Iron Age

Iron Age, stage of humankind's material cultural development, following the Stone Age and the Bronze Age, during which iron was generally used for weapons and tools. Though used ornamentally as early as 4000 B.C. in Egypt and Mesopotamia, iron's difficulty of working precluded its general use until efficient techniques were developed in Armenia, 1500 B.C. By 500 B.C. the use of iron was dominant throughout the known world, and by 300 B.C. the Chinese were using cast iron. Some cultures, as those in America and Australia, are said not to have had an iron age.