Iron Age |
---|
↑ Bronze Age |
Ancient Near East (1200 BC – 500 BC) India (1200 BC – 200 BC) Europe (1200 BC – 1 BC)
China (600 BC – 200 BC) Korea (400 BC – 400 AD) Japan (100 BC – 300 AD) Philippines (1000 BC – 200 AD) Vietnam (1000 BC – 630 AD) Sub-Saharan Africa (1000 BC – 800 AD) |
Axial Age |
↓ Ancient history |
Historiography |
The Iron Age is an archaeological era, referring to a period of time in the prehistory and protohistory of the Old World (Afro-Eurasia) when the dominant toolmaking material was iron. It is commonly preceded by the Bronze Age in Europe and Asia with exceptions and the Stone Age in Africa. Meteoric iron has been used by humans since at least 3200 BC, but ancient iron production did not become widespread until the ability to smelt iron ore, remove impurities and regulate the amount of carbon in the alloy were developed. The start of the Iron Age proper is considered by many to fall between around 1200 BC to 600 BC, depending on the region. In most parts of the world, its end is defined by the widespread adoption of writing, and therefore marks the transition from prehistory to history.
Ancient Near East (1200 BC – 500 BC)
India (1200 BC – 200 BC)
Europe (1200 BC – 1 BC)
China (600 BC – 200 BC)
Korea (400 BC – 400 AD)
Japan (100 BC – 300 AD)
Philippines (1000 BC – 200 AD)