"Iron Age"

The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Copper and Bronze Ages.

While meteoritic iron was used for millennia in many regions, the beginning of the Iron Age is defined by archaeological convention when the production of smelted iron (especially steel tools and weapons) replaces their bronze equivalents. In Anatolia and Southeast Europe, the Iron Age began c. 1300 BC. In the Ancient Near East, this transition occurred simultaneously with the Bronze Age collapse, during the 12th century BC (1200–1100 BC). 

The characteristic of an Iron Age culture is the mass production of tools and weapons made not just of found iron, but from smelted steel alloys with an added carbon content.[12] Only with the capability of the production of carbon steel does ferrous metallurgy result in tools or weapons that are harder and lighter than bronze.