Iron Age: characteristics of this stage of Prehistory

A phase of prehistory that gave way to great technological advances thanks to the use of this metal.

Throughout history, several events have marked the end of one era and the beginning of another.

Aspects that are commonplace to us today, such as the mastery of fire, writing or the wheel, were of great importance to ancient cultures and marked a before and after in their history.

In this article we are going to talk about the Iron Age, the last great period of prehistoric times.The Iron Age, which receives this name because the human being managed to find a way to work this metal. Let's see what happened in this period, what great discoveries were made and how they were decisive for the formation of what our society is today.

What is the Iron Age?

The Iron Age, which began around 1000 B.C., is the last metallurgical period of Prehistory, that is, it was the last stage of history to be named after a metal, its predecessors being the Copper Age (6500 B.C.) and the Bronze Age (2800 B.C.).

The main major development that occurred at this time was the ability to extract iron and mold it in such a way as to be able to make weapons so that weapons, tools and other utensils could be made.

Iron is not a stronger mineral than copper or tin, but it is a very abundant metal. For this reason, when it was discovered how to work it, there was a 180-degree turn in history, since a way of molding an economic, abundant and very useful material was achieved, in addition to being a true technological revolution.

Characteristics of this historical period

The Iron Age is divided into two major sub-periods.

• Iron Age I (1200 B.C. to 1000 B.C.): The only relevant fact is that it is discovered how to work iron.
• Iron Age II (1000 B.C. to 550 B.C.): The use of iron becomes very popular, reaching mass production levels and allowing a great technological and cultural development.

Before dealing with the specific characteristics of this great period, it should be noted that the Iron Age was not a homogeneous period worldwide, nor did it begin simultaneously in all the world's cultures..

Depending on the continent, and according to historians, the Iron Age has different starting dates. When it was discovered how to work iron, this great discovery gradually spread to other parts of the world. In the Ancient East this period arose around the 12th century BC, while in Central Europe it began later, in the 8th century BC, and in Northern Europe in the 6th century BC. B.C. In Africa, in what is now Nigeria, it began around the 11th century BC.

1. Iron smelting and mining

The beginning of this great age was, as we have already mentioned, when mankind discovered how to work iron.

Iron is a metal with a high melting point of 1,538 °C/ 1808 ºK. It is for this reason that is believed that the discovery of how to melt it was accidental, since it is surprising that humans discovered how to melt it.It is surprising that prehistoric humans managed to manage to reach such high temperatures.

It is hypothesized that someone must have unintentionally thrown stones with iron into the fire and, upon seeing how this mineral melted and could be worked, began to experiment with it and began to use it, and the smelting technique was gradually perfected.. This is the fundamental characteristic of the Iron Age.

2. Resistance vs. abundance

Compared to the metal most used in the previous stage, bronze, iron has a low resistance.

However, it is one of the most common minerals on Earth, is one of the most common minerals on Earth, being the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust and the substance that makes up 70% of our planet's core. and the substance that makes up 70% of our planet's core.

It is for this reason that its use, compared to other minerals, is very economical, since it is practically everywhere.

3. Weapons

Although it may sound pessimistic to say it, the main engine of technological and scientific development in history has been war.

Weapons manufacturing was boosted by the fact that this mineral was more common.

Weapons were manufactured in a manner similar to the mass production of modern industry. Cultures that mastered techniques for making iron weapons became strong civilizations that subdued other peoples. that subjugated other peoples.

4. Agriculture

Prehistoric agriculture benefited from the use of this mineral, given that it was possible to manufacture tools could be manufactured for the field, such as plow points and axes, for example..

This made it possible to harvest more, more effectively and less time-consumingly. In addition, despite the lower resistance than bronze, it was possible to work harder soils as it was a more common material.

5. Aesthetic culture and art

Better agriculture means more food and more weapons provide security. Thanks to this, the human being of the time had the ability to specialize in independent activities. the ability to specialize in activities that were independent of food production..

To entertain themselves, the people of these ancient cultures were making jewelry, more complex clothing and handicrafts, which was a cultural breakthrough and a very striking change in prehistoric art.

Each culture elaborated its own styles, which implied an increase in cultural differences. In addition, societies specialized in the elaboration of certain manufactured products emerged, societies specialized in the production of certain manufactured goods and perfected specific economic activities. and perfected specific economic activities.

6. Exploration and contact between cultures

Directly related to the manufacture of handicrafts, the need and interest in the the need and interest in exchanging products between cultures..

Thus, the means of transport were also improved, facilitating contact between cultures and, also, a better exploration of the world, expanding what was known so far. Great inventions of the Iron Age that allowed this were the wheel and the sailing ship.

7. Population growth

As agriculture improved and there was greater security, there was a demographic increase.

In addition, houses were built with more solid materials and following techniques that allowed them to be manufactured more efficiently and quickly. The first fortifications were also created, such as walls and buildings with thicker walls.

8. Intellectual development

The advances that took place during this period contributed to the expansion of knowledge of the world and also to the expansion of human beings' own intellectual capacity by having more contacts with other cultures..

That is to say, since there was better transportation, it was easier to discover other cultures, with their own technological advances, which were shared, culturally enriching other societies.

End of the Iron Age

Despite the technological breakthrough that came with the discovery of how to work iron, as well as improvements in navigation, agriculture, defense and art, there is no written record throughout the Iron Age that can tell us exactly how the people of that time lived.

The great event that brought it to an end was the invention of writing about 3,000 years ago, ending both the Iron Age and the Iron Age.ending both the Iron Age and the Metal Age and ushering in the Ancient Age.

Bibliographical references:

• Deamos, M; Chapa, T. (1997). La Edad del hierro. Madrid, Spain. Síntesis.
• Eiroa, J.J. (2006). Nociones de Prehistoria General. Barcelona, Spain. Ariel.
• Fernández, V. (2007). Prehistory. El largo camino de la humanidad. Madrid, Spain. Alianza.
• Kristiansen, K. (2001). Europe before history. Barcelona, Spain. Ediciones Península.
• Menéndez, M. (2013). Recent prehistory of the Iberian Peninsula. Madrid, Spain. UNED.