3. Iron Age

 

Huts of Iron Age People

Casting of Iron

Iron Age marked the development of writing system across most civilizations alongside with the adoption of iron. But the mere presence of cast and wrought iron is no sufficient to represent an Iron Age culture. The characteristic of an Iron age culture is mass production of tools and weapons made from steel, which was produced by alloying carbon content into the iron, that had been brought to a point where iron tools and weapons superior to their bronze equivalents become widespread. In Archaeological field, Iron age refers to the advent of ferrous metallurgy and the adoption of iron coincided with other changes in some past cultures, including with more sophisticated agricultural practices, religious beliefs and artistic styles. Iron Age lasts from the Bronze Age Collapse around 1200 BC to the beginning of historiography or the end of the proto-historical period around 550 BC.

But for some societies, the start of Iron age was accompanied by a period of cultural decline. Yes, in Mediterranean region and the Near East region, around 1200 BC, the Iron Age began with the collapse of several prominent Bronze Age Civilizations including the Mycenaean Civilization in Greece, Indus Valley Civilization in Indo-Pak region, the Hittite Empire in Turkey and also Ancient Cities like Troy, Gaza, Mohenjo Daro were destroyed and subsequently, trade routes were lost and literacy were declining throughout the region. But the cause for the collapse of these Bronze Age Civilizations still remains unclear and doubtful. Well, Archaeological evidences were suggesting the opinions like earthquakes, flood, famine, drought, socio-political unrest and even invasion of nomadic tribes may have played a role in the collapsing of age of these civilizations.

Hill forts

But the life was not the same due to the discovery of Iron and Iron Age. So many inventions and technologies were created in the Iron Age. People of Iron Age had time to work on many different necessities like weapons, tools to make work easier and faster. Iron was also used to make important items in the Iron Age like coins and armor. But one specific invention created during the Iron Age stood out overall and that is the Iron Age Hill forts. Hill forts were small huts used for the shelter by locals and armies in war. These huts were made up of iron to stabilize the huts from strong winds and rain. Most of these were we still use in our day today life. Iron remains a building material that is commonly used in today's life. As you can see, the Iron Age was a very important event that changed all of the civilizations.