Which came first: iron, copper or bronze?
The Metal Ages began when people started to use metal instead of stone to make tools and weapons. This period of Prehistory began in the Iberian Peninsula around 2500 BC. There are three periods:
Copper was the first metal used to make tools and weapons. It is soft, so it was easy to shape.
People discovered they could make metal stronger by mixing copper with tin. This new metal alloy is bronze.
People learnt to use iron. It is much stronger than bronze and copper, and more abundant in nature.
How did life change?
There were farmers, artisans, metalworkers, merchants and warriors. Metalworkers heated metal at very high temperatures and hit it with a hammer to shape it.
With the wheel, goods could be transported more easily. Potters began to use the potter's wheel.
People travelled further to find new metals, so new trade routes were created.
Gold and silver were used to make jewellery and, later, coins.