Revising the issue of the transitionfrom the bronze age to the iron age(the technological aspect)

The discussion of the reasons explaining the transition from the Bronze Ageto the Iron Age is still going on. Current data suggest that development of iron metallurgy(i. e. smelting iron from ore) was a key factor in the victory of the new metal. Analyticaldata demonstrate that metallurgical production of iron began in the second half of 3rd mill.BC. An explosive increase in the number of iron artifacts at the end of 2nd mill. BCoccurred because smiths learnt to smelt iron. It is confirmed by the discovery of crediblemetallurgical production centers in the Mediterranean Region and the Pontic Region.Not later than the 12th-11th centuries BC smiths discovered the most important propertiesof the ferrous metal, which is its ability to improve mechanical properties through suchadditional operations as carburization and heat treatment.