Three Age Theory
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Three Age Theory
The Three Age Theory was developed in 1816 by Christian Thomson, the newly appointed curator of the Danish National Museum of Antiquities. Alternatively called the Three Age System, the Three Age Theory was a system that sought to organize ancient artifacts. Artifacts were divided into three groups; those made of stone, those made of bronze, and those made of steel. Thomsen deduced that humans first had stone technology, then made bronze tools, and finally created iron tools. All civilizations followed this pattern. He called these times the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age. His theory was the first scientifically based theory of cultural evolution. According to the theory of Superposition, lower is older, so the stone tools found below the bronze tools, which in turn were followed by the iron tools were the oldest.
The Stone Age
The Stone Age is the first period of development in which a civilization develops and uses tools made out of stone. Tools can be arrowheads and are made of mostly chert or flint. An example of a stone age culture is the 19th century Native Americans.
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is the second period of development in which a civilization is able to cast bronze to make tools. An example of a bronze age culture is the Minoans, a civilization of ancient Crete. Thesee speakers of Linear A were a major cvilization from approxemately c.1900- 1300 B.C.E.
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the third period of development in which a civilizations able to cast iron to make tools. An example of an iron age culture is the 19th century Europeans.
Conflict Between Civilizations of Different Ages
Conflict can arise when a civilization in one age interacts with a civilization in a more advanced age. Usually, when these two civilizations meet, the civilization in the more advanced age is victorious. For example, the Native Americans were still in their Stone Age when the Europeans, an Iron Age civilization, reached the shores of America. Because of the Europeans were part of the advanced Iron Age, they had better tools and were more powerful than the Native Americans. The Europeans wanted to influence the Native Americans with their Iron Age culture, however the Native Americans' lifestyle did not require Iron Age tools. A more advanced civilization does not connote superiority, it merely connotes an advanced age.
Sources
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Beniretto, Rosie, and Clay Elliot. "Archeology." Manual for Cultural Foundations of Ancient Civilizations. Houston: St. John's School, 2011-2012. 1-15. Print.
Gill, N.S. "Minoans - Bronze Age Minoan Civilization of Ancient Crete." About. About, n.d. Web. 5 Sept. 2011. <http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/greekarchaeology/g/Minoan.htm>.
