Itmaybementionedinpassing，thatwhileZincisfusibleat3degreesofWedgwood’spyrometer，Silverat22degrees，Copperat27degrees，andGoldat32degrees，CastIronisonlyfusibleat130degrees。TinoneoftheconstituentsoftheancientbronzeandLeadarefusibleatmuchlowerdegreesthanzinc。
Butitisprincipallyincombinationwithotherelementsthatironissovaluablewhencomparedwithothermetals。Thus，whencombinedwithcarbon，invaryingproportions，substancesareproduced，sodifferent，buteachsovaluable，thattheymightalmostberegardedinthelightofdistinctmetals，——such，forexample，ascast-iron，andcastandbarsteel；thevariousqualitiesofironenablingittobeusedforpurposessooppositeasasteelpenandarailroad，theneedleofamariner’scompassandanArmstronggun，asurgeon’slancetandasteamengine，themainspringofawatchandanironship，apairofscissorsandaNasmythhammer，alady’searringsandatubularbridge。
Thevarietyofpurposestowhichironisthuscapableofbeingapplied，rendersitofmoreusetomankindthanalltheothermetalscombined。Unlikeiron，goldisfoundpure，andinanalmostworkablestate；andatanerlyperiodinhistory，itseemstohavebeenmuchmoreplentifulthanironorsteel。Butgoldwasunsuitedforthepurposesoftools，andwouldserveforneitherasaw，achisel，anaxe，norasword；whilsttemperedsteelcouldanswerallthesepurposes。Hencewefindtheearlywarlikenationsmakingthebacksoftheirswordsofgoldorcopper，andeconomizingtheirsteeltoformthecuttingedge。ThisisillustratedbymanyancientScandinavianweaponsinthemuseumatCopenhagen，whichindicatethegreatestparsimonyintheuseofsteelataperiodwhenbothgoldandcopperappeartohavebeencomparativelyabundant。
Theknowledgeofsmeltingandworkinginiron，likemostotherarts，camefromtheEast。Ironwasespeciallyvaluedforpurposesofwar，ofwhichindeeditwasregardedasthesymbol，beingcalled”Mars”bytheRomans。*
[footnote……
TheRomansnamedtheothermetalsafterthegods。ThusQuicksilverwascalledMercury，LeadSaturn，TinJupiter，CopperVenus，SilverLuna，andsoon；andourownlanguagehasreceivedacolouringfromtheRomannomenclature，whichitcontinuestoretain。
WefindfrequentmentionofitintheBible。OneoftheearliestnoticesofthemetalisinconnexionwiththeconquestofJudeabythePhilistines。TocompletethesubjectionoftheIsraelites，theirconquerorsmadecaptiveallthesmithsoftheland，andcarriedthemaway。ThePhilistinesfeltthattheirholdofthecountrywasinsecuresolongastheinhabitantspossessedthemeansofforgingweapons。Hence”therewasnosmithfoundthroughoutallthelandofIsrael；forthePhilistinessaid，LesttheHebrewsmakethemswordsorspears。ButtheIsraeliteswentdowntothePhilistines，tosharpeneverymanhisshare，andhiscoulter，andhisaxe，andhismattock。”*
[footnote……
I。Samuelxiii。19，20。
Atalaterperiod，whenJerusalemwastakenbytheBabylonians，oneoftheirfirstactswastocarrythesmithsandothercraftsmencaptivestoBabylon。*
[footnote……
II。Kingsxxiv。16。
Deprivedoftheirarmourers，theJewswererenderedcomparativelypowerless。
Itwastheknowledgeoftheartofiron-forgingwhichlaidthefoundationoftheoncegreatempireoftheTurks。GibbonrelatesthatthesepeoplewereoriginallythedespisedslavesofthepowerfulKhanoftheGeougen。Theyoccupiedcertaindistrictsofthemountain-ridgeinthecentreofAsia，calledImaus，Caf，andAltai，whichyieldedironinlargequantities。ThismetaltheTurkswereemployedbytheKhantoforgeforhisuseinwar。Aboldleaderaroseamongthem，whopersuadedtheironworkersthatthearmswhichtheyforgedfortheirmastersmightintheirownhandsbecometheinstrumentsoffreedom。
Sallyingforthfromtheirmountains，theysetuptheirstandard，andtheirweaponssoonfreedthem。Forcenturiesafter，theTurkishnationcontinuedtocelebratetheeventoftheirliberationbyanannualceremony，inwhichapieceofironwasheatedinthefire，andasmith’shammerwassuccessivelyhandledbytheprinceandhisnobles。
Wecanonlyconjecturehowtheartofsmeltingironwasdiscovered。
Whofirstappliedfiretotheore，andmadeitplastic；whodiscoveredfireitself，anditsusesinmetallurgy?Noonecantell。
TraditionsaysthatthemetalwasdiscoveredthroughtheaccidentalburningofawoodinGreece。Mr。Mushetthinksitmoreprobablethatthediscoverywasmadeontheconversionofwoodintocharcoalforculinaryorchamberpurposes。”Ifamassofore，”hesays，”accidentallydroppedintothemiddleoftheburningpileduringaperiodofneglect，orduringtheexistenceofathoroughdraught，amixedmass，partlyearthyandpartlymetallic，wouldbeobtained，possessingductilityandextensionunderpressure。Butiftheconjectureispushedstillfurther，andwesupposethattheorewasnotanoxide，butrichiniron，magneticorspicular，theresultwouldinallprobabilitybeamassofperfectlymalleableiron。I
haveseenthisfactillustratedintheroastingofaspeciesofiron-stone，whichwasunitedwithaconsiderablemassofbituminousmatter。Afterahightemperaturehadbeenexcitedintheinteriorofthepile，platesofmalleableironofatoughandflexiblenaturewereformed，andundercircumstanceswheretherewasnofuelbutthatfurnishedbytheoreitself。”*
[footnote……
PapersonIronandSteel，363-4。
Themetaloncediscovered，manyattemptswouldbemadetogivetothatwhichhadbeentheeffectofaccidentamoreunerringresult。
Thesmeltingoforeinanopenheapofwoodorcharcoalbeingfoundtediousandwasteful，aswellasuncertain，wouldnaturallyleadtotheinventionofafurnace；withtheobjectofkeepingtheoresurroundedasmuchaspossiblewithfuelwhiletheprocessofconversionintoironwasgoingforward。ThelowconicalfurnacesemployedatthisdaybysomeofthetribesofCentralandSouthernAfrica，areperhapsverymuchthesameincharacterasthoseadoptedbytheearlytribesofallcountrieswhereironwasfirstmade。Smallopeningsatthelowerendoftheconetoadmittheair，andalargerorificeatthetop，would，withcharcoal，besufficienttoproducetherequisitedegreeofheatforthereductionoftheore。Tothisthefoot-blastwasadded，asstillusedinCeylonandinIndia；andafterwardsthewater-blast，asemployedinSpainwhereitisknownastheCatalanforge，alongthecoastsoftheMediterranean，andinsomepartsofAmerica。
Itisworthyofremark，thattheruderthemethodemployedforthereductionoftheore，thebetterthequalityoftheironusuallyis。
Wheretheartislittleadvanced，onlythemosttractableoresareselected；andascharcoalistheonlyfuelused，thequalityofthemetalisalmostinvariablyexcellent。Theorebeinglongexposedtothecharcoalfire，andthequantitymadesmall，theresultisametalhavingmanyofthequalitiesofsteel，capableofbeingusedforweaponsortoolsafteracomparativelysmallamountofforging。
Dr。LivingstonespeaksoftheexcellentqualityoftheironmadebytheAfricantribesontheZambesi，whorefusetouseordinaryEnglishiron，whichtheyconsider”rotten。”*
[footnote……
Dr。LivingstonebroughtwithhimtoEnglandapieceoftheZambesiiron，whichhesenttoaskilledBirminghamblacksmithtotest。
Theresultwas，thathepronouncedthemetalasstronglyresemblingSwedishorRussian；bothofwhichkindsaresmeltedwithcharcoal。
TheAfricanironwasfound”highlycarbonized，”and”whenchilleditpossessedthepropertiesofsteel。”
DuChaillualsosaysoftheFans，that，inmakingtheirbestknivesandarrow-heads，theywillnotuseEuropeanorAmericaniron，greatlypreferringtheirown。ThecelebratedwootzorsteelofIndia，madeinlittlecakesofonlyabouttwopoundsweight，possessesqualitieswhichnoEuropeansteelcansurpass。OutofthismaterialthefamousDamascussword-bladesweremade；anditsuseforsolongaperiodisperhapsoneofthemoststrikingproofsoftheancientcivilizationofIndia。
TheearlyhistoryofironinBritainisnecessarilyveryobscure。
WhentheRomansinvadedthecountry，themetalseemstohavebeenalreadyknowntothetribesalongthecoast。Thenativeshadprobablysmelteditthemselvesintheirrudebloomeries，orobtaineditfromthePhoeniciansinsmallquantitiesinexchangeforskinsandfood，ortin。Wemust，however，regardthestoriestoldoftheancientBritishchariotsarmedwithswordsorscythesasaltogetherapocryphal。Theexistenceofironinsufficientquantitytobeusedforsuchapurposeisincompatiblewithcontemporaryfacts，andunsupportedbyasinglevestigeremainingtoourtime。Thecountrywasthenmostlyforest，andtheroadsdidnotasyetexistuponwhichchariotscouldbeused；whilstironwastooscarcetobemountedasscythesuponchariots，whenthewarriorsthemselveswanteditforswords。TheoratorCicero，inalettertoTrebatius，thenservingwiththearmyinBritain，sarcasticallyadvisedhimtocaptureandconveyoneofthesevehiclestoItalyforexhibition；butwedonothearthatanyspecimenoftheBritishwar-chariotwaseverseeninRome。
Itisonlyinthetumulialongthecoast，orinthoseoftheRomano-Britishperiod，thatironimplementsareeverfound；whilstintheancientburyingplacesoftheinteriorofthecountrytheyarealtogetherwanting。HerodiansaysoftheBritishpursuedbySeverusthroughthefensandmarshesoftheeastcoast，thattheyworeironhoopsroundtheirmiddlesandtheirnecks，esteemingthemasornamentsandtokensofriches，inlikemannerasotherbarbarouspeoplethenesteemedornamentsofsilverandgold。Theironlymoney，accordingtoCaesar，consistedofpiecesofbrassoriron，reducedtoacertainstandardweight。*
[footnote……
HOLINSHED，i。517。IronwasalsothecurrencyoftheSpartans，butithasbeenusedassuchinmuchmorerecenttimes。AdamSmith，inhisWealthofNationsBookI。ch。4，publishedin1776，says，”thereisatthisdayavillageinScotlandwhereitisnotuncommon，Iamtold，foraworkmantocarrynails，insteadofmoney，tothebaker’sshoporthealehouse。”
Itisparticularlyimportanttoobserve，saysM。Worsaae，thatalltheantiquitieswhichhavehithertobeenfoundinthelargeburyingplacesoftheIronperiod，inSwitzerland，Bavaria，Baden，France，England，andtheNorth，exhibittracesmoreorlessofRomaninfluence。
[footnote……
PrimevalAntiquitiesofDenmark。London，1849，p。140。