COPPER, BRONZE AND IRON AGES.

Chronology.

The Metal Age started around 4. 500 BC with the discovery of metallurgy and ended between 3.250 BC and 1.000 BC, according to the date of the invetion of writing which supposed the start of history.

Economy.

Metalworking.

• The first metal use in metalworking was cooper, starting around 4. 500 B. C. in the cities of the Fertile Crescent. Due to its limited durability was mostly used for adornments.

Copper axe.

• Around 2.200 BC, they started to use bronze, an alloy of bronze and tin, harder and which can be used to make a greater variety of tools.

Bronze Age sword.

• Around 1.500 BC, iron production was dicover around the Black Sea área, but its expansión was slow due to the advantage which gave to the peoples that used it.

Iron Age sword.

 Other economic activities.

• As during the Neolithic, agriculture and livestock farming provided the basis for the economy. 
• Artisan production was very important also: wool textiles and pottery.
• Trade developed between the Fertile Crescent and Central Europe in order to exchange metal and another products. 

New techniques, instruments and inventions.

Metalworking techniques. 

We can distinguish several stages in the metalworking process:

• First metal was worked in a cold state, by striking it with a hammer.
  
• Casting: process, in which metal was heated in a foundry until it melted. Then liquid metal is poured into a mold, that contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowed to cool and solidify.
• Forge: metal was heated in a fire (forge) while it was hammered.
• Finally, once cooled the items were polished.
  

New tools.

• agricultural tools: hoes, sickles.
• weapons: swords, spears, axes, shields
• domestic utensils: jugs and bowls.

Sickle iron age.

Hoe

 

Spear tip.

 

The main inventions of the metal ages were:

• The wheel that enabled the invention of:

1. The cart.
2. the potter's wheel.

• The plough that enabled the ground to be worked more efficiently.

• The sail.

Society.

• Population increased and as a consequence settlements grew.
• Most of the settlements were surrounded by walls, due to the apparition of wars between different peoples in order to control metal sources.
• Society became more complex with the apparition of new roles such as metalworkers, traders.
• Also, some human groups managed to control others due to their knowledge of metalworking.

 Art.

Now, the first forms of architecture appeared, known as megalithic monuments, made of large stones or megaliths. We can distinguish the following types of megalithic monuments:

• Menhirs, large stones placed vertically in the ground. We don't know its function: worship of the Sun, mark territory, to stop the souls of the dead roaming. When they were set out in a row, we talk about a stone row.

  

  Menhir. 

  
  

Stone row.

• Dolmens, chambers formed of large vertical stones roofed over with horizontal stones. When there was a long trabeated corridor, we talk about a corrido tomb. They were usually used as tombs.

  

  Dolmen

• Cromlechs, or stone circles, formed of a number of menhirs placed in a circle. We think that there were sanctuaries for an agrarian or solar cult.
  

External links:

Daily life during the Iron Age.