The Elements of Iron

321 Words2 Pages
The element iron is one of the oldest metals and its use can be traced back to ancient times. The first remnants of the element iron used by humans most likely came from meteorites.The element iron is easily the most commonly used metal on the planet due to the fact that most of the metal alloys are made from iron. These uses can be dated back almost 7000 years ago. The element iron has a long and important history. Traces of iron are evident in ancient civilizations such as the Mesopotamians, Early Egyptians, and Assyrians. There is evidence of the smelting of iron as early as 5000 BC. Because there were no means to utilizing this metal, it was considered an extremely rare and ceremonial metal. According to ancient Assyrian writings the element iron was considered extraordinarily rarer than gold itself .Because the only known source of iron came from meteorites in that time, the element was given many nicknames. Since this was before the Iron Age we can conclude that the element was thought to be on a limited supply, as opposed to the huge abundance found inside of the Earth itself. We can also conclude that many of the advancements in producing the iron and improving it through the addition of carbon were merely accidents. As time progressed, the incorporation of carbon into iron (producing steel) was becoming widely used throughout. This was extremely important and marks a huge milestone in the advancement of the human race. The production of steel led to many technological advancements including in the construction of cities. The Roman era was a great example of the widespread use of steel in construction, as described by Pliny the Elder. “It is by the aid of iron that we construct houses, cleave rocks, and perform so many other useful offices in life.” The uses of iron are immensely used in today’s world, the manufacturing
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