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• Iron Age
  Iron Age

  noun

  the period in the history of humankind, following the Stone Age and the Bronze Age, marked by the use of implements and weapons made of iron.
• iron age
  iron age

  noun

  classical myth the last and worst age in the history of the world

Iron Age

American  

noun

1. the period in the history of humankind, following the Stone Age and the Bronze Age, marked by the use of implements and weapons made of iron.

2. (lowercase) the present age, following the bronze age; the last and worst of the four ages of the human race, characterized by danger, corruption, and toil.

3. (lowercase) any age or period of degeneracy or wickedness.

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Iron Age ¹ British  

noun

1. 1. the period following the Bronze Age characterized by the extremely rapid spread of iron tools and weapons, which began in the Middle East about 1100 _bc

   2. ( as modifier )

      an Iron-Age weapon

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iron age ² British  

noun

1. classical myth the last and worst age in the history of the world

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Iron Age Scientific  

1. The period in cultural development succeeding the Bronze Age in Asia, Europe, and Africa, characterized by the introduction of iron metallurgy. In southeastern Europe and the Middle East the beginning of the Iron Age is generally dated to around 1200 bce, with later dates for other parts of Europe and the other continents. Although not as hard or durable as bronze, iron is a more abundant resource, and the Iron Age saw a rapid expansion of metalworking wherever the technology was introduced.

2. See Note at Three Age system

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Iron Age Cultural  

1. The period of history, succeeding the Bronze Age, when people first learned to extract iron from ore and use it to forge tools, weapons, and other objects. The first organized production of iron objects developed in southwestern Asia shortly after 2000 b.c.

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Etymology

Origin of Iron Age

First recorded in 1585–95

Compare meaning

How does iron-age compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Bronze Age vs. Iron Age

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Iron Age iron age

He speaks and reads Latin, the language of the Roman Empire, though perhaps he addresses his tenants in Brittonic, the Celtic tongue of the British Iron Age.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

Once the capital of the Iron Age kingdom of Lydia, Sardis occupied a strategic location between the Mediterranean and the Anatolian plateau.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 25, 2026

The Harvard Art Museums offer a comprehensive survey of the Celtic aesthetic—full of sinuous and sophisticated abstract forms—from the Iron Age into the Middle Ages and beyond.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026

Archaeologists have been stunned to discover two of the rarest Iron Age objects in the same excavation.

From BBC ● Jan. 7, 2026

In East Africa they still had to compete against numerous Nilo-Saharan and Afroasiatic Iron Age farmers.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Earlier this year, York city centre, Birkenhead Park and an iron age settlement in Shetland were put forward by the government to join the prestigious list.

From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2023

A pair of precious silver Roman cups from Denmark’s Nationalmuseet – unusual survivals, found in an iron age chieftain’s grave – are decorated with Trojan war scenes.

From The Guardian ● Nov. 13, 2019

Dun Carloway is one of the best-preserved iron age brochs in Scotland.

From The Guardian ● Jun. 28, 2017

He was fascinated by iron age corpses preserved in peat, and by the job of cutting turf: Arduous, routine but satisfying.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2013

Ah! none but in this iron age would do it.

From Dramatic Technique by Baker, George Pierce