Bronze Age

The Bronze Age

The Bronze Age has nothing to do with the history of California tanning salons. This was the era in which metallurgy had reached a stage where people began giving up their weaker stone and tin tools in favor of a new super metal: bronze. The Bronze Age came in between the Stone Age, and before the Iron Age, which was still hundreds years away.

Pinpointing the beginning of the Bronze Age is not something that can easily be done. There are several factors to consider when discussing the beginning of the Bronze Age. In some places, it began earlier than others, if that makes sense. For instance, the Bronze Age began prior to 3000 BC in places like China and Greece. But in Britain, the beginning would be closer to about 1900 BC. and Korea wouldn't see bronze tools until

about 400 BC. Some cultures went through all three of these ages (iron, bronze, and iron) at the same time. Some have even skipped one of the ages or gone through them out of order. So why did it occur in different places at different times? Good question!

The main reason why the Bronze Age spread at different times is because people in different cultures did not all suddenly have a revelation at the same time about how to mix copper and tin. It began in one place – probably the Middle East – and began to spread from there. There are no records of how the people in the Middle East discovered bronze as the age of the pencil and paper had not occurred yet, but it was not long before farmers began making their tools from bronze and warriors are making their weapons by using bronze.

From the Middle East, the praises of bronze spread to the Mediterranean area and then to Eastern Europe. India was the stop and there have been recent discoveries in the Indus Valley civilization which show us that the culture made bronze statues, jewelry and also toys in addition to the weapons and tools that other cultures made. These artifacts have been dated to about 2500 BC.

From India, the Bronze Age moved to China and the Longshan people around 2400 BC and then to Europe about 100 years after that. By 1200, all of the stone tools in the region had been replaced by bronze. From there, the wonders of bronze moved to Britain, Greece, and Egypt over the next few hundred years. Korea and Japan were the last two major nations to experience the Bronze Age in 1000 BC and 300 BC respectively.

Bronze: Making Life Easier Since 3500 BC

One of the ways that the Bronze Age made life easier is in the weapons department. It was much easier and more efficient to make weapons from bronze and, as a result, everyday citizens could be armed to fight in wars. The dagger was one of the most significant weapons to come out of the Bronze Age. Both regular daggers and longer sword-length daggers were made and used in battle. As a result of these longer daggers, the death rate increased, but it was also easier to kill animals for food.

In addition to making daggers and swords, bronze was also used to make arrowhead and spearheads. Before bronze came along, these things were made from stone, but it was quite difficult and time-consuming. Copper was not an options because it could not hold its shape for very long. Bronze not only held its shape, but it also kept a razor-sharp edge, which always came in handy when fighting an enemy.

Bronze also changed farming. The ax was revolutionized during the Bronze Age. The ax was a major part of civilization, but it was difficult to keep the ax handle from splitting during an impact. A new mold was created in which the bronze ax head had a hole into which the handle would fit. The head was fitted with a ring so the ax head took the impact rather than the handle, making it a much more durable tool. In addition, bronze allowed the option of making double-headed axes. The edges of the axes were sharper than those of thing it more efficient for clearing land, fighting, and foraging for food.

The plow was also improved by the Bronze Age. Before bronze, plows were made from wood, which did not keep its sharp edges for long. While the handles were still made of wood, the actual plowing part was made from bronze and it made much of the farming process smoother. As a result of the increased efficiency, farmers were able to produce more food which led to surpluses in some areas. They did not stop at plows, though. Other farming tools that were made from bronze include sickles, hoes, borers and more.

Bronze Goes Bye-Bye

Around 1000 BC, the Bronze Age began to fade. That was when cultures began to see the benefits of iron over bronze. They saw that it was stronger, more durable, and even easier to work with. But the changes that came along with the Bronze Age helped change many regions throughout the world.