AGE OF METALS: CHRONOLOGY, CHARACTERISTICS, TOOLS - HISTORY - 2025

The Metal Age is the name given to one of the periods into which Prehistory is divided. Its beginning is dated in the year 6500 a. C., when the Stone Age ends, and lasted until approximately 450 BC. C. The main characteristic, and what gives it its name, is the use of metals by human beings.

More resistant and manageable, metals replaced stone as the main component of tools and weapons. The Metal Age is divided into three different phases, marked by the use of different materials: Copper Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age.

During this era, they began not only to use metals, but also to work them and make alloys, creating metallurgy. This historical novelty was not only in the creation of tools. Linked to these, agriculture experienced new advances, which led to the human being becoming more sedentary and larger cities appeared.

In addition, the surplus produced thanks to the new tools caused the emergence of trade. Other developments related to the use of metals were the improvement of food and the creation of more complex social structures in the settlements.

Chronology

Like other historical periods, the Metal Age did not appear at the same time in all regions. According to historians, it began around 6000 BC. C., ending the Stone Age. It is an era that had a special impact on Europe, Asia and Africa.

The great duration of this historical Age (which ended around 450 BC) makes it divided into three different parts, with a leading metal in each of these. The first was the so-called Copper Age, which was followed by the Bronze Age. The last phase was the Iron Age.

Copper or Chalcolithic Age

This first stage ranged from 6500 to 2500 BC. During this period, human beings began to use metals such as gold, silver and, of course, copper to their advantage.

At first they were reserved for the manufacture of funeral ornaments, but soon they were also used to build agricultural tools, weapons or containers. It is the first step in the development of metallurgy.

This brought with it the evolution of livestock and agriculture, with all the social and demographic changes that this implies.

Bronze Age

The second period of the Metal Age began in 2500 BC. C. and ended about 1500 a. While copper and gold appeared in nature and only had to be treated, bronze required prior metallurgical work. It is an alloy between copper and tin.

The resulting bronze is stronger than copper and therefore more useful in tool construction. Its appearance began in South Asia and spread to North Africa.

Socially, human sedentary life was consolidated and more complex cities were founded. Maritime trade also developed.

Iron age

From 1500 a. C. began to use iron as a raw material. It was not an unknown item, but it had been considered almost sacred and its use was limited to jewelry. It was the Hittites who began to use it in other areas.

Its greater hardness forced to develop new techniques of metallurgical work. One of its main destinations was the manufacture of weapons.

How did the discovery of metals come about?

Despite the fact that many metals were found in nature within the reach of humans, in order to extract them they needed to develop techniques for this purpose. It is known that in Asia copper was already used to make tools around 9000 BC. C.

Gold and copper

It was not until the end of the Neolithic when man invented the necessary technology to begin to extract some metals. Some of the first that managed to work were gold and copper, around 6000 BC. C.

At first they used these metals to make ornaments, many times related to funeral rites. Around 4000 a. C. they already built knives or arrows with copper.

The great advantage over stones was that they could shape and sharpen it. In addition, they learned to melt it, with which they could make more durable and resistant tools.

Bronze

Bronze was an important step in the development of metallurgy. This metal is an alloy of copper and tin, which meant extra work compared to the primaries. At one point they began to use closed ovens to melt it.

The benefits of using it were many, starting with its greater resistance and toughness. With bronze they made all kinds of work tools, as well as weapons or statues.

Relying on tin to make the alloy, the Bronze Age only occurred in some areas of the world where the metal could be found. These areas include the Middle East, China and northwestern Europe.

Thanks to the greater usefulness of bronze, the human being began to produce more than he needed for his subsistence, giving rise to trading with the surpluses. This incipient trade enriched the communities that developed it.

Iron

Iron was already known long before it began to be used. However, in many cultures it was considered almost sacred. When it began to be used, around the year 1000 a. C., its hardness and abundance caused a real revolution.

Being found in nature in a much more abundant way than, for example, copper, iron was used for many more elaborations.

In fact, it does away with stone as a raw material entirely and makes tool and weapon making cheaper and faster.

characteristics

Birth of metallurgy

It is the fact that gives its name to the era and one of the greatest advances in the early development of humanity.

The discovery of how to melt and mold different metals allowed bronze or iron to be used to make better tools and weapons. With metallurgy, stones were no longer the only building material.

Thanks to this, important innovations in agriculture were produced, trade began and social structures changed.

Economy

The economic activities that appeared at that time were linked to metallurgy. Mining gained great importance and new professions emerged, such as goldsmiths or foundries.

As for trade, at first it was carried out by metals, which sometimes were not found in places close to the growing cities, which made it necessary to resort to intermediaries.

Once the commercial routes were opened for these exchanges, other products began to circulate, such as jewelery, ceramics or food.

It was a trade in which barter was used, since money did not yet exist as we understand it today.

New inventions

Another important characteristic of the Metal Age is the appearance of new inventions in various fields. One of them was transportation, necessary to move the metals or products with which they wanted to trade.

Two examples of these innovations are the wheel, for land transport; and sailing, for the sea or river. On the other hand, the animal-drawn plow began to be used, thus expanding the capacity of agriculture.

Social organization

The improvement in the diet plus the sedentary lifestyle, made the demography grow. Agriculture led to the emergence of more and more fixed settlements, with which towns and cities appeared.

From there, the changes were many. Workers began to specialize and the first class structures based on wealth appeared.

Likewise, technical advances that produced surpluses led to the communal system being left behind, as many tried to accumulate that wealth individually.

In this way the concept of private property was born and the most powerful began to exercise dominion over others. To establish control and rules, they had to organize themselves socially in a kind of city-state.

Art

The aforementioned technological advances and social changes also affected art. New artistic models appeared, many related to religions and funeral rites.

Tools they used

The advent of casting and molding techniques allowed humans to make better tools and inventions. Previously the raw material had been carved stone, with much less possibilities than any metal.

Among the most popular utensils made from these metals were knives (which could be sharpened easily), containers, axes, and a variety of weapons.

Similarly, many tools dedicated to working in the field were created. Agriculture was one of the great beneficiaries of the Metal Age, with more efficient plows or tools that multiplied the possibilities of harvest.

Lifestyle

The Metal Age was a great change in the way of life of human beings. The small villages erected during the Neolithic period gave way to larger and better structured settlements. They began to build defensive walls and more developed cities began to appear.

The beginning of commercial activities made the settlements located on the new routes gain power and wealth. The fertility of their lands or the temples they hosted were also elements that highlighted the importance of each city.

Due to the incipient private property, the first social differences began to develop within these cities. This was even noticeable in the size of the dwellings, which was greater as there was more accumulated wealth.

New trades

One of the causes of these social differences and the hierarchization that it entailed was the emergence of new trades. The first to become important were those related to metals, such as blacksmiths or goldsmiths.

Trade also gave rise to the emergence of its professionals. These merchants were essential for the city to gain wealth and recognition.

Of course, old trades such as livestock or agriculture continued to exist, with better prospects thanks to new techniques. The same happened with the artisans.

Social structure

When the settlements grew in size and the economy diversified, a better organization of activities and social structure was needed. This led to the emergence of a social class dedicated to government.

In general terms, at the top of the pyramid was the sovereign, whether he was called king, chief or in other ways. Little by little, the position became hereditary.

After the chief appeared a priestly caste, dedicated to all religious matters and which, many times, served as justification of the king's power.

In third position were the warriors. They had to protect the city, as well as maintain order. In time, many would lead to a nobility with genuine political power.

At the end of the pyramid, although there were differences depending on the profession, there was the common people.

Feeding

Although it may seem something unrelated to the appearance of metallurgy, the truth is that food was also affected by it.

First, the harvests were bigger and better. This allowed the diet to improve considerably, and even that previously unthinkable surpluses could be obtained.

The most common products were barley and wheat. It should be noted as very important inventions in this field to the plow drawn by animals or the mill to crush the wheat.

Leftover food - non-perishable - used to be traded, and wines and salt became popular in many places where there was none before.

Another point of differentiation was the nascent research to extend the shelf life of what was eaten. Among the most used methods was salting.

Finally, the improvement of hunting weapons made meat easier to obtain, as was the case with fishing. According to experts, this ease of access to meat together with the domestication of animals, typical of previous stages, produced a great improvement compared to past times.

References

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5. Whipps, Heather. How the Iron Age Changed the World. Retrieved from livescience.com
6. Topper, Uwe. The Beginning of the Metal Age. Recovered from ilya.it
7. History.com Staff. Iron Age. Retrieved from history.com