| 1. | the period in the history of humankind, following the Stone Age and the Bronze Age, marked by the use of implements and weapons made of iron. |
| 2. | (lowercase ) Classical Mythology. the present age, following the bronze age; the last and worst of the four ages of the human race, characterized by danger, corruption, and toil. |
| 3. | (lowercase) any age or period of degeneracy or wickedness. |
I·ron Age  (ī'ərn)  n. The period in cultural development succeeding the Bronze Age in Asia, Europe, and Africa, characterized by the introduction of iron metallurgy. In Europe it began around the eighth century B.C. See Usage Note at Three Age system. |
The period of history, succeeding the Bronze Age, when people first learned to extract iron from ore and use it to forge tools, weapons, and other objects. The first organized production of iron objects developed in southwestern Asia shortly after 2000 b.c.
| Iron Age
The period in cultural development succeeding the Bronze Age in Asia, Europe, and Africa, characterized by the introduction of iron metallurgy. In southeastern Europe and the Middle East the beginning of the Iron Age is generally dated to around 1200 BCE, with later dates for other parts of Europe and the other continents. Although not as hard or durable as bronze, iron is a more abundant resource, and the Iron Age saw a rapid expansion of metalworking wherever the technology was introduced. See Note at Three Age system. |
Iron Age history
In the history of computing, 1961-1971 - the formative era of commercial mainframe technology, when ferrite core memory dinosaurs ruled the earth. The Iron Age began, ironically enough, with the delivery of the first minicomputer (the PDP-1) and ended with the introduction of the first commercial microprocessor (the Intel 4004) in 1971.
See also Stone Age; compare elder days.
[The Jargon File]
(2003-09-27)