Metal Age

We explain what the Age of Metals was, how it began, its characteristics and stages. Also, how each metal was used.

What was the Age of Metals?

The Age of Metals was the period in history that was characterized by the beginning of the handling of metals. It was made up of the Bronze Age and the Iron Age although it also included in some regions an initial stage known as the Copper Age or Chalcolithic.

The Metal Age marked the end of the so-called Stone Age, the last phase of which was the Neolithic period. It spread approximately between 5500 or 4500 BC. C and 800 AD. C., although these dates vary according to the regions. In some areas, this age was the final stage of prehistory (for example, in much of Europe) and in others it encompassed both a prehistoric phase and a historical period (for example, in the Near East).

As with other classifications of history and prehistory, this time frame is a simplification of work that responds to a convention or agreement among researchers, since the processes of historical and technological change occurred very differently in each region. geographical.

That is why the Age of Metals is often thought of as a classification mainly of the prehistory and ancient history of Europe and Asia since there were civilizations that did not develop bronze and iron metallurgy, such as the societies of pre-Columbian America (except for the Inca Empire, which managed to obtain and work bronze).

How did the Metal Age begin?

The Age of Metals began at a time that is difficult to pinpoint. The first evidence of foundry copper They are dated around 5500 BC. c and they are the first records of metallurgical knowledge. This happened in the Middle East (Asia) and then in the Balkans (Europe). It later spread to other areas of Asia, Europe and Africa.

At that time, the populations that incorporated metallurgy were sedentary, dedicated to agriculture and livestock, and since the Neolithic they used hammered metals so that it was really its foundry that characterized this new stage.

Characteristics of the Metal Age

The Age of Metals was defined by the discovery and dissemination of metallurgy of certain metals which were replaced one by another as the predominant material. Human societies first learned to forge and then to melt metals to make better tools, weapons, shields, armor and utensils. Copper was the first metal to be worked, followed by bronze and finally iron.

However, the Age of Metals was not only a period of discovery and development of metallurgy, but also encompassed enormous cultural transformations. Among them, the invention of writing and the emergence of cities.

For example, in Mesopotamia and Egypt the first forms of writing were invented in a period that corresponds to the end of the Chalcolithic period (around 3300 BC). Both writing systems (cuneiform in Mesopotamia and hieroglyphic in Egypt) were refined and expanded during the Bronze Age.

What we usually understand as the Age of Metals It was different for each particular region and therefore cannot constitute a universal criterion for the history of humanity. For example, in Egypt the replacement of bronze with iron as the main technology never occurred, since said metal was scarce there, unlike what happened in other regions. On the other hand, in sub-Saharan Africa we went directly from the Stone Age to the Iron Age (600 BC), with some signs of previous copper work but without bronze metallurgy.

Stages of the Metal Age

The stages of the Metal Age are distinguished from each other by the metal that was predominant, although in some regions metals were abundant that in other regions were scarce or non-existent. These stages were:

• Copper Age or Chalcolithic. Copper was one of the first metals known to humanity. It was first used in its native state, molded by hammering and cold beating, until a way to melt it was later discovered. Thanks to the development of ceramics, it was melted and alloyed with other elements, such as arsenic and then tin (which gave rise to bronze). This period occurred in areas of the Near East, Europe and Africa, and had diffuse temporal boundaries between the final phases of the Neolithic (between 5500 and 4500 BC) and the beginning of the Bronze Age (around 3000 BC). C.).
• Bronze Age. Bronze arose thanks to the discovery of the alloy of copper with tin. It was a more versatile metal, which was widely used in various regions of the world. It was a very important material for the making of tools, weapons, vessels, plates, utensils and ornaments. Furthermore, in this period the first writing systems were developed, some of them emerging at the end of the Chalcolithic. The beginnings of this stage are around 3000 BC. C. in the Near East, although in other regions it began somewhat later, and its end is usually located at the beginning of the Iron Age, around 1200 BC. c.
• Iron Age. The replacement of bronze, a relatively soft metal, with iron, a metal that reached greater hardness, gave a technological advantage to societies that lived in geographies where this material was abundant. In fact, iron metallurgy was the most sophisticated form of metal working in ancient times. Its resistance, durability and versatility made it a coveted material, used for the manufacture of weapons, tools and other artifacts. As it became popular, iron displaced bronze, which began to have almost solely decorative use. This period began with the end of the Bronze Age around 1200 BC. C and ended at different times depending on the region, for example, around 550 BC. C. in the Near East and on dates that range between before the Christian era (or common era) and 800 AD. C. in different parts of Europe.

References

• Barzun, J. et al. (2023). The Metal Ages (history of Europe). Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/
• Britannica, Encyclopaedia (2023). Bronze Age. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/
• Britannica, Encyclopaedia (2023). Iron Age. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/
• Eiroa, J.J. (1996). Prehistory II. The Age of Metals. Akal.
• Fernández Martínez, VM (2007). Prehistory. The long road of humanity. Alliance.