← Explore on the interactive map

Beginning of China's Iron Age

Type Event Region China Time c. -600–-500

Around 600 BCE, iron artifacts began appearing in the Central Plains and were gradually used for tools and weapons, marking China's transition from t…

Timeline

  1. c. -600–-550Central Plains · Central PlainsArchaeological finds show that by the mid-Spring and Autumn period, artificially smelted iron artifacts had appeared in the Central Plains, such as iron swords and iron-bladed bronze yue axes unearthed from the Guo state tombs at Sanmenxia and the Zheng state site at Xinzhand, indicating that iron-smelting technology gradually took root in the Central Plains after spreading from West Asia via Xinjiang.
  2. c. -550–-500Central Plains · Central PlainsBy the late Spring and Autumn period, iron farm tools such as hoes, sickles, and spades gradually increased, and iron weapons began to replace some bronze weapons. Iron was cheaper and more durable than bronze, promoting agricultural reclamation and military expansion and providing material conditions for Warring States reforms and annexation wars.

Sources