How did iron technology shape new states after 1200 B.C.E.?

IIF THE BRONZE AGE COLLAPSE was a time of massive political and economic disruption, it was also a period of the spread of new technologies, especially iron. Even though empires shrank, many small kingdoms survived, each with cultures that combined elements shared across a wide area with local traditions.

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Phoenician CoinThis silver Phoenician coin shows an animal-headed ship containing soldiers with shields and helmets above the waves, and a hippocampus, a mythical beast, below. Phoenician gold and silver coins have been found throughout the Mediterranean, evidence of the Phoenicians’ extensive trading network. (Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY)