Iron Age facts for kids
The Iron Age was a time in history when people started using iron to make tools and weapons. It came after the Bronze Age. People in a place called Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) began making iron around 1200 BC, and maybe even earlier! This period is the last part of a way we divide ancient history, which also includes the Stone Age and the Bronze Age.
During the Iron Age, people learned how to make strong tools and weapons by working with iron. This was a big step forward because iron is much stronger than bronze.
Even before the main Iron Age, some ancient groups like the Sumerians and Assyrians in Mesopotamia used iron as early as 3000 BC. One of the oldest known iron objects is a dagger found in a tomb in Anatolia, dating back to 2500 BC. By the early 1st millennium BC, iron weapons had quickly spread across the Near East (North Africa and Southwest Asia).
Before the Iron Age, people mostly used tools made of bronze or flint, and they made pottery. They lived in communities and farmed the land. Most of Europe, Africa, and Asia entered the Iron Age by 500 BC. In Europe, this time is considered part of prehistory because people didn't write down their history.
How Iron Changed Things
Iron is found in many places, but it's hard to turn into tools. It needs a much higher temperature to melt than bronze. Once blacksmiths learned how to work with iron, they could make many tools.
Iron Tools and Farming
With more and better iron tools, people could do more work. For example, more farmers could own a metal plough. This meant they could farm their fields better and grow more crops. Some people even invented coins to help them buy and sell their crops and iron tools.
Iron in Battle
Iron weapons and armor were much stronger than those made of bronze. This meant that groups who had iron often conquered those who didn't. In western Europe during the Iron Age, full armor was rare. However, people used shields and helmets to protect themselves in battles.
Images for kids
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Europe in the year 700 BC, during the Iron Age
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Maiden Castle, Dorset, England. More than 2,000 Iron Age hillforts are known in Britain.
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Silla chest and neck armour from the National Museum of Korea in Seoul (3rd century CE)
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Lingling-o earrings from Luzon, Philippines
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Iron Age finds in East and Southern Africa, corresponding to the early 1st millennium Bantu expansion
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Broborg Knivsta, prehistoric castle
See also
In Spanish: Edad del Hierro para niños
