Material · metal
Iron
Europe — Western & Central, Europe — Northern & British Isles, Europe — Mediterranean, Central Asia & Steppe
Iron came into use for tools and weapons in the Near East after 1,200 BCE and across Europe from about 800 BCE, giving its name to the Iron Age; Roman, Viking and medieval iron objects include swords, axes, spearheads, knives, keys and nails. Iron corrodes badly and survives less well than bronze. Conservation is required for most finds.
| Kind | metal |
|---|---|
| Regions | Europe — Western & Central, Europe — Northern & British Isles, Europe — Mediterranean, Central Asia & Steppe |
Sources
Iron ores occur almost everywhere; notable ancient sources include Noricum in Austria, Elba, the Weald of England, the Forest of Dean, Lorraine and Sweden. Smelting was carried out in small bloomery furnaces near the ore and the fuel.
Identification
Ancient wrought iron is laminated, corrodes in layers of orange and black oxide that expand and split, and often preserves wood and textile in its corrosion products; modern steel corrodes evenly and smoothly. X-rays reveal inlay and structure.
Substitutes and fakes
Iron weapons are the most faked medieval and Viking category, both as modern forgings and as relabelled later objects; genuine corrosion is deep and laminated, while modern surfaces are even black or rust. Radiography helps.
Elsewhere
- Wikidata: Q677
- Wikipedia: iron
Cite this article
Stratum Study. "Iron" (Material). Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/study/materials/iron. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-iron,
title = {Iron},
author = {{Stratum Study}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/study/materials/iron}},
year = {2026},
note = {Material article, Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum, wikidata. Accessed 2026-09-21.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.