what came after the stone age

The Stone Age was followed by the Bronze Age and the Iron Age, according to the three-age system. The Bronze Age began around 3300 BC, when bronze was first manufactured in western Asia, and lasted until around 1200 BC. The Iron Age followed the Bronze Age and lasted from around 1200 BC to the Roman conquest of Britain in AD 43. The three ages are distinguished by the development of technology, and the dates to which they refer vary in different parts of the world. In many regions, the term Stone Age is no longer used, as it has been replaced by more specific geological periods.