<P> The three - age system is the categorization of history into time periods divisible by three ; for example , the Stone Age , Bronze Age , and Iron Age , although it also refers to other tripartite divisions of historic time periods . In history , archaeology and physical anthropology , the three - age system is a methodological concept adopted during the 19th century by which artifacts and events of late prehistory and early history could be ordered into a recognizable chronology . It was initially developed by C.J. Thomsen , director of the Royal Museum of Nordic Antiquities , Copenhagen , as a means to classify the museum 's collections according to whether the artifacts were made of stone , bronze , or iron . </P>
<P> The three - age system is the categorization of history into time periods divisible by three ; for example , the Stone Age , Bronze Age , and Iron Age , although it also refers to other tripartite divisions of historic time periods . In history , archaeology and physical anthropology , the three - age system is a methodological concept adopted during the 19th century by which artifacts and events of late prehistory and early history could be ordered into a recognizable chronology . It was initially developed by C.J. Thomsen , director of the Royal Museum of Nordic Antiquities , Copenhagen , as a means to classify the museum 's collections according to whether the artifacts were made of stone , bronze , or iron . </P>
who is credited with devising the three-age system
who is credited with devising the three-age system
C.J. Thomsen
C.J. Thomsen