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Iron Age Facts & Worksheets

The Iron Age was a prehistoric, archaeological era from around 1200 BCE to 100 BCE. Iron was commonly used during the Iron Age to make tools, hence the name of the era.

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The Iron Age was a prehistoric, archaeological era from around 1200 BCE to 100 BCE (the 12th to 1st Centuries BCE). Iron material was commonly used during the Iron Age to make tools, so the era was named after it.

See the fact file below for more information on the Iron Age or alternatively download our comprehensive worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Facts & Information

The Iron Age

  • The Iron Age existed in Africa, Europe, and Asia during prehistoric times in the Old World.
  • The Iron Age did not occur in America because this was the New World and had not yet been discovered.
  • In Europe and Asia, the Iron Age followed the Bronze Age. In Africa, it followed the Stone Age.
  • The Iron Age is divided into three parts: the Early Iron Age, the Middle Iron Age, and the Late Iron Age.
  • During the Iron Age, tools were commonly made of steel and alloys. These were much cheaper, stronger, and lighter than the bronze materials used previously, which is why their use became more predominant.
  • Iron was excellent material for making tools, implements, and utensils because it could be hammered into shape and didn’t need to be carved. Hammering the iron was known as ‘smithing.’
  • The Iron Age helped many countries to become more technologically advanced. Metalwork made tasks like farming easier, as the iron tools were much better than what the people had before.
  • Farmers used an ‘ard’ (an iron plow) during the Iron Age to turn over their fields. These were much more efficient than wooden or bronze plows.
  • The Iron Age also saw the invention of the rotary quern. This machine helped to grind grains for flour and made the process much quicker and easier for workers.
  • Most countries did not adopt iron as their primary material until around 500 BCE, though there is evidence that some places used it as early as 1500 BCE.
  • Ironwork first began in Turkey before spreading to other European countries.
  • In Britain, the Iron Age continued past the birth of Christ and into the 1st Century CE when the country was invaded by the Romans.
  • The people that lived in Europe during the Iron Age were called the Celts. They lived in villages and were ruled by kings and queens.
  • Many of the people that lived during the Iron Age lived in hill forts. Hill forts were groups of thatched houses on top of a hill, surrounded by moats, walls, and ditches. People lived like this for protection, as the war was common during the Iron Age.
  • There were more than 2000 hill forts in Britain.
  • The Celtic soldiers who had to go into battle during the Iron Age wore armor made of iron and used swords and spears made from iron.

Transition From Bronze to Iron Age

  • Before the discovery of combining iron and carbon to produce the more rigid material steel, some people extensively used pure iron. Some people preferred its softness over bronze when creating designs with rectilinear and curvilinear patterns or flowing designs. Iron requires a more sophisticated process than bronze.
  • When people discovered iron and steel, it primarily influenced agricultural practices and artistic expression. It coincided with the first preserved manuscripts, which were thought to mark the spread of the written language.
  • The iron fragments found in Turkey that show the use of carbon steel were the earliest evidence of steel manufacturing, dating around 1800 BCE.
  • Historians agreed that a lack of tin forced metalworkers to find a replacement material for bronze, which happened to be iron. One example is the recycling of bronze objects into weapons.
  • When bronze resources were rediscovered, iron had already surpassed bronze in importance. Steel weapons were preferred because they were stronger than bronze weapons despite being nearly the same weight.

Birth of the Iron Age

  • The Iron Age began at varying times in different civilizations.
  • Mycenaean Greece collapsed around 1200 BCE, which archaeologists believe was caused by severe droughts in the eastern Mediterranean region. The Iron Age was thought to have begun a few years after the so-called Greek Dark Ages. However, the Greeks of the early Iron Age left no written records of how they started.
  • The Iron Age was thought to have begun in Anatolia in the late 1300 BCE when the citizens discovered iron smelting, which later developed into smithing techniques. The first artifact was found in Jordan at Tell Hammeh.
  • Nomadic pastoralists from the Near East were said to have brought the Persian Iron Age. They developed a state where they raised sheep, goats, and cattle on the Iranian plateau that was later on called Persia.
  • Because no artifacts claimed the existence of the Bronze Age in Sub-Saharan Africa, it was assumed that its civilizations transitioned directly from using stone tools to smithing iron tools and weapons.

Daily Life

  • Before the rise of the iron industry, most people were farmers. Everything they needed was made or grown in their communities.
  • Iron tools made farming more accessible and faster when they first became available. Farmers began planting even in harsh soil because iron tools allowed them to plow it. More crops were planted while waiting for harvest. This gave them more time for leisure or other work.
  • People also learned to sell and trade supplies with one another. Other farmers used their spare time to make salt, quern stones, or iron. Cloth-making, woodworking, and blacksmithing became a part of their way of life.

Iron Age Religion and Beliefs

  • People during the Iron Age were thought to have held polytheistic beliefs. The Ancient Scythians, for example, worshipped seven different gods. Meanwhile, the Celts of Northwestern Europe or the Ancient Greeks worshipped hundreds of deities.
  • Unlike today’s belief that the god or gods are not present on Earth, Iron Age people saw their deities actively participating in it.
  • Most ancient mythologies include parables and stories about how a god or goddess influenced human life. The primary purpose of these parables, as it is today, is to teach the importance of religious principles that are important to society.
  • The ancient Greeks believed that each god or goddess was in charge of every aspect of their lives, including agriculture, war, love, etc.
  • Some Iron Age religions practiced animism, which believed gods inhabited ancient life. According to the British Celts, the gods and spirits lived in trees, lakes, rivers, and other physically existing objects.

Iron Age in Europe

  • The three-age system (Stone, Bronze, and Iron Ages) is frequently criticized for its Eurocentrism. It was initially designed to explain historical data from Europe and West Asia. Meanwhile, archaeologists began using the three-age system to explain social and technological developments in areas other than Europe and West Asia.
  • Iron was only used to make heavy tools in Romania during the Bronze Age.
  • Iron swords, Ha C, were made during the La Tene Period, and iron began to assert its importance.
  • It began to be used for various new functional items, including plowshares, carpentry tools, and nails.
  • Contact and trade routes changed at the start of the Iron Age. In South-central Europe, a prosperous Late Hallstatt community arose.
  • The trade was primarily focused on the south of Europe, gradually ignoring the northern links.
  • The Bronze Age contact route was broken, but the Mediterranean civilization in South and West-Central Europe expanded. Europe rose to prominence during the Iron Age.

Iron Age and Industrial Revolution

  • The use of iron flourished as the Industrial Revolution began. Iron production grew as a result of a series of innovations and the development of new techniques.
  • Darby introduced the smelting of iron with coke, fuel, and the reducing agent in the blast furnace produced by heating coal in 1709. The iron produced, however, remained brittle.
  • In 1750, iron was used to create a steam engine that primarily pumped water to power a water wheel. However, this industry was only famous for a short time.
  • Richard Reynolds invented the first iron rails to aid material transportation in 1767.
  • In 1779, the first all-iron bridge was built. It was a turning point in the iron industry. The bridge piqued the public’s interest in iron as a material.
  • A rotary action steam engine was invented in 1781 to help increase the size of the furnace, thereby increasing production.
  • Around 1783, iron began to become a necessary material in the industry. Henry Cort pioneered the puddling and rolling techniques for collecting iron impurities. This allowed for mass production.
  • Because of the widespread use of iron, the industry had to be located near coal fields, assuming that iron ores were nearby. Steam engines grew in popularity as new applications for iron emerged.
  • One of the most notable developments in the iron industry was the Napoleonic Wars. The military’s demand for iron increased. From 1793, British iron production increased substantially. Although the price of iron and the market for it fell after the war, Britain remained Europe’s largest producer of iron.

Iron Age Worksheets

This bundle contains 11 ready-to-use Iron Age worksheets that are perfect for students who want to learn more about the Iron Age which was a prehistoric, archaeological era that existed from around 1200 BC to 100 BC (the 12th to 1st Centuries Before Christ). During the Iron Age, iron material was commonly used to make tools, so the era was named after it.

Download includes the following worksheets:

  • Iron Age Facts
  • Vocabulary
  • Technology
  • Fill in the Blanks
  • Word Search
  • Let’s Draw!
  • Fact or Bluff
  • Hillforts
  • Parts of the Iron Age
  • Compare and Contrast
  • Smithing

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between steel and iron?

Iron can be used to make weapons and tools in its pure form. When mixed with carbon, however, a more potent and rigid metal known as steel can be produced.

Did the Iron Age begin the moment iron was discovered?

No. There have been theories that humans smelted iron during the Bronze Age, but they did not pursue it because bronze tools and weapons were more durable than those made with pure iron. Years later, humans discovered a way to make more durable iron products by smelting them with carbon, resulting in steel.

Which ancient civilization experienced the first Iron Age?

The Mesopotamian civilization, which included the states of Sumer, Akkad, and Assyria, was said to be the first to use iron, around 3000 BCE.

What was the negative impact of the Iron Age?

Mining in the Alps became prevalent at the beginning of the Iron Age. Forests and woodland were reduced as a result of the activity. Soil and water pollution also occurred, causing significant environmental damage.

Are we still in the Iron Age?

Some historians argue that the Iron Age never ended and that we are still living in it today. This was most likely because steel was still widely used, particularly during the Industrial Revolution in the early twentieth century and even today.

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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