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| The growth of ironworking in Greece began during the 11th century BC. Iron
was not unknown in previous periods but was considered a luxury item and was
used exclusively in the manufacture of ornaments and jewellery, whereas the need
for weapons and tools was covered by the use of bronze. The utilization of iron
as a precious metal was not, of course, a result of its natural qualities or the
shortage of reserves, but the fact that the technique of its working, which
included special knowledge beyond the scope of the bronzesmiths, had been preserved
as a carefully kept secret by certain blacksmiths of the Hittite empire. |
 In
the Aegean, the knowledge of ironworking had been imported from the East, with Cyprus
being an intermediary station, after the collapse of the Hittite empire
at the beginning of the 12th century BC. The conclusions of recent archaeological research
in Cyprus show that during the 12th and 11th centuries BC there were
considerable developments in iron metallurgy on the island. Around the middle of the 11th century BC,
Cyprus had been the first place in the Mediterranean where iron prevailed over
bronze as a metal in the manufacture of weapons and tools. These changes required the
development of a complex technology and also the need to ensure a regular supply of
the metal. Cyprus had abundant copper sources and some of its ores
were rich in iron. It is likely that through the working of the by-products
of copper, the iron industry started in Cyprus. If this conjecture is correct, then it explains
why, in Cyprus, the transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age was relatively
smooth. |
 The
transference of the technique, as well as the capacity to recognize iron reserves
in Greece took place at the end of the early Dark Age. Initially it was limited to Crete,
the Argolid, Athens and Lefkandi on Euboea -areas where the existence of iron workshops has been
testified to during this period. The manufacture of iron objects was gradually extended, and towards
the end of the 10th century BC all Greek areas had progressed to the stage of iron metallurgy. |
| The transition from the use of bronze to that of iron was probably due to the
shortage of tin and, to a certain extent, copper, the two raw materials
indispensable for the production of bronze. Trade routes, through which
tin reached Greece and the Middle East from remote sources,
had been interrupted after the disturbances which had prevailed in the eastern Mediterranean
from the beginning of the 12th century BC. Iron ores, on the contrary,
were in abundance in Greece and several parts of the Middle East. Since the
technology already existed, it is reasonable to assume that iron must have been used
as soon as the need arose. This conjecture could explain the speed with which
ironworking spread, under the pressure of circumstances. Finally, iron replaced
bronze in many uses, especially in the manufacture of farming tools and weapons.
The lower cost of iron tools resulted in more people having access to this
new material. |