Iron was likely discovered by the Hittites of ancient Egypt between 3000 and 5000 BCE. They initially worked iron hammered from meteorites and later developed smelting techniques to extract iron from ore around 2000 to 1200 BCE. This discovery led to the use of iron in tools and weapons and eventually the Iron Age starting roughly between 1200 and 600 BCE. The Hittites were among the first to master ironworking, and later, ancient China also became known for iron casting around 645 BCE to 1000 BCE.
Thus, the Hittites are commonly credited with the early discovery and use of iron.
