ABSTRACT
The many industrial uses of bronze were to give way to the development of a new metal, iron, in about 1400 bc. Iron is now the cornerstone of man’s industrial existence, supplying a great range of his material needs. The early techniques for making wrought iron implements by the blacksmiths of the day were rather unusual. One school of sword-makers believed that the best sword blades had to be quenched by plunging them when red hot into the body of a Nubian slave. Iron smelting was firmly established in Greece by 1000 bc. Iron mines were operated by the Etruscans in both Tuscany and on the island of Elba. The Phoenicians had migrated from the Persian Gulf or Babylonia as early as 2750 bc and established thriving seaports along the coasts of Israel and Lebanon. Solomon’s ivory throne, the gold from Ophir, and the wealthy economy of Tyre, whose streets were said to be paved with gold, attracted foreign invaders.
