The Iron Age : An aspect of history

Prarabdh News desk 

Discovery of Iron-

The Iron Age in the Ancient Near East is believed to have begun with the discovery of iron smelting and smithing techniques in Anatolia or the Caucasus and Balkans in the late 2nd millennium BC ( c. 1300 BC). The earliest bloomery smelting of iron is found at Tell Hammeh, Jordan around 930 BC (14C dating).

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Iron Age-

The Iron Age was the final era of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. The Iron Age was a period in human history that started between 1200 B.C. and 600 B.C., depending on the region, and followed by the Stone Age and Bronze Age. During the Iron Age, people across much of Europe, Asia and parts of Africa began making tools and weapons from iron and steel.

The Iron Age helped many countries to become more technologically advanced. Metalwork made tasks like farming easier, as the iron tools were much better than what the people had before.

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Inventions-

During the Iron Age, farmers used an 'ard' (an iron plough) to turn over their fields. These were much more efficient than wooden or bronze ploughs. The Iron Age also saw the invention of the rotary quern. This machine helped to grind grains for flour and made the process much quicker and easier for workers.

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Things made during Iron age-

During this period, people began the formation of tools and weapons from iron and steel. Iron was tougher than bronze, so the people of Iron Age became capable to make sharp tools like swords and spears. They also made harvesting tools from iron, such as plow (Ard) and sickles.

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Food-

Prehistoric Iron Age people ate cereal, grains, few plant materials. However we can assume that Iron Age people supplemented their diet with edible berries, leaves, flowers, nuts and roots. The animals reared as livestock, pigs, cattle and sheep, would have been eaten as there is evidence of butchery on the bones.

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Clothes wore during iron age-

The clothes of Iron Age people were made from wool and dyed with natural vegetable dyes (from plants and berries) in: blue, yellow or red. Bracae (trousers) would be worn under a tunic, held at the waist with a belt. Over this would have been a cloak with a striped or checked pattern, fastened by a brooch.

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