Knowra Bronze Age Bronze Age A period of human prehistory and early history marked by widespread use of bronze tools and weapons. Its dates and social forms varied substantially by region.
Bronze : An alloy made mainly of copper and tin, valued for its hardness and casting properties. Its production and use give the period its defining name.
Lost-wax casting : A metal-casting process in which a wax model is replaced by molten metal inside a mold. It enabled complex bronze objects that were difficult to make by simpler casting.
Chalcolithic : A transitional archaeological period in which copper use preceded or overlapped with bronze metallurgy. It describes developments immediately before bronze became widely used in some regions.
Minoan civilization : A Bronze Age civilization centered on Crete, known for palatial centers and maritime connections. Minoan Crete exemplifies the interconnected palace societies of the Aegean.
Iron Age : A period in which iron became a widely used material for tools and weapons after bronze traditions. It followed the Bronze Age in many regions, though transitions occurred at different times.
Copper smelting : The extraction of copper from ore by heating it under reducing conditions. Copper smelting supplied the metal base for many early bronze alloys.
Bronze Age trade : The exchange networks that moved metals, finished goods, and other commodities among Bronze Age communities. Copper and tin often traveled far from their sources before becoming tools or weapons.
Bronze Age in Anatolia : The regional Bronze Age in Anatolia, shaped by early states, metallurgy, and interregional exchange. Anatolia illustrates an early and influential regional trajectory into bronze use.
Mycenaean Greece : A Late Bronze Age civilization in mainland Greece characterized by fortified centers and palace administration. Mycenaean states show a distinct political form within the Aegean Bronze Age.
Urbanization : The growth of towns and cities as major centers of population and social activity. Bronze Age urban centers concentrated labor, administration, craft production, and exchange.
Show all 29