Final answer:
The Iron Age introduced iron smelting, transforming agriculture and society by providing durable tools and weapons that outperformed those made of bronze.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Iron Age invention of iron smelting and metallurgy significantly transformed the way work was completed prior to its advent. Previously, during the Bronze Age, tools were made primarily from bronze—an alloy of copper and tin—which required consistent trade routes to obtain the necessary raw materials. However, with the collapse of these trade networks, societies needed an alternative material. Fortunately, iron ore was widely available and, through innovation in forging techniques, early civilizations were able to develop iron tools and weapons. These iron implements eclipsed bronze in both availability and durability.
In Africa, ironworking had a profound impact on various aspects of life, including agriculture and society at large. Tools like shovels and furrow-diggers made large-scale farming feasible, while axes and knives helped communities clear paths through dense forests, facilitating settlement and the opening of trade routes. Iron technology advanced slowly due to its difficulty to work, but when perfected, it far surpassed the strength of bronze.
Comparable to the Iron Age in terms of impact on human societies was the Industrial Revolution, where innovations such as the steam engine drastically reduced the amount of labor required for tasks that previously took months. This revolution shifted work from being predominantly manual and animal-powered to machine-driven, paving the way for modern industry.