surprising that weapons were so sophisticated. These tools were not for hunting animals, but for defending themselves and attacking other people, stealing their crops, making them slaves or killing them to appropriate their land.

Be that as it may, inequalities worsened with the passage of time.The inequalities grew worse as time went by, so that those who had more ended up holding positions of power within the village. As cultures spread and became more sophisticated, becoming the great civilizations that would become China, Mesopotamia or Egypt, their rulers, whether kings, emperors or pharaohs, were probably descended from farmers who in the Bronze Age had found fertile land or knew how to make good weapons.

As we go further into the Bronze Age we see that the tombs of the elite were more sophisticated and full of grave goods. All kinds of bronze jewelry, gold, expensive fabrics and very well worked ornaments are some of the objects that we can find in the tombs of those who, surely, were the leaders of the prehistoric villages. They were certainly not egalitarian societies.

Bibliographical references:

• González Marcén, Paloma; Lull, Vicente; Risch, Robert (1992). Archaeology of Europe, 2250-1200 BC. An introduction to the "Bronze Age". Madrid (first edition) (Editorial Síntesis).
• Margueron, Jean-Claude (2002). The first uses of metals. The Mesopotamians. Fuenlabrada: Cátedra. ISBN 84-376-1477-5.