Asia, Southwest: Iron Age (c. 1200–539 BC) Levant and Mesopotamia

The Iron Age in the Levant and Mesopotamia lasts from c. 1200 BC to 539 BC. It is a period that witnessed the spread of several innovations, such as iron smelting technology, alphabetic writing systems, the domestication of camels, as well as the establishment of a wide trade network stretching from the western Mediterranean to Iran, and from Anatolia to the Persian Gulf. During the Iron Age, an important transition occurred as societies went from a fragmented political landscape, made up of several regional states, to the establishment of large territorial and multicultural empires. The legacy of Iron Age empires persisted for centuries in South-West Asia, until the modern era.