Technology in the Iron Age

It began after the development of the necessary technology for iron work, which made it
possible to create more resistant and cheaper tools, it was the last period of Prehistory.
Iron in different geometric shapes was used to adorn and give better use to the hilts of
their swords.

Source:

• Iron metallurgy requires different knowledge and technology than bronze. They had to
work the iron through furnaces with bellows and forge the objects by hammering, to
achieve the correct hardening and tempering.

• Thanks to the work of iron metallurgy, the blacksmith trade arose.

• The new iron technology was a secret that gave superiority to the peoples who
dominated it. The first to know this secret were the Hittites, inhabitants of the central area
of the Anatolian Peninsula (now Turkey), who guarded it jealously for many years. These
Hittites are an enemy people of the Egyptians.

• The Hittite empire would fall around 1200 BC. C. and from this date the new iron
technology began to spread to other places.

Iron gave its name to the last stage of the Metal Age. Iron ore replaced bronze due to the
existence of abundant deposits on Earth, its greater hardness and the depletion of tin gave
rise to the stage of greatest technological sophistication in Prehistory. Obtaining iron
required melting at high temperatures and a forging process. Iron came to the Iberian
Peninsula from central Europe (Celts) and the Eastern Mediterranean (Peoples of the
Sea).

First uses of Iron. Inventions achieved

Due to the consistency and hardness of iron, it began to be used for the manufacture of
agricultural equipment, such as picks and axes. Likewise, tools such as hammers and
hammers were made, which were useful instruments for forging iron. However, one of the
fields in which iron was used the most was in the manufacture of weapons of war
such as knives, swords, spearheads, armor and helmets.

Its use in the manufacture of weapons was practical due to the rigidity of the metal. That is
why the civilizations that equipped their armies with iron weapons tended to be more
powerful due to the resistance and effectiveness that these weapons had compared to
those made of copper or bronze.

Due to the iron's own oxidation, there have not been many finds of iron pieces found in
good condition compared to copper and bronze utensils. Some artifacts made of iron
have been found inside tombs of the indicated period. During the Iron Age, the use of
different metals for the manufacture of utensils was common, which is why in many urns
implements that belonged to the deceased were obtained, such as iron swords with
adorned handles, bronze knives, gold beads, jewelry, ornaments, ceramic vessels,
copper and bronze.