Iron Age

The term Iron Age refers to the period in a civilisation's development at which time Iron working was the most sophisticated form of metalworking achieved.

In Britain, the Iron Age lasted from about 500 BC (although some believe it to have started significantly later, around 100 BC) to 400 AD. Defensive structures dating from this time are often impressive (for example, the brochs in Scotland). This is possibly because of greater tension between better structured groups, although there are suggestions that they were built simply to indicate wealth. Either way, during periods of Roman occupation the evidence suggests the defensive structures served their purpose well. Many were re-used by later cultures, such as the Picts, in the early Medieval period.