Overview Life in the Bronze Age Bronze Age Civilisations Bronze
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Overview Life in the Bronze Age Bronze was made by heating the metals tin and Fact copper, and then mixing them together. They combined The Bronze Age Bronze is harder than Bronze to form liquid bronze, which could be poured and both of the materials that The Bronze Age is the name given to the moulded into different shapes. Bronze allowed for a it is made from. time period when bronze replaced stone greater range of tools and weapons. as the preferred material for making Bronze age ploughs were more efficient than the earlier Fact tools and weapons. This, along with other wooden ploughs, meaning that turning larger areas of Farming allowed for more developments, helped to influence big Agriculture soil was possible. Bronze axes were able to clear areas of people to live in area changes in the ways that people lived. forest more efficiently, meaning that larger areas could than could survive by now be utilised for architecture. hunter-gathering. The Bronze Age is the period of time Improved sailing skills and nautical understanding, Fact between the Stone Age and the Iron Age. along with better sailing equipment, meant that trade Water systems, such as the It is difficult to give an exact time period Trade could take place over long distances. Early tracks and Nile or Tigris, became for when the Bronze Age occurred, as it roads were able to support carts and wagons that were busy trade highways. bronze was discovered in different places drawn by animals, such as horses. at different times. However, most experts Trade in bronze and other goods meant that some Fact suggest that the Bronze Age started people in society became extremely wealthy and Burial arrangements, and around 3300BCE and ended in most Divided Society powerful. Over time, this led to a divided society, with what people were buried regions by 1200BCE. kings and priests at the top, farmers and traders in the with, were determined by middle, and lowly slaves at the bottom. the person’s wealth. A greater range of travel options (e.g. by chariot) and Fact weapons (e.g. armour) allowed for raids and warfare of Amongst the largest were Empire Building other settlements. In time, this led to empires being those in Egypt and the Bronze Age Civilisations built. Many had an overriding king or emperor. Indus Valley. Ancient Egypt Mesopotamia The Bronze Age in Britain spanned from around Fact 2500BCE until around 800BCE. One of the most Many historians believe The Ancient Egyptians are perhaps the Mesopotamia is the region in which the rivers common forms of Bronze Age housing in Britain was the that bronze was brought most well-known of the Bronze Age Tigris and Euphrates meet (mostly modern- Bronze Age roundhouse, which was built to a circular plan, and had to Britain by the ‘Beaker civilisations. They settled around the Nile River (now Egypt) day Iraq). Here, the Ancient Sumer civilisations lived – this Britain walls posts built of wood or stone filled with ‘wattle’ and People’ who travelled around 3100BCE right up until 332BCE. They built the was a number of city states which each had their own ‘daub.’ Spirituality grew in Britain at this time, with from Europe – so named pyramids that still exist today, and contributed a great deal patron god/goddess and a ruling priest king. The Sumerians giant monuments (such as Stonehenge and Avery) as they drank from bell- to the fields of medicine, maths, and farming. They were also were around from before the Bronze Age (5300BCE) but being erected around this time. shaped ‘beakers.’ amongst the first to record information, using hieroglyphics survived right up until 1940BCE. They are credited with People could now weave wool into cloth. There is Fact drawn on paper made out of papyrus. advancing writing, irrigation, laws and astronomy. Weaving evidence of looms from the era, and paintings from the Evidence of weaving is Mycenae Indus Valley time show people wearing more elaborate clothing. limited, as cloth perishes. Writing developed in many countries, meaning that Fact Mycenae was a Greek civilisation that was The Indus Valley or ‘Harappa’ civilisation important events and information and events could be Egyptian hieroglyphics Writing based around 75 miles south-west of was the largest Bronze age civilisation, recorded for the first time. This in turn led to the more used pictures to represent modern day Athens. Mycenae is known for dating from 3300BCE to 1700BCE. There is still a lot for us to structured establishment of laws. ideas in writing. having a large palace complex, its trade with other learn about these peoples, as they left behind few temples, As society developed from dispersed villages to larger, Fact civilisations and its pottery and jewellery. The period of palaces, or written works, and little evidence of their rulers collective empires, laws were established in order to There is some evidence of Law Greek history between 1600BCE and 1100BCE is called or priests. We can see that they were very advanced, with keep the peace. There is evidence of centralized capital punishment used Mycenaean because of the dominance of Mycenae. streets built on a grid pattern and an effective sewer system. governments overseeing the development of these laws. in some societies. Shang Dynasty Changes across society meant that there were now Fact The Shang Dynasty was the first Chines dynasty for which there is written Roles/ more refined jobs for different people to do. For Exceptionally skilled and archaeological evidence. It appeared towards the end of the Bronze Occupations example, some became skilled metal workers, whilst metal workers were Age, between 1600BCE and 1046BCE, before it was succeeded by the Zhou others would live their lives as tradespeople. celebrated in their society. Dynasty. It originally centred around the Yellow River in north-eastern During the Bronze Age, both men and women wore Fact China, however moved its capital several times over the years. The Dynasty tunics – now deliberately weaved into shapes to cover Primitive razors meant had a number of master craftsman, which had made it famous for its Clothing and their bodies. In many civilisations, people also began to that most Bronze age bronze and jade work – many beautiful artefacts have been recovered Fashion wear hats, scarves, and leather shoes. As with many men in the UK were clean from their tombs. They believed in a supreme god named Shang Di, and aspects of life, the clothes that a person wore depended shaven. Most men and also in an afterlife. Their society was broken up into different social classes. a great deal upon their background and wealth. women had long hair. Bronze Age Timeline 3800BCE – Bronze is 3500 BCE – The first 3300BCE – The 3300BCE – The Indus 2700BCE – The 2100BCE – The 1700BCE – The 1700BCE– The 1700BCE – Indus 1600BCE – The Around 1200BCE – Bronze discovered in the Ancient Egyptian cities Bronze Age begins in Valley Civilisation Sumerians begin Bronze Age begins Nordic Bronze Shang Dynasty Valley era Mycenaean era fades out as civilisations begin Middle East. appear. Sumer. begins. writing. in Britain. Age begins begins mysteriously ends. begins in Greece. using iron predominantly. .