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Iron, called as Ayas (Samskrit: अयस्) heralded a new era in the history of mankind. Iron technology has a special place among the ancient technologies that accelerated the pace of progress and brought prosperity in society. In human history Iron Age succeeded Copper-Bronze Age as iron required a different kind of skill and a higher level of metallurgical expertise. The craftsmen who were adept in working with copper and its alloys and other glittering metals like gold, silver etc., that could be used in their native form at a much lower temperature could not smelt iron with the same technique. India has rich iron ore deposit. The ore is not only widely distributed but also easily accessible in the form of nodules scattered on the earth's surface. This must have facilitated easy hand picking of rich ore nodules by the early or primitive metal workers. However, wide distribution and easy access to the ore were insufficient to produce metallic iron and required skilled metal workers possessing sufficient metallurgical know-how. Archeological researches and archival accounts including foreign records by travelers or historians of ancient India bear that Indian iron and steel had gained significant recognition in the ancient world.<ref name=":0">Vibha Tripathi,  ''Aspects of Iron Technology in India'' in Propagation, vol 3-1, 2012</ref> India abounded with vast deposits of many minerals and precious stones, thus [[Mineralogy (धातुशास्त्रम्)|mineralogy]] was an important topic dealt with even in texts such as Rigveda that helped develop and sustain many metal and alloy industries.   

Iron, called as Ayas (Samskrit: अयस्) heralded a new era in the history of mankind. Iron (Fe), chemical element, metal of Group 8 (VIIIb) of the periodic table, is the most-used and cheapest metal found in the earth's crust.<ref name=":9">https://www.britannica.com/science/iron-chemical-element</ref> 

 

Iron technology has a special place among the ancient technologies that accelerated the pace of progress and brought prosperity in society. In human history Iron Age succeeded Copper-Bronze Age as iron required a different kind of skill and a higher level of metallurgical expertise. The craftsmen who were adept in working with copper and its alloys and other glittering metals like gold, silver etc., that could be used in their native form at a much lower temperature could not smelt iron with the same technique. India has rich iron ore deposit. The ore is not only widely distributed but also easily accessible in the form of nodules scattered on the earth's surface. This must have facilitated easy hand picking of rich ore nodules by the early or primitive metal workers. However, wide distribution and easy access to the ore were insufficient to produce metallic iron and required skilled metal workers possessing sufficient metallurgical know-how. Archeological researches and archival accounts including foreign records by travelers or historians of ancient India bear that Indian iron and steel had gained significant recognition in the ancient world.<ref name=":0">Vibha Tripathi,  ''Aspects of Iron Technology in India'' in Propagation, vol 3-1, 2012</ref> India abounded with vast deposits of many minerals and precious stones, thus [[Mineralogy (धातुशास्त्रम्)|mineralogy]] was an important topic dealt with even in texts such as Rigveda that helped develop and sustain many metal and alloy industries.   

== Introduction ==

== Introduction ==

== Pyrometallurgy ==

== Pyrometallurgy ==

The extraction of iron is pyrometallurgy. It is the extractive metallurgy which consists of the thermal treatment given to minerals or ores to recover the metal. The process involves chemical reactions at elevated temperature.  The process of extraction of iron is fundamentally very simple as it consists essentially of the reduction of iron oxide by carbon. But as molten iron dissolves carbon and other impurities, iron obtained is impure and is known as pig iron or cast iron. The ore (red haematite or hydrated oxide or carbonate) is calcined in shallow kilns to remove moisture, carbon dioxide etc. The ore thereby becomes porous and is then more easily reduced in the blast furnace.<ref name=":3">[https://prog.lmu.edu.ng/colleges_CMS/document/books/MCE329%20-%20Metallurgy%20of%20Iron(329).pdf Metallurgy of Iron] </ref>

The extraction of iron is pyrometallurgy. It is the extractive metallurgy which consists of the thermal treatment given to minerals or ores to recover the metal. The process involves chemical reactions at elevated temperature.  The process of extraction of iron is fundamentally very simple as it consists essentially of the reduction of iron oxide by carbon. But as molten iron dissolves carbon and other impurities, iron obtained is impure and is known as pig iron or cast iron. The ore (red haematite or hydrated oxide or carbonate) is calcined in shallow kilns to remove moisture, carbon dioxide etc. The ore thereby becomes porous and is then more easily reduced in the blast furnace.<ref name=":3">[https://prog.lmu.edu.ng/colleges_CMS/document/books/MCE329%20-%20Metallurgy%20of%20Iron(329).pdf Metallurgy of Iron] </ref>  

==== Iron Ores ====

==== Iron Ores ====