City Life in the Iron Age
In the Iron Age, many people lived in small towns and hill forts. Towns were often protected by walls because wars were common. Houses were made of wood, stone or mud, and there were workshops where people made iron tools, weapons, pottery and cloth. People traded grain, salt, animals, metal, pottery and jewellery. They travelled on foot, by horse, in carts and in boats. Rivers and sea routes were important for trade. Travel was slow and sometimes dangerous because roads were rough and there were robbers.
Key ideas
- Towns: walls, houses, workshops and markets.
- Trade: people exchanged food, tools, weapons and jewellery.
- Travel: they used horses, carts, rivers and boats.
- Why it was difficult: roads were poor, and journeys were long and dangerous.
The text answers all three parts of the task: towns, trade and travel.