"The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity."
Overview of the timeline, dates and periods that make up the Iron Age.
Archaeology: The study of the physical remains of past human societies to understand their history, culture, and way of life.
Dating Methods: Techniques used to determine the age of organic and inorganic materials, such as Radiocarbon dating, dendrochronology, and stratigraphy.
Cultural Regions: Different regions with distinct cultural characteristics and archaeological features, like Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus Valley, and China.
Ironworking: The production of iron and iron tools during the Iron Age and its impact on social, economic, and military changes.
Trade and Commerce: The exchange of goods and commodities between different regions, facilitated by long-distance trade networks during the Iron Age.
Religion and Beliefs: The diverse religious practices and beliefs during the Iron Age, including polytheism, ancestor worship, and shamanism.
Warfare and Conquest: The emergence of large-scale warfare and conquest during the Iron Age, resulting in the formation of states and empires.
Social Organization: The social and political organization of Iron Age societies, including social classes, gender roles, and governance structures.
Urbanization: The development of cities and urban centers during the Iron Age, leading to the growth of trade, specialization, and sophisticated culture.
Art and Craftsmanship: The artistic and creative expression of Iron Age cultures through their art, crafts, architecture, pottery, and metalworking.
Agriculture and Domestication: The cultivation of crops, animal husbandry, and domestication of animals, which played a significant role in the development of Iron Age societies.
Writing and Literature: The development of writing and literature during the Iron Age, including cuneiform, hieroglyphs, and the epics of Gilgamesh and Homeric poems.
Environmental Changes: The natural and human-induced environmental changes that influenced the Iron Age societies, like climate change, deforestation, and soil degradation.
Migration and Diaspora: The movement of people and cultures during the Iron Age, resulting in the spread of ideas, technologies, and cultural exchange.
Legacy and Influence: The impact of Iron Age cultures on contemporary society, including their contributions to science, philosophy, and modern culture.
Absolute Chronology: This type of chronology establishes the age of an archaeological site with the help of scientific methods such as radiocarbon dating, dendrochronology, etc.
Relative Chronology: This type of chronology establishes the age of an archaeological site by comparing it to other sites or objects that are already dated.
Cultural Chronology: This type of chronology establishes the age of an archaeological site by identifying the cultural changes that occurred during a specific period.
Technological Chronology: This type of chronology establishes the age of an archaeological site by examining the technological changes that occurred over time.
Typological Chronology: This type of chronology divides the Iron Age into different periods based on the changes in the material culture, such as pottery, tools, weapons, and ornaments.
Regional Chronology: This type of chronology establishes the age of an archaeological site based on its location and the cultural and historical contexts of that region.
Environmental Chronology: This type of chronology establishes the age of an archaeological site by analyzing the changes in the natural environment that occurred during a specific period.
Political Chronology: This type of chronology establishes the age of an archaeological site by examining the political changes that occurred over time, such as the rise and fall of empires, dynasties, or kingdoms.
Linguistic Chronology: This type of chronology establishes the age of an archaeological site by analyzing the language and scripts used by the people who lived there.
Stratigraphic Chronology: This type of chronology establishes the age of an archaeological site by examining the layers of soil and debris that have accumulated over time.
"It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age."
"The concept has been mostly applied to Iron Age Europe and the Ancient Near East."
"The 'Iron Age' begins locally when the production of iron or steel has advanced to the point where iron tools and weapons replace their bronze equivalents in common use."
"The discovery of iron smelting and smithing techniques was invented in Anatolia, the Caucasus or Southeast Europe in the late 2nd millennium BC (c. 1300 BC)."
"This transition took place in the wake of the Bronze Age collapse, in the 12th century BC."
"The technology soon spread throughout the Mediterranean Basin region and to South Asia (Iron Age in India) between the 12th and 11th century BC."
"Its further spread to Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and Central Europe is somewhat delayed."
"Northern Europe was not reached until around the start of the 5th century BC."
"The Iron Age is taken to end, also by convention, with the beginning of the historiographical record."
"For the Ancient Near East, the establishment of the Achaemenid Empire c. 550 BC is traditionally and still usually taken as a cut-off date."
"In Central and Western Europe, the Roman conquests of the 1st century BC serve as marking for the end of the Iron Age."
"The Germanic Iron Age of Scandinavia is taken to end c. AD 800, with the beginning of the Viking Age."
"The Iron Age is taken to begin with the ironworking Painted Grey Ware culture."
"Recent estimates suggest that it ranges from the 15th century BC, through to the reign of Ashoka in the 3rd century BC."
"The use of the term 'Iron Age' in the archaeology of South, East, and Southeast Asia is more recent and less common than for Western Eurasia."
"In China, written history started before iron-working arrived, so the term is infrequently used."