The
Iron Age is the
period generally occurring after the
Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of
iron or
steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing agricultural practices, religious beliefs and artistic styles. The
Iron Age as an archaeological term indicates the condition as to civilization and culture of a people using iron as the material for their cutting tools and weapons. The
Iron Age is the third principal period of the
three-age system created by
Christian Thomsen (1788–1865) for classifying ancient societies and prehistoric stages of progress.
In
historical archaeology, the
ancient literature of the Iron Age includes the earliest texts preserved in manuscript tradition.
Sanskrit literature and
Chinese literature flourished in the Iron Age. Other texts include the
Avestan
Gathas, the Indian
Vedas and the oldest parts of the
Hebrew Bible. The principal feature that distinguishes the Iron Age from the preceding ages is the introduction of
alphabetic characters, and the consequent
development of written language which enabled
literature and
historic record.
The beginning of the Iron Age in Europe and adjacent areas is characterized by certain forms of implements, weapons, personal ornaments, and pottery, and also by systems of decorative design, which are altogether different from those of the preceding age of bronze. The work of
blacksmiths—developing implements and weapons—is hammered into shape, and, as a consequence, gradually departed from the stereotyped forms of their predecessors in bronze, which were cast, and the system of decoration, which in the Bronze Age consisted chiefly of a repetition of rectilinear patterns, gave way to a system of curvilinear and flowing designs. The term "
Iron Age" has low chronological value, because it didn't begin simultaneously across the entire world. The dates and context vary depending on the region, and the sequence of ages is not necessarily true for every part of the earth's surface. There are areas, such as the islands of the South Pacific, the interior of Africa, and parts of North and South America, where peoples have passed directly from the use of stone to the use of iron without the intervention of an age of bronze.
The Iron Age is the third of the
three-age system of
archaeology, which divides human technological
prehistory into three periods:
The
Stone Age The
Bronze Age The Iron Age