Human warriors seek to protect themselves. With the discovery and development of Bronze there was suddenly a way of protecting the head and the body of a soldier. Those societies that were able to use Bronze soon began to flex their particular muscle against others that opposed them. This was the beginnings of armour, something that we still try and develop today. These early warriors found an advantage on the battlefield but it was to be short lived. After the discovery of iron ore and the fact it could be melted and shaped into something stronger than bronze the new age of armour began.
The biggest advance that iron brought was the chain mail vest and suit. This was a series of heavy linked rings that could still give the fighter movement. It was tiring to wear, especially as it was combined with a heavy shield, also iron bound.
It was the Blacksmith and the Armourer that were responsible. Much like a modern set of Tapping Machines like those from https://www.cotswold-machinery-sales.co.uk/roscamat/electric-tapping-machines/roscamat-mosquito-electric-tapping-machine/ this was precise work requiring great artifice. The age of plate mail brings us to the golden age of armour. Knights would go into battle fully covered in this mighty metal suit that was surprisingly mobile.
From iron to steel in arms and armour
The discovery of iron brought the Bronze Age to an end and opened a period of great human advance. This tough new metal could be forged into tools, weapons and armour, and used to strengthen buildings. Shields were reinforced, and armour could now turn aside weapons or be pierced by them, raising the stakes on both sides of a fight.
Most of the world’s iron comes from iron ore, though some has arrived on meteorites, and certain iron mines are the remains of those impacts. Iron served well for centuries, but its great weakness was rust, which meant it could not be relied on for everything.
Steel answered that. It is made by smelting iron and blowing oxygen through it at a huge rate, which burns away carbon and leaves a metal that is very hard yet malleable. Steel can be formed into large shapes for construction and industry, and much of it is recycled.