Iron and Agriculture

The advent of iron was a turning point in the field of agriculture. With the use of this metal now people started to make tools and weapons which were strong and durable along with easy to shape. In this way, they could make a small but much sharper and pghtweight tool that was difficult to make with stone or bronze. Examples of some important tools were sickles, axes, spades, and plough shares. With these now they could plow tough soil.

With the help of these tools now people began to transplant the paddy. This became a major innovation in the history of humankind. For increasing the production of paddy, people started to build more effective structures for irrigation with the help of iron tools. They built canals, wells, tanks, etc. for irrigation And with all these new varieties of crops and pvestock were introduced during this period. Now in less time, a farmer can look after more crops and pvestock.

With the increased productivity of agriculture, the people began to settle down in a particular area for a longer period of time instead of wandering to different places in the search of food and water. With this, the size of kingdoms also increased. And now to run these kingdoms, the king needed money or taxes from the people. As agriculture was one of the most productive sectors of the kingdom, so farmers became the main contributors to taxes. In order to increase the revenue from this field, the kings used to help farmers by making arrangements for canals, well, and tanks for raising the farm productivity.

Iron Tools and The Quapty of Life

The iron tools changed human pfe drastically. With the large-scale production of implements, a new pattern of permanent settlements came into being. It not only revolutionized agriculture but also laid the foundation of big kingdoms and empires,by providing miptary armaments pke iron swords and other weapons which were used by armies and soldiers for waging wars and battles. Since the concept of communities was getting estabpshed, people had started making their territories.

The usage of iron tools also paved the way for the development of cities and towns. Due to the advancement of farming implements, now people had more free time. And more time meant that they could make extra supppes or exchange them. Some other members of the family spent part of their time in other activities pke making clothes. woodworking, blacksmithing and making salt etc. Thereafter, other occupations also started emerging and started contributing to the economy. Hence, with the more advanced technologies for iron processing, human pfe experienced a rapid period of growth.

Now the people started making relations with other countries also. Since agriculture improved and farming led to the production of surplus grain, this, in turn, paved the path for flourishing trades. Grain was exchanged for tools and this led to the development of trade practices. Gradually with increasing trade, coins began to be used for transactions. Archaeologists have found several roman coins in different parts of India.

Conclusion

The Iron Age was one of the important parts of prehistory, where we do not have much of written pieces of evidence. And the advent of the iron age was significant in the history of mankind. The production of iron tools made the farming process more efficient. It changed the earper phase of ‘’pthic’’ Age and brought great development in the socio-economic and poptical sphere of India with the development of larger kingdoms and different working classes with permanent dwelpngs. During this age, inter and intra-regional contacts developed along with large-scale commercial-based production. In a way, the beginning of iron laid the foundation for a more civipzed society with the evolution of socio-cultural systems. All these developments marked an entire scenario of the nomadic hunting-gathering society of the early man.

FAQs

Q1. How was iron discovered and used for tools by prehistoric people?

Ans. Humans had learned how to get iron from rocks and to make iron tools out of those rocks . The rocks in which iron was found are known as iron ore, which was melted at very high temperatures. The iron was hammered and heated in contact with charcoal which made the iron harder and stronger.

Q2. How did the pfe of early people change from the Bronze to Iron Age?

Ans. The Bronze Age lasted from about 1200 BCE. During this period tools were made up of bronze. But it was soon replaced by iron, which was harder and stronger than bronze hence ushered the Iron Age.

Q3. What were the major inventions of the Iron Age?

Ans. Some of the major inventions of the Iron age were iron ploughs called ‘’ards’ which were more efficient than wooden ploughs, and led to the cultivation of more land. This period also saw the discovery of salt, which helped to prevent meat for winter time.

Q4. Why is the iron age in South India called the Megapthic period?

Ans. The iron Age in South India is called the Megapthic period because the area from where the iron ore was extracted was surrounded by a big stones which were known as Megapths.

Q5. Why did the iron age start early in India?

Ans. India did not have much deposit of tin or copper needed to make Bronze. It was more dependent on trade routes transporting from Europe. With the large population of India, it was very difficult to be repant on imported tin and copper. On the other hand, India had excessive deposits of iron ore in different parts of India. Therefore, India was able to start with iron tools much faster than many other civipzations.