The three-age system of archaeology divides human technological prehistory into three periods – Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age. These terms refer to the material that was used for making the tools and weapons.
The Bronze Age spanned from 3300 to 1200 BC. It is the period of human history between the Stone Age and the Iron Age. During the Bronze Age, people made tools from an alloy (a mixture of metals) called bronze. Bronze is a mixture of mainly copper and tin; usually nine parts copper and one part tin.
In the period before the Bronze Age, people used tools made of stone or other non-metals; it was known as Stone Age. The Bronze Age marked the first time humans started to work with metal. The Bronze Age ended with further advancements in metallurgy such as the ability to smelt iron ore, thus the start of what is called the Iron Age.
The first part of the Bronze Age is called the Chalcolithic Age referring to the use of pure copper and stone tools.
Different societies entered the Bronze Age at different times. Civilizations in Greece began working with bronze a little before 3000 BC while the British Isles and China entered the Bronze Age much later around 1900 BC and 1700 BC respectively.
The development of bronze is believed to first occur in Mesopotamia. Ancient Sumerians may have been the first people to discover bronze could be created by adding tin to copper. Bronze was more durable than copper. It was also sharper. These two qualities made bronze very popular and useful for tools and weapons.
Bronze Age can be divided into three subsequent time periods:
1. Early Bronze Age (3500 – 2000 BC)
2. Middle Bronze Age (2000 – 1600 BC)
3. Late Bronze Age (1600 – 1200 BC)
In the period before the Bronze Age, humans lived an unsettled life like nomads. During the Bronze Age, they started to settle into colonies which went on to form highly evolved civilizations. Civilizations in Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus Valley, Greece, and China flourished during this age.
During the Bronze Age, humans started using copper and bronze to create a variety of objects. This led to improvements in agriculture and changed the way people lived. Wild food no longer formed the main part of the human diet once agriculture was found and developed.
Two inventions unrelated to bronze also changed the face of farming forever. The first of these is irrigation or the process of using man-made canals and ditches to divert water from natural sources or floodplains to fields for crops or to reservoir lakes to use at a later time.
The second change is the field system. Most commonly found in Britain during the Bronze Age, a field system rotates the crops planted in a number of fields to replenish nutrients in the soil.
Farming allowed more people in an area that can be supported by hunting and gathering. People began to store crops for off-season use or to barter. Intensive, farming, irrigation, and the use of the metal plough further enhanced agriculture. Once there was adequate food, humans began to engage in activities other than gathering food.
As the making of metal tools was difficult and required a certain skill level, people became more organized. During this period, cast metalwork evolved. The emergence of mining, smelting and casting allowed the development of skilled labor and the organization of settlements and development in the field of farming, animal breeding, building and architecture, art, and design.
The Bronze Age was marked by the rise of states or kingdoms—large-scale societies joined under a central government by a powerful ruler. Some Bronze Age societies developed a ruling class who were supported by military power. Some Bronze Age kings ruled empires and administered laws.
The two earliest writings to emerge during the Bronze Age period were – cuneiform and hieroglyphics. The cuneiform form of writing was writing on clay tablets and was developed by the Sumerians. The Egyptians developed their own form of writing, the hieroglyphic and the hieratic script, soon after.
During the Bronze Age, the tools and weapons made from bronze soon replaced their earlier stone versions. Warfare used metal weapons, armor, chariots, and advanced strategies. Since farming could feed the people, many people began to get interested in warfare which led to the rise of full-time armies in ancient civilizations.
Several technological advances also occurred during the Bronze Age, for example, the development of early writing, irrigation, the wheel, and the potter’s wheel by Sumerians, rope by the Egyptians, and kites by the Chinese. These advances, along with the new knowledge in mathematics and astronomy, made human life better. For example, the potter's wheel and textile production meant that better pottery and clothing could be produced; and the invention of the wheel meant that animal-drawn vehicles could drive along tracks and roads.
Chariots were first introduced during the Bronze Age. The chariot basically served as a war vehicle however it was also a transport tool for the dignitaries of the society.
Umbrella was also invented during the Bronze Age. The tool was basically developed by the Egyptians.
The roundhouse in Britain and cloth weaving also developed during this age.
Elaborate ships were designed and built to transport materials over long distances. Thus, transportation over long distances developed due to trading and mining.
Social stratification based on wealth, power, and nobility was evident in the Bronze Age civilizations. Ornaments and sophisticated designs on tools defined the artistry and social class of the owner. Metal workers and those who traded in metals were probably the most important and wealthiest people in Bronze Age society.
By the first millennium, iron was discovered, and this slowly ended the Age of Bronze.
