The first people to enter the Bronze Age may have been the Ancient Sumerians in the Middle East. Humans made many technological advances like the first writing systems and the invention of the wheel during the Bronze Age.
The Bronze Age lasted from roughly 3300 to 1200 B.C. in the Middle East and parts of Asia, ending abruptly with the near-simultaneous collapse of several prominent Bronze Age civilizations.
Around 6,000 B.C. in the Fertile Crescent which was a region often called “the cradle of civilization” is the place where humans may have started smelting copper. It was a historical area of the Middle East where agriculture and the world’s first cities emerged.
Bronze Age Tools:
The first civilization to start adding tin to copper to make bronze may have been the Ancient Sumer. Bronze became a better metal for tools and weapons as it was harder and more durable.
The transition from copper to bronze took place around 3300 B.C. as per some archaeological evidence. The prehistoric period known as the Stone Age which was dominated by the use of stone tools and weaponry was brought to an end with the invention of Bronze.
The Bronze Age entered at different human societies at different times. The British Isles and China entered the Bronze Age much later around 1900 B.C. and 1600 B.C., respectively while civilizations in Greece began working with bronze before 3000 B.C.
The rise of states or kingdoms with large-scale societies joined under a central government by a powerful ruler marked the rise of the Bronze Age. Through trade, warfare, migration and the spread of ideas the Bronze Age States interacted with each other.
Sumer and Babylonia in Mesopotamia and Athens in Ancient Greece were the prominent Bronze Age kingdoms. Around 1200 B.C. when humans began to forge an even stronger metal like iron saw the end of the Bronze Age.
Bronze Age Civilizations:
Sumer: Sumerians had established roughly a dozen city-states throughout ancient Mesopotamia by the fourth millennium BCE, which included Eridu and Uruk in what is now southern Iraq.
The Sag-giga or the “black-headed ones” was the name in which Sumerians called themselves. They were among the first users of bronze. The use of levees and canals for irrigation were also pioneered by them.
One of the earliest forms of writing, cuneiform script was invented by Sumerians. They also built large stepped pyramid temples called ziggurats.
Celebrating art and literature was a must for the Sumerians. “Epic of Gilgamesh” a 3,000 line poem which follows the adventures of a Sumerian king as he battles a forest monster and quests after the secrets of eternal life.
Babylonia: Around 1900 B.C. Babylonia rose to prominence in the Bronze Age in present-day Iraq. The city of Babylon which was its capital, was first occupied by people known as the Amorites.
One of the world’s earliest and most-complete written legal codes was created by the Amorite King Hammurabi. The Sumerian City of Ur got surpassed by Babylon as the region’s most powerful city with the help of the Code of Hammurabi.
Assyria: Assyria in ancient Mesopotamia was a major political and military power. At its peak, from modern-day Iraq in the east to Turkey in the west and Egypt in the south was the stretch of the Assyrian Empire.
The pharaohs of Ancient Egypt and the Hittite Empire of Turkey got frequently warred by the Assyrians.The ancient city of Assur situated on the west bank of the Tigris River in modern-day Iraq was the real reason for the name Assyria.
Bronze Age China:
In China, During the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 B.C) and Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 B.C.) Bronze Age civilizations centered around the Yellow River. While opposing the lost-wax method used in other Bronze Age cultures Chariots, weapons, and vessels were fashioned in bronze using piece-mold casting.
This meant a model of the desired object had to be made and covered in a clay mold. The clay mold would then be cut into sections that were re-fired to create a single mold.
Bronze Age Greece:
During the Bronze Age Greece became a major hub of activity on the Mediterranean. The Cycladic civilization started in Greece during the Bronze Age.
It was an early Bronze Age culture that arose around 3200 B.C. in the southeast of the Greek mainland on the Cyclades Islands in the Aegean Sea. The Minoan civilization emerged on the island of Crete a few hundred years later. The first advanced civilization in Europe were the Minoans.
The Minoans were traders who exported to nearby Egypt, Syria, Cyprus and the Greek mainland such things like timber, olive oil, wine and dye. Metals and other raw materials, including copper, tin, ivory and precious stones also got imported by them.
The Mycenaean civilization rose on the Greek mainland around 1600 B.C., and their Mycenae, Thebes, Sparta and Athens were the major Mycenaean power centres.
Mycenae is tied to many Greek myths. In Greek mythology, Perseus the Greek hero who beheaded Medusa founded the city of Mycenae.
During the Trojan War of Homer’s “Iliad,” the Mycenaean king Agamemnon invaded Troy though there are no historical records of a Mycenaean king of that name.
Bronze Age Collapse:
Around 1200 B.C. in the Middle East, North Africa and Mediterranean Europe the Bronze Age ended abruptly. Many historians believe the transition was sudden, violent and culturally disruptive though they are still not sure what caused the Bronze Age collapse.
Mycenaean Greece, the Hittite Empire in Turkey and Ancient Egypt were some major Bronze Age civilizations which fell within a short period of time. Trade routes were lost and literacy declined throughout the region as ancient cities were abandoned.
Several Bronze Age empires may got brought down due to some combination of natural catastrophes as suggested by some scholars.
Over a 150-year period from 1250 to 1100 B.C. in the eastern Mediterranean region there are many archaeological evidence which suggests a succession of severe droughts likely figured prominently in the collapse.
Such things like earthquakes, famine, sociopolitical unrest and invasion by nomadic tribes may also have played a role.
Written by: Gourav Chowdhury
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