Prehistory

Bronze Age
A new metal catapults humanity out of the stone age

The Bronze Age is a massive milestone in human history. Named after the development of bronze, a strong and useful fusion of tin and copper, the Bronze Age launched prehistoric cultures into an era of rapid technological development. Bronze crafting led to more durable tools that improved agriculture and sophisticated bladed weapons making warfare more savage. In many cultures the Bronze Age corresponded with the invention of the wheel and the ox-drawn plow, leading to increased trade and migration that spread these new inventions across continents.

Bronze was developed in the Mesopotamian Sumerian civilization around 3300 BCE, with near simultaneous invention by cultures in the Indus Valley, regions that today are part of Afghanistan, Pakistan and northwest India. From here, bronze spread to the Aegean world, Egypt, Turkey, and throughout Western Asia. The Majiayao culture in China developed bronze between 3100 and 2700 BCE, and the Dong Son culture of Vietnam began creating bronze drums in 2100 BCE. By 1300 BCE, bronze had spread through much of Europe and Great Britain. Bronze appeared in sub-Saharan Africa around 900 BCE and finally in the Americas between sometime after 100 CE.

Reed Enger, "Bronze Age, A new metal catapults humanity out of the stone age," in Obelisk Art History, Published August 01, 2018; last modified November 08, 2022, http://www.arthistoryproject.com/timeline/prehistory/bronze-age/.

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Bactrian Princess, Bronze Age

Bactrian Princess 2500BCE

Nebra Sky Disk, Bronze Age

Nebra Sky Disk 1600BCE

Golden Hat of Schifferstadt, Bronze Age

Golden Hat of Schifferstadt 1400 – 1300BCE

Avanton Gold Cone, Bronze Age

Avanton Gold Cone 1000 – 900BCE

Harness Trapping in the Shape of a Horse, Bronze Age

Harness Trapping in the Shape of a Horse 900BCE

Berlin Gold Hat, Bronze Age

Berlin Gold Hat 1000 – 800BCE

Bronze Basin, Bronze Age

Bronze Basin 700BCE

Next Movement
Aegean Civilizations, Ancient World

Aegean Civilizations

The lost faces of the ancient world

3000 – 1200BCE

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