IRON AGE

IRON AGE TOOLS AND WEAPONS

The working with metal has been around for 6000 years. The importance of it shows that two periods were named after it.

The Bronze Age and Iron Age are great parts of history. In Europe it only started 700 BC and 100 later in China. At the end of this period it coincided with the Roman Empire. However, iron was used long before the actual period and centuries afterwards it brought about the Industrial Revolution.                                                                                                                                                                                                        

IRON AGE HOMES WITH FIRE PLACE IN THE MIDDLE
TO ROAST OR COOK THEIR FOOD

Anatolians made iron weapon already between 2000 and 1500 BC. From there it spread into Europe, Asia and Africa. The knowledge of it was brought to Britain by the Celts. They started an Iron Age culture at Hallstatt, Austria.

Iron proved a better metal than bronze. It is sharper and gave hard-wearing edges. It can be used on its own and did not need to be mixed with other metals. The use of it can be made into nails, tools, weapons, horse equipment, cooking utensils, jewellery and religious articles.

In prehistoric times high temperature could not be reached to melt iron ore for casting in a mould. They smelted the ore and then picked the iron from the slag, reheated it and hammer if into shapes. To fuel a furnace it needed charcoal and many trees were felt which were in ample supply. Many of the important ore mines where in Germany.

NEW IRON AGE

Sweden was a major producer and exporter of it from 1300 till the 18th century. 1709 Abraham Darby of Coalbrookdale in England discovered how to produce quality iron smelting with coke. This brought about a great change not only in the dependency on Sweden but as a whole of iron production. The impact of his invention did not reach full potentials till the 1750s.

Whether peace or war the demand started to increase tremendously. At the end of the 18th century most of the iron production was established in the coalfields of Britain. The first iron barge was launched in 1787 on the River Severn. It was built by John Wilkinson. After the invention of steam power iron was in greater demand still. The beginning of the Industrial Revolution depended on it.

There is no doubt Britain was the leader of this new age but after a few years other countries developed their own industrialisation and Britain lost some of its control.

Due to technology steel was invented which is a mixture of iron, carbon and others material. By 1914 the USA manufactured four times the amount Britain produced.

By the late 20th century high-grade ore from Latin America and Australia produced by low cost brought about a great change on the international market. In spite of everything iron still remains the most important metal.