The Age of Metals makes us travel to one of the two stages into which prehistory has been divided. This is an age in which, as can be expected due to its name, metals take on great importance in daily life and where human beings approach the great milestone that marks a before and after in history: the invention of writing.
What is the Age of Metals?
In the introduction this stage of humanity has already been broadly outlined, but it can still be adjusted a little more.
The history of humanity has been divided into two fundamental parts due to the invention of writing: the prehistory (before it was invented) and the history (after it was invented). The Age of metals It is the second great period of prehistory that occurred after the end of the Stone age, around the year 5,000 BC. C. (taking into account that this is an approximate figure).
Like its predecessor, The Age of Metals is divided into three periods, Only these are named after the metal that was most used at any given time: Copper Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age. The latter gives way to the Ancient Age around the year 550 BC. c.
In the approximate chronological axis presented below, this information can be seen much better and graphically.
Thus it can be said that the Age of Metals lasted just 5,000 years, a much smaller amount than the millions of years that the Stone Age lasted. However, and as we will see in the following sections, they were years with considerable progress and continuous discoveries.
What is the origin of the Metal Age?
At the end of the Neolithic, human beings were sedentary and their economy was based on agriculture and livestock. When developing these and other activities, they used stone as the main material to make the utensils and other objects they used in their daily lives. This was until they saw that Copper was a malleable material when struck. However, and this is where the Copper Age begins and with it the Age of Metals, They discovered that when melted it was even more moldable and that when it cooled it maintained the given shape.
What are the main characteristics of the Metal Age?
It is important to begin by pointing out that, as with other stages of prehistory and history, The Age of Metals was not experienced in the same way on the different continents. This means that the characteristics presented in the next paragraphs may differ in some ways depending on the specific place we are talking about. At all times, generalities are being mentioned to give us an idea of what life was like in those ancient times.
Thus, always keeping in mind what was stated in the previous paragraph, we will quote the most general characteristics from this part of prehistory:
first with metal casting like copper, silver and gold and, later, with the mixture of two or more elements like tin with copper to obtain bronze.
With these materials they created utensils for agriculture, weapons, jewelry and decorations of different elements.
Working with metals became a craft that little by little spread throughout the world.
Agriculture increased and improved:
Advances in agriculture were made thanks to new types of tools and more innovative techniques such as the irrigation canals that began to be used and that allowed water to reach the orchards in a more effective and abundant way.
It is also worth noting that they grew some plants for non-food purposes, for example: to create fabrics.
Metallurgy brought with it the invention of the stone oven to melt metals. Although it was also used to heat food and make pots.
They began to be created armor, shields and weapons more specialized for war purposes.
The wheelwhich dates back to the end of the Neolithic, developed from being a piece for grinding cereals to being used as a pottery wheel until reaching its main function, even today, facilitate transportation. In this case the typical Neolithic stone gave way to the wood as a material to make them because it is lighter and easier to model.
They began to be used boats created with trunks and propelled by the wind thanks to a large cloth as sailing. This means of transportation allowed them to carry heavy objects from one place to another more easily.
Due to its usefulness in daily life, they also highlight the fabric manufacturing, for which they grew some plants or brought others from outside, creating baskets which already began in the Neolithic (with wicker, esparto grass, cane or strips of wood) to contain and transport things and the use of the solar calendar to measure time through the hours of light.
© 1 – Loom – Eduarda7
– Creative Commons
© 2 – Boat – Hiyotchi
– Creative Commons
The first organized cities:
The sedentary lifestyle, settlements, the construction of buildings, the organization of society and the specialization of trades meant the development of the first communities of people that would give rise to what are known as cities.
© 1 – Recreation of a village – Carina.mirasso
– Creative Commons
© 2 – Vestiges of the Iron Age – Chris Downer
– Creative Commons
Trade and navigation:
Agriculture, livestock and hunting had a great weight in the economic aspect. Howevermining, metallurgy and crafts were gaining ground. Neolithic surplus exchanges developed thanks to metals until they became a true trade. Something that was consolidated with the development of maritime transport (sailing ships) and the beginnings of sea routes.
© Igor Morozoff
– Creative Commons
The differences that began to be seen at the end of the previous stage became more evident, so that some sectors began to gain power over the rest: the chiefs and priests first and the warriors next.
On the opposite side, Without any privileges or power, there were the bakers, the spinners, the farmers and the ranchers.. Those who worked metals were positioned in another place because they were highly valued, but not at the level of those who had certain privileges.
As in the previous stages, art and beliefs were closely related. It has been concluded that they carried out outdoor rituals and offerings of objects (mainly weapons). It is also believed that they worshiped gods and that changed the way of carrying out the burials: At this stage, the practice of cremation or cremation of bodies before burying the remains.
© Interface
– Creative Commons
To better assimilate the characteristics that have been mentioned, we suggest that you use the following resources:
What are the stages of the Metal Age?
As we have already announced, the Age of Metals, in general, can be divided into three stages. This can be seen in the following diagram of prehistory:
The Copper Age: It is the first stage and, approximately, it can be placed around the year 5,000 BC. C. until the year 3,000 BC. C. At this stage, as expected, the highlight is the emergence of metallurgy: melting metals to make them more malleable. Copper, gold and silver were the first metals to be smelted.
The Bronze Age: approximately between the years 3,000 BC. C and 1,500 BC. C. The step between the previous stage and this one is the metal alloy, that is, mixing several to give rise to a new one. This began with the alloy of copper and tin to give rise to bronze, which turned out to be a more resistant material.
The Iron Age: It can also be dated approximately between the year 1,500 BC. C. and 550 BC At this stage highlights the use of iron as the main material for being even more resistant than the previous ones and despite the fact that, until this moment, it was considered a precious metal due to its shine. Furthermore, as explained in the following section, the foundations for the change of age began to be laid.
COPPER AGE
BRONZE AGE
IRON AGE
We will soon see how this age ends a little better, but first we recommend taking a stop to work on the contents you have read with the following resources.
What marks the end of the Metal Age and the beginning of the Ancient Age?
In some regions the first glimpses of writing and in others war fighting increasedtwo facts with substantial weight to give rise to a change in Age and even in the conception of history: with writing, prehistory ended and the path of history began.
Below, you will find a Notes sheet where the most important information of the text is collected and some links to other texts that may be equally interesting to you to learn more about prehistory.