Throw away everything you thought you knew about the Rise of Iron. This info will set you straight. The rise of iron, or the start of the Iron Age transformed humanity whenever and wherever it happened. People in Northern Europe began using iron tools and weapons around the 6th century. But the use of iron goes back as far as 1200BC in the near east, and even longer in a few other places. Before iron people only used bronze. Bronze, an alloy of copper and tin was way too soft to be really effective. A dude wielding an iron sword could pulverize an enemy equipped with bronze. [url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Frankish_arms.JPG]Here is a picture of early Northern European iron weapons[/url]. Back then, killing a Frankish (Northern European) warrior was probably better than getting an exotic drop. Remember, if you had Iron, you were boss. Iron Age peoople lived in sweet looking houses, [url=http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p02mmdww.jpg]like these[/url]. If you were a kid in the Iron Age, [url=http://www.ablogabouthistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Untitled-111-475x350.jpg]your parents would be bad ass[/url]. During this period, [url=https://britishmuseumblog.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/halltre_coins_544.jpg?w=544&h=408]coins looked pretty nice[/url] The Japanese forged swords [url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/26/Blacksmith_Munechika%2C_helped_by_a_fox_spirit%2C_forging_the_blade_Ko-Gitsune_Maru%2C_by_Ogata_Gekk%C5%8D.jpg/240px-Blacksmith_Munechika%2C_helped_by_a_fox_spirit%2C_forging_the_blade_Ko-Gitsune_Maru%2C_by_Ogata_Gekk%C5%8D.jpg]to the point of being religious about it[/url]. Read this: [quote]The forging of a Japanese blade typically took weeks or even months and was considered a sacred art. As with many complex endeavors, rather than a single craftsman, several artists were involved. There was a smith to forge the rough shape, often a second smith (apprentice) to fold the metal, a specialist polisher (called a togi) as well as the various artisans that made the koshirae (the various fittings used to decorate the finished blade and saya (sheath) including the tsuka (hilt), fuchi (collar), kashira (pommel), and tsuba (hand guard)). It is said that the sharpening and polishing process takes just as long as the forging of the blade itself.[/quote] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_sword I've only touched the tip of the iceberg on how important the Rise of Iron really was. Wherever Iron was used, people had a decisive technological and material edge. Without Iron, its hard to say where we would be today. The Iron Age did not happen at one specific time or place. Iron arose at different times and places across history. But as I said, those who had it were lords among their peers, they were Iron Lords.