Till about 1500 BC, iron was not a popular metal. Why was this so though iron was abundant on Earth? This was because of the difficulty in extracting iron, though the Hittites in West Asia did learn how to use it.
The Hittites kept the secret of making iron for about 400 years! They found out that iron weapons were better than bronze ones and that is why they decided not to tell anybody else how to make iron. The secret of making iron came to India with the Aryans. The Aryans invaded India around 1500 BC. People who lived in China learned how to make iron by around 700 or 600 BC. By about 300 AD, people in West Africa and East Africa too had learned the secrets of making iron.
Some people treasured iron more than gold as it was a rarity. Iron jewellery was worn by only the wealthiest people, and in ancient Rome, even wedding rings were made of iron! Though iron gradually became more easily available and cheaper, some tribes still considered it precious.
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