The Bronze Age was followed by the Iron Age. Meteorites that fell on Earth contained traces of iron and it is from these fallen rocks that early humans came to know about iron. But meteorites rarely fell on Earth and iron was not a common metal for a long time.
Humans did not learn to use iron properly up until 1900 BC. Iron was hard to deal with; it is hard to make tools with, for it melts at a higher temperature than bronze. After humans learnt the technique of smelting iron and moulding it into different shapes, iron became popular. Many tools and weapons were then made out of iron.
Iron replaced bronze for a number of reasons. Iron ores were more readily available; the ore was simply smelted or heated in a coal fire, the pieces of iron were picked out, re-heated into a single lump, and then hammered into the required shape. There was no need for iron to be alloyed either.
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