Iron

Archeologists believe that iron was discovered by the Hittites of ancient Egypt somewhere between 5000 and 3000 BCE. During this time, they hammered or pounded the metal to create tools and weapons. They found and extracted it from meteorites and used the ore to make spearheads, tools and other trinkets. Between 2000 BCE and 1200 BCE, the Hittites developed a process for smelting the iron – heating its ore to purify it – expanding its usability. For centuries, the production of iron remained a closely-held secret of the Hittite people until roughly 1000 BCE when Chinese metallurgists discovered the superiority and workability of iron.

Iron casting takes root in China

Some of the earliest examples of iron casting in ancient China are the four statues that stand outside of the Zhongyue Temple in Dengfeng. These statues were cast in approximately 1024 BCE. Before this, Chinese metallurgists worked with bronze and copper to create cast components, which were largely used in the country’s agricultural industry. It was revolutionized when the iron plow was invented. It made turning over the soil much easier for farmers.

One of the biggest impacts that China had on the evolution of iron casting occurred in 645 BCE when Chinese metallurgists began using sand molding. In this process, sand is tightly packed around an object, creating a mold. Then molten metal is poured into the mold to create a metal casting. The advantage of this process is the large variety of shapes and sizes that can be easily molded. The disadvantages are the unavoidability of defects and the fact that this process is quite labor intensive. This is the earliest known use of this process and represents China’s significant contribution to the history of iron casting.

Ancient people discovered iron between 5000 and 3000 BCE. They found it in meteorites and used it to make tools and weapons. The earliest known iron artifact is a bead found in an Egyptian tomb and dated to 3200 BC. 

The ancient "bloomery" method was used to convert iron ore into wrought iron. In this method, the ore was heated while impurities were melted and squeezed out with hammers. 

The ore was heated with charcoal, which acted as both a fuel and a reducing agent. 

The carbon monoxide produced by the charcoal reduced the iron oxide in the ore to metallic iron. 

The bloomery method was used in India, Anatolia, and the Caucasus in the 12th century BC. The use of iron for tools appeared in Sub-Saharan Africa by 1200 BC. The use of cast iron was known in the 1st millennium BC. 

Iron tools began to appear around 3,000 years ago and gradually replaced softer copper and bronze tools.