Iron Working

“Strike while the iron is hot.” — proverb, attributed to various sources

The mastery of iron — harder, more abundant, and more durable than bronze — democratised warfare and agriculture alike. Iron tools cleared forests and ploughed heavy soils; iron weapons armed entire populations rather than just elites.

Unlocks

• Units: Swordsman

Historical Background

Iron smelting developed gradually from around 1,200 BCE, coinciding with the collapse of the Bronze Age trade networks that had supplied tin. The Hittites of Anatolia were among the first to work iron on a significant scale, and for a time they guarded the secret jealously. But iron ore is far more abundant than copper and tin, and the technology eventually spread across the Near East, Africa, Europe, and Asia.

The Iron Age transformed both warfare and agriculture. Iron ploughshares could break heavy clay soils that wooden or bronze ploughs could not, opening vast new areas to cultivation. Iron axes cleared forests faster than any tool before. On the battlefield, iron swords and spearheads were cheaper to produce than bronze equivalents, allowing states to equip larger armies. The Roman gladius, the Celtic longsword, and the Indian wootz steel blade all demonstrated the military potential of iron and its refined successor, steel.