Why did the bronze age become the iron age?

Answer 1

The Bronze age [3500 BCE - 1100 BCE] ended when the Iron age commenced. The obvious reason is that iron is more durable than bronze, which chips when struck with iron. The practical implications of this were that bronze armor went out of style when warriors started to use iron swords.

However, this is not the full answer. Archaeologists found destruction layers between the Bronze and Iron Age layers. This means that there was some catastrophe that happened to usher in the Iron Age. There was a significant change in culture as well. Natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes have been suggested, but this is probably not the case. Civil unrest or invasion from outside is more likely, and the reason that the invaders succeeded was most likely due to their superior weapons and superior tactics. They were able to conquer civilizations that relied on chariots because no one had succeeded in developing a way to stop these war machines. The invaders did, and eventually the chariot went out of style. People began relying more on footsoldiers to go to war. This is the essence of the change between the Bronze Age and the Iron Age.

Answer 2

As the name suggests, the Bronze Age was dominated by the metal alloy bronze. People used bronze tools and bronze weapons and armor. When people started using iron weapons and armor, the bronze ones didn't hold a candle to the tougher iron. However, that's just a general definition. The real reason why we divide the ages is because there are a great variety of differences between the archaeological remains of Bronze Age and Iron Age city layers. There was a decline in civilization before there was a renewal. Historians and archaeologists alike have many different theories as to why there was such a huge shift around 1000 BC. in the Mediterranean world. There are 3 main theories. No one is in agreement about this AT ALL.

1. Natural catastrophe (floods, earthquakes, etc. Most likely not the case)

2. Revolt

3. Invasion from outside

The third is the most likely. We know there were groups of people known as the Sea Peoples that invaded both Egypt and Palestine. But how did they defeat civilizations who had been developing warfare for thousands of years? The answer might lie in more effective tactics on the part of the invaders. Not only did they have better armor and weapons, they also had greater fighting skill. The Egyptians, Canaanites, Hittites, Assyrians, and Babylonians all relied on their chariot force to win their battles. They hadn't counted on a superior force of foot soldiers to outmaneuver and neutralize their war machines. But this is what happened. Chariots didn't work well in mountains, either, so this is why the Israelites and the Uraurtu (the thorn in the side of the Assyrians) were so hard to defeat in their home territories.

This change in battle tactics was eventually perfected by the Greeks. They created the phalanx - an unstoppable wall of iron-tipped spears and bronze shields - which was imitated all over the ancient world. This was only superseded by the Romans, who had slightly different tactics but more discipline. It was the Romans who saw the final death of the chariot. The last people to use them were the Gauls, Britons and Celts.

Answer 3

A silly (but bascially true way) to remember it is to think

The stone age was when people hit things with stones.

The bronze age was when people hit things with bronze.

The iron age was when people hit things with (you guessed it!) iron!

However odd it sounds it is true. But here is the technically correct explanation.

The change from the stone age to the bronze age was a gradual change. The bronze age was when the most used material in manufacturing was bronze. The bronze could be from either smelting copper and tin (that were extracted from ores) to make bronze or just trading with other countries.

Answer 2: The Bronze Age happened because the tools made with Bronze were superior to tools made with the materials that were used earlier (Stone and/or Copper).

In most societies tool-making technology evolved from: Stone Tools => Copper Tools => Bronze Tools. Bronze is superior to Stone and Copper because:

• it's more durable, harder than copper and less brittle than stone
• Bronze is alloy made up of two metals either copper & arsenic or copper & tin. These metals are relatively easy to smelt (smelting is the extraction of a metal from its naturally occurring ore)
• It's relatively easy to forge (forging is heating the metal and pounding it into the shape of the tool you want)
• It's castable (casting is melting the metal and pouring it into a mold to create the tool you want)
• It makes better edged and pointed tools (Axes, hatchets, knives swords) than copper or stone. Many of these are weapons and better weapons means societies that use Bronze had an advantage on the battlefield.

Answer 4

never

Answer 5

A silly way to put it, the Bronze Age people wanted to hit things with bronze!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!