Iron Age

Iron Age


800 to 12 BC

The earliest signs of the use of iron in this country date from the Bronze Age. On a timber footpath through the peat bog in the north-east of the country a small iron pin was found, dating from approx. 1350 BC. From about 800 BC iron became a common raw material for tools and weapons.

Iron is tougher and harder than bronze and, what is more, it stays sharp for a long time. Another advantage is that the raw material for iron, bog ore, is found in the Netherlands. Consequently, iron objects must have been easier to get than bronze tools. In order to melt iron a temperature of over 1500°C is needed. Cast iron, however, is too fragile for tools, so iron objects were not cast but forged. The introduction of iron did not mean that bronze disappeared altogether Especially for the production of jewellery bronze continued to be a popular material.

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