HackingTheUniverse

During the bronze age, iron ore was known and some limited iron working was done. But the high melting temperature of iron made it difficult to extract and to work with. It was possible to extract from iron ore a cluster of iron globules that were mixed with impurities. Reheating and working this metal could eliminate some of the impurities, but the process was time consuming and difficult. In spite of the fact that iron is more abundant than either copper or tin (for bronze), iron did not displace bronze as the primary metal until it became possible to melt and pour liquid iron using a high temperature blast furnace.

PRECURSOR:
bronze age

SUCCESSOR:
steel