During medieval times. Is there some good websites describing smelting and extracting ore historically?
The making of iron is just unbelievably difficult - consequently it was an extremely valuable metal. The first act of genius came probably in the Middle East when the tin ran out for the Bronze Age they needed an alternative metal. Iron was known because it arrived here in meteors. In fact, one can imagine meteoric iron being beaten into sacred swords - and stories starting about how they had arrived from Heaven. But the real genius was recognizing that iron ore had iron in it It doesn't look like iron. First this has to be located - dug up - transported to some place where there's fuel. It's piled up, often with charcoal - and then a sort of furnace is built around it. This furnace is then fired, and air is blown into it from blow pipes or bellows for hours. Then the furnace is broken open and out comes a bloom - this is a ball of iron slag. And when the iron slag is broken up with hammers, there's tiny bits of pure iron. These are just beebees - and some blacksmith then has to beat them together into a tool. This is called wrought - or worked. Wrought iron is worked for endless hours at the forge reheating it and beating it into different shapes. Somehow early man invented all this.The Hittites were famous for their iron - and poor little King Tut was buried with an iron knife - a gift from the Hittites. This metal was the atomic bomb of the age. It was a terribly valuable metal somewhat harder than bronze. Unfortunately the Egyptian museum has never allowed testing of King Tut's iron knife to see it's purity - but it was the best the times offered and has come through without being rusty. the really neat iron tradition was in China. that was poured iron or cast and that's a whole other story.
