Table of Contents
When was iron introduced in Greece?
The Iron Age began around 1200 B.C. in the Mediterranean region and Near East with the collapse of several prominent Bronze Age civilizations, including the Mycenaean civilization in Greece and the Hittite Empire in Turkey.
Who introduced iron?
Archeologists believe that iron was discovered by the Hittites of ancient Egypt somewhere between 5000 and 3000 BCE. During this time, they hammered or pounded the metal to create tools and weapons. They found and extracted it from meteorites and used the ore to make spearheads, tools and other trinkets.
Who introduced iron Europe?
Iron working was introduced to Europe in the late 11th century BC, probably from the Caucasus, and slowly spread northwards and westwards over the succeeding 500 years. For example, the Iron Age of Prehistoric Ireland begins around 500 BC, when the Greek Iron Age had already ended, and finishes around 400 AD.
What did Greece use iron for?
The use of iron for tools and weapons is the single technological advance that this era produced, hence, the Iron Age. It was a period of several hundred years that presented a decline in the population and settlements in the area of Greece.
Where did Greeks get iron?
Herodotus makes reference to it in his “History” (446 BC) and Aristotle (350BC) attributes the sources of iron to mines in Elba and the Chalybian mines near Ambus[8]. By Roman times the process of iron smelting was well known and Mediterranean Europe could be considered well into the Iron Age.
What ancient civilization was famous for making iron weapons?
the Hittites
The earliest evidence of extensive iron smelting comes from the Hittites, who ruled an empire in Anatolia from around 1500 BCE to 1177 BCE. Iron smelting technology gradually spread from Anatolia and Mesopotamia across Eurasia.
Why did Bronze come before iron?
With ancient technology, bronze was far easier to make than iron. In order to make iron, you need to make furnaces that can reach temperatures of more than 1200 oC (the temperature where iron oxide can be reduced by carbon), while for bronze, only 1083 oC is needed (the melting point of copper).
What did the Greeks make with metal?
The metals in regular use were gold, electrum, silver and bronze. Gold, always the most precious, was kept mainly for jewellery, anyhow till the mid fourth century when the Macedonian and then the other Hellenistic kingdoms made regular issues of gold coinage.
Did the Spartans have iron?
The Spartan’s main weapon was the dory spear. For long-range attacks, they carried a javelin. The Spartiates were also always armed with a xiphos as a secondary weapon. Among most Greek warriors, this weapon had an iron blade of about 60 centimetres; however, the Spartan version was typically only 30–45 centimetres.
Why was the Iron Age bad for Greece?
For some societies, including Ancient Greece, the start of the Iron Age was accompanied by a period of cultural decline. Humans may have smelted iron sporadically throughout the Bronze Age, though they likely saw iron as an inferior metal. Iron tools and weapons weren’t as hard or durable as their bronze counterparts.
What was the use of iron in the Bronze Age?
Iron tools and weapons weren’t as hard or durable as their bronze counterparts. The use of iron became more widespread after people learned how to make steel, a much harder metal, by heating iron with carbon. The Hittites—who lived during the Bronze Age in what is now Turkey—may have been the first to make steel. When Was the Iron Age?
What was Iron Age?
The Iron Age was a period in human history that followed the Bronze and Stone Ages. During the Iron Age, people across much of Europe, Asia and parts of Africa began making tools and weapons from iron and steel.
What kind of weapons did the Dorians have?
The Dorians had iron weapons. It wasn’t even a contest. For the next 400 years, the Dorians ruled. This period of time in ancient Greek history is called the Greek Dark Ages. The various tribes on the Greek peninsula hated the Dorians, with good reason. The Dorians were cruel and brutal.