The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing agricultural practices, religious beliefs and artistic styles. The Iron Age as an archaeological term indicates the condition as to civilization and culture of a people using iron as the material for their cutting tools and weapons. The Iron Age is the third principal period of the three-age system created by Christian Jürgensen Thomsen for classifying ancient societies and prehistoric stages of progress.
In historical archaeology, the ancient literature of the Iron Age includes the earliest texts preserved in manuscript tradition. Sanskrit literature and Chinese literature flourished in the Age. Other text includes the Avestan Gathas, the Indian Vedas and the oldest parts of the Hebrew Bible. The principal feature that distinguishes the Iron Age from the preceding ages is the introduction of alphabetic characters, and the consequent development of written language which enabled literature and historic record.
Tom Vasel (born on September 8, 1976) is a well known podcaster and reviewer of board games. Vasel co-hosts a long-running and popular gaming podcast titled The Dice Tower, and as of 2011[update] has posted over 1200 reviews on the internet database BoardGameGeek.
As of August 2003[update], Vasel taught mathematics at the International Christian School in Uijeongbu. He assumed the role of Pastor of Uijongbu Baptist Church, succeeding Pastor Rick Kelley in March 2007. After leaving South Korea, he has worked as a teacher in Florida.
Since May 2005, Vasel has co-hosted The Dice Tower, a podcast about board games and wargames. Originally, Vasel represented players who prefer designer games, while Joe Steadman advocated for those who prefer wargames. Steadman left the show in May 2006 after the 50th episode. Vasel, hosting alone with occasional input from Sam Healey for a few shows, rearranged the format to include recorded segments by guest reviewers and players. Gradually Healey began to take a larger role and was eventually promoted to co-host. Healey has since left the show and been replaced by the show's voice-over man, Eric Summerer.
Bright skies make way for night.
Been light for so long, you've lost your sight.
Your future is darker than you ever feared.
A near era is dawning.
The last age is here.
All meaning is sucked from your name,
replaced by forces of demonic fame.
No matter what you're called, you're not prepared.
A new era is dawning.
I'll never wake from this wretched state,
this night belongs to fear itself.
Through closed eyes when the lights go out
and all is still I see.
The dark it comes alive,
I'm doomed to suffer the night's realities.
I fear I'll never wake, this night belongs to fear
itself.
Desperately seek a friendly face,
familiar voice,
a return to a sane world.
The faces melt, the voices squeal, tighter around my
throat fear's fingers curl.
I'll never wake, I can't scream it away.
I'll never wake, I stand but still do I lay.
I'll never wake again,
so to whom do I pray my soul to take?
I'll never wake from this wretched state,
If there's a rhythm to life,
then we're missing the beat.
Can we tell that it's there?
Got more soul than the lords before the devils have
always taken their share.
Look for answers in the temples we build, but there's
a black earth waiting outside.
Our only legacy will be the ruin
we left behind.
We fight against the tides of the times
'cause time is too far gone.
In the belly of the beast what will we find?
We can't run.
Those in power will feed us lines.
It's the same mother fuckers who will try to pit us
against ourselves and push equality to the side.
What's left of our consciousness,
can we stay sharp as we get to the grind?
Our only legacy will be the ruin
we left behind.
We fight against the tides of the times
'cause time is too far gone.
In the belly of the beast what will we find?
We can't run.
We'll twist our own fate.
Twisted faith.
Man's creation, the ruination.
A blackened earth, there will be mountains of waste
left in our wake, this is our fate.
Bring me back, show me peace.
Show me a future where I'm free from pain.
Return to the void where I began.
All time is lost as I regain a new beginning
for a different existence.
Return to find what I've never known...
Release, what will I find on the other side
and will I know myself?
If the circle never ends what's my purpose?
I can't tell what's real.
No one can tell me what's going on.
This earth has become my cell.
It's a waron my mind and the cost
is my soul and it's been too long
since I've felt control.
Over the choices I've made
and the ends they bring,
Disbelief.
It set a motion and there's no going back.
And there's no hope. No hope to cling to.
We watch the world as it falls in on itself.
Can't cheat death, it's coming at you.
The end times are near.
Some will say the end is coming,
some will say that's it's here.
But there's only one thing for certain.
Locked inside our souls are shaking with fear.
We can't cheat death it's waiting fo rus.
The end times are near.
No Gods will save you,no hell will have you.
We've entered the end, and we can't cheat death.
It's the look of defeat as we face our demise,
just one wrong turn and we're gone.
We can't cheat death.
No Gods will save you, no hell will have you.
The hands of time are runnin' down.
An unstoppable force,
it's always turning 'round.
Evil ways are creeping in.
The unshakable foe, a war that I can't win.
Something inside is pushing me to do wrong but I
know I've got to try to maintain.
With all I take in around me I find it hard to believe
this world is gonna change.
I'm caught in between the real and the fake
What's hard to earn.
What's easy to take.
Black and white have become the same.
The lines have blurred it's all
the same shade of grey.
It's always hidden, nothing is given.
I feel it beating inside the form that I'm in.
Put in the work but it never works out
the only thing that's promised is pain.
Search for meaning, for a glimmer of truth.
But it always seems to end up the same.
I'm caught in between the real and the fake
What's hard to earn.
What's easy to take.
It's no way to live, but I live this way.
Constant moral decay.
The hands of time are runnin' down.
An unstoppable force,
it's always turning 'round.
Evil ways are creeping in.
The unshakable foe, a war that I can't win.
Something inside is pushing me to do wrong but I
know I've got to try to maintain.
With all I take in around me I find it hard to believe
this world is gonna change.
Evil ways!
It could always get worse
but everything I know is changing.
The world is undone, it's getting harder to escape it.
I waited so long for an answer or a sign but the harsh
truth is it was all in my mind.
It's a constant struggle between two sides...
it never ends reason gets lost in the cycle.
No peace, no rest.
I can't avoid it.
Confusion's building and it ain't gonna stop
until I find a way out until I break through.
Shake off demons that won't stop till their fed,
Now it begins.
Avoid the blast, watch your life flash by.
The fear setting in.
You've reached the point,
your world has changed.
Now it begins.
The heat surrounds you, you try to survive,
now the fear is gone.
It's kill or be killed.
Do what it takes,
there's no time to be wrong.
They taught you to kill
now they want you gone.
You've changed.
It snapped.
Take what's yours, the world owes you,
take what's yours
The city has changed,
no one looks the same.
It's no longer your home.
Life beats on, you walk the streets,
but now time moves slow.
the voices of war still ring in your head.
It's not over for you.
Fight the urge to let live or kill.
But you can't choose.
They taught you to kill
now they want you gone.
You've changed.
It snapped.
Take what's yours, the world owes you,
take what's yours
Twisted voices have become too strong.
Can't stand the peace.
You know too much to belong.
End of the shortest rope.
What's done is done.
You fought to survive now you're killing for fun.
Bring me back, show me peace.
Show me a future where I'm free from pain.
Return to the void where I began.
All time is lost as I regain a new beginning
for a different existence.
Return to find what I've never known...
Release, what will I find on the other side
and will I know myself?
If the circle never ends what's my purpose?
I can't tell what's real.
No one can tell me what's going on.
This earth has become my cell.
It's a waron my mind and the cost
is my soul and it's been too long
since I've felt control.
Over the choices I've made
and the ends they bring,
I can't find peace. I can't find peace.
I've lost my patience, my self control is next.
Try to contain it, but I can't take it,
I've got to keep it in check.
It's boiling my blood, it's taking me over.
Gotta tighten my grip because it's
pulling me under.
It's war to stay sane, to keep balance when
my will is no match for my rage.
Do what I can, take what I've got to the edge.
It just keeps haunting, it will keep feeding and
it won't stop till I'm dead.
It's war.
It's war to stay sane, to keep balance when
my will is no match for my rage.
The anger set to crush my will,
it's been destroyed so fast that I can't rebuild.
I've tipped the scales, the balance is lost.
It's war to stay sane, to keep balance when
From the moment we're thrown
into this life we can't choose.
The light is hidden from us.
We can feel that we're doomed.
But our instinct dictates that we
have to survive.
Only man has no chance against greed.
It rules our lives.
There's no trust and nothing left to believe.
No truth, we only fight for the green.
It's ours.
This fate we've made.
We're dust.
It's only the rich who get it over on you.
The poor fight the poor
and now you watch every move.
Caught in an existence that we
can't understand.
Forced to climb on the backs of our own,
take where we can.
There's no trust and nothing left to believe.
No truth, we only fight for the green.
It's ours.
This fate we've made.
We're dust.
We fight to the top, but our deeds
have followed us there.
We're not victims, we just don't care.
We chase money, but we run from our fate.