Abstract
Iron is one of the most significant metal commodities and its discovery had a decisive impact on the development of human history. From the first millennium BC on, iron virtually permeated all spheres of ancient life, either as a material for weapons and tools or as a currency.
The introduction of the iron technology in Greece in the early Iron Age has traditionally been seen as coming from eastern Anatolia through Cyprus and Crete, whereas Ionia does not appear in any of these models (e.g. Snodgrass 1989; Morris 1989).
This interpretation, however, neglects the significance of this region as a historical bridge between the Anatolia and the Aegean, even though according to the written sources, the Greeks - and the Ionians in particularly (e.g. Glaucus of Chios) - were well conscious of the highly developed metallurgy of the neighbouring regions of Phrygia and Lydia.
It is therefore the main aim of this paper to revisit the traditional view on the spread of the knowledge of iron technology on the basis of new evidence from Ionia. The data gathered from latest excavations of metal-working installations in Klazomenai, or Phocaea, together with the analysis of the metal findings from the sanctuaries in Didyma and Miletus, as well as the revision of the role of the smithies within the Ionian societies can provide fresh insights into the discussion of the knowledge transfer between Anatolia and the Aegean in the pre-Classic era.