Iron Age

n. period of history during which man used tools and objects made from iron

This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age; for the mythological Iron Age see Ages of Man. In archaeology, the Iron Age was the stage in the development of any people in which tools and weapons whose main ingredient was iron were prominent. The adoption of this material coincided with other changes in some past societies often including differing agricultural practices, religious beliefs and artistic styles, although this was not always the case.
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Noun
1. (archeology) the period following the Bronze Age; characterized by rapid spread of iron tools and weapons
(hypernym) time period, period of time, period
(part-holonym) prehistory, prehistoric culture
(classification) archeology, archaeology

Noun
1. (classical mythology) the last and worst age of the world
(hypernym) time period, period of time, period
(classification) classical mythology

Iron Age The fourth of the ages enumerated in the theogony of Hesiod, corresponding to the Hindu kali yuga (black age). It is described in all ancient writings as the worst of the four, because the most material; it marks the lowest point of a cycle of evolution. Each root-race is divided into four ages, following generally along the lines of the Hindu yugas; and the smaller divisions of a race are similarly subdivided. In fact, the four ages are inherent in nature's evolutionary cycles of progression, so that the smaller is contained within the greater and repeats it on a minor scale. Thus there are the four serial ages applicable to the solar system as a whole, smaller series of four ages applicable to any planet, etc.
In modern paleethnology, the iron age follows stone and bronze ages, in accordance with a supposed evolution in the use of materials for implements.

<history> In the history of computing, 1961-1971 - the formative era of commercial mainframe technology, when ferrite core memory dinosaurs ruled the earth. The Iron Age began, ironically enough, with the delivery of the first minicomputer (the PDP-1) and ended with the introduction of the first commercial microprocessor (the Intel 4004) in 1971.
See also Stone Age; compare elder days.
[Jargon File]
(2003-09-27)