Bronze Age

The Bronze Age is an historical period defined by the proliferation of the use of bronze for weaponry, art and architecture, decoration, and tools. [1] It is also characterized in some areas by proto-writing, and in other early features of urbanization. [1] The Bronze Age is the second principal period of the three-age (Stone-Bronze-Iron Age) system, which was first proposed by Christian Jürgensen Thomsen for classifying and studying ancient societies. [1]

An ancient civilization is defined to be in the Bronze Age either by producing bronze via smelting copper with an alloy such as tin or arsenic, which makes it harder and more durable, at a ratio of about 9:1 copper-to-tin ratio (or 90% copper to 10% tin, if you prefer).

However, a society does not have to mine and smelt their own copper to be considered a Bronze Age society, because some regions quite simply lack metal to work with and have to rely on different natural resources then trade for their metals. An example of such a society is Mesopotamia (comprised of Sumer & Akkad in their early days into Babylonia & Assyria later on) for they possessed no great quantity of metals (or stone for that matter) and thus made great and ingenious use of mud, clay, reeds, and textiles woven from the fur of their herds who roam the great plains of the land between (and into to mountain steppes particularly to the east and northeast of the rivers). They did not possess metals, but traded for it and were able to make use of it in other ways.

Bronze is harder and more durable than other metals, thus Bronze Age civilizations had a technological advantage over lands and peoples who had not yet entered the Bronze Age. [1]

Copper-tin ores are rare, as there were no tin bronzes in Western Asia before the bronze trade began in the 2000’s BCE. Worldwide, the Bronze Age generally followed the Neolithic (/New-Stone) Age. Then the Chalolithic serves then as the transition from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age. In Europe, the Near East, and India, for example, we have a transition from Stone, to Bronze, to Iron Ages because in these regions the flow from one technology to another correlates with a chronological sequence of cultural and technological development. However, this is not necessarily the case.

In Africa, sub-Saharan Africa specifically, the peoples go right from the New Stone Age (Neolithic) into the Iron Age, skipping the Bronze Age completely, because, for one reason at least, they had an abundant access to Iron. [1]

Human-made tin requires some very specific set production techniques. Tin must be mined (mainly as tin ore cassiterite) and smelted separatly, then added to molten copper in order to make a bronze alloy. [1]

The Bronze Age was a time of extensive use of metals and of developing trade networks (see Ancient Tin Sources and Trade In Ancient Times). A 2013 report suggests that the earliest tin-allow bronze dates t the mid-5th millennium BCE in a site of the Vinča culture which is located in Pločnik, Serbia which is an archaeological site in the village of the same name. It is a 120 hectate settlement belonging to the Neolithic Vinca culture which existed at the site from about 5500 BCE until 4700 BCE (spanning ~800 years) until it was destroyed by fire. (Though this cutlture is not usually thought of as part of the Bronze Age and the dating of the tin foil found has been disputed.) 

Dates of the Bronze Age in various Locations

The Bronze Age did not happen in all places at the same time, as there are some locations who had to invent it, which they did at different times. Though on occaison the invention may have occurred independently though at roughly the same time, in different regions. The Bronze Age spans:

• Near East (c. 3300-1200 BC) :: The “Near East” is comprised of the lands of the Caucasus Mountains, Anatolia, Mesopotamia to the south, Elam to the southeast, Egypt, Levant, Sistan, Canaan.
• Indian Subcontinent (c.3300-1200 BCE) :: Including the Indus Valley Civilization
• Europe (c.3200 – 600 BCE) (c.3200-600 BCE) :: Aegean (Cycladic, Minoan, Mycenaean), Caucasus, Catacomb culture, Srubna culture, Beaker culture, Apennine culture, Tumulus culture, Unetice culture, Proto-Villanovan culture, Hallstat culture, Canegrate culture, Golasecca culture. (See Atlantic Bronze Age, Bronze Age Britain, Nordic Bronze Age)
• East Asia (c.2000-300 BC) :: Erlitou, Erligang, Gojoseon, Jomon, Majiayao, Mumun, Qijia, Siwa, Wucheng, Xindian, Yueshi
• The Americas
• Africa ::

The Diffusion of Metallurgy in Europe and Asia Minor. The darkest areas are the oldest. Created by Hamelin de Guettelet. Public Domain.

Cultural Developments Accompanying the Bronze

Some other topics that are of interest in this period is the development of writing and the first literature, the invention and use of the sword, as well as the use of the chariot. These occurred during the Bronze Age, though did not not necessarily occur in the Bronze Age of all cultures. Writing for example was first developed in Mesopotamia, at Uruk specifically they developed their cuneiform (wedge-shaped) writing system much closer to c.4000 BCE, then later on in Egypt with the development of their hieroglyphic (“stone-glyph”) script maybe c.3200 BCE. These are the earliest know viable, complex, and eventually developed scripts known in the world. The beginning of history, of recorded knowledge, and thus of scientific advancement. Moreover, this is about when the Bronze Age began.

However, it took longer for writing to reach other areas. Writing traveled more slowly to Greece. Through the use of Greek symbols it seems that the Greek writing systems was influenced by the Hebraw alphabet. (Or perhaps the other way round.) Though China appears to have possibly developed their script independently. [1]

From Bronze to Iron

The Bronze Age was then followed by the Iron Age.

Further Reading

1. “Bronze Age” | Wikipedia | Accessed March/2019