09 The Iron Age

The Iron Age

A new discovery Nearly 3,000 years ago, people discovered a metal called iron. This was the start of a time known as the Iron Age. This is an iron ornament called a firedog. A wealthy Iron Age family used it to decorate the fireplace in their home.

Made of iron Iron was strong. People used it to make tools, cooking pots and weapons. Iron tools were used to dig up the ground and plant crops. People cooked food over their fires in iron pots. Horses had iron and leather harnesses to pull carts.

Weapons were made with iron blades. This is an Iron Age dagger from Spain. Its blade has an iron cover called a scabbard. Part of the scabbard is missing. This is because very old iron rusts away.

How was it made? Most iron was made in a very hot oven called a furnace. A craftsman then shaped the iron. This is how a sword was made. To make the furnace very hot, air was blown into it using tools called bellows. A rock called iron ore was put into the furnace. Heating the rock made iron. The craftsman used a hammer to shape the hot iron into a sword. Finally, he plunged the sword into cold water. This made the iron stronger.

Craftsmen decorated iron things with glass and other metals. These are parts of a horse's harness. The patterns are made from stained glass and copper.