Iron and the Iron Age: The Introduction of Iron in Europe and Western Asia

Iron and the Iron Age presents a comprehensive account of the adoption of ironworking in Europe and Western Asia. The study is mainly based on archaeological evidence, but the early introduction of iron in the Near East also takes account of the written sources. After the fundamental innovation of iron production by smelting iron ores, iron use spread at an ever-increasing rate between the 12th and 9th centuries BC - eventually reaching a vast area between the Atlantic coast in the west and...