Crossword Genius

Era when men began forging ahead (4,3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

iron age

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'era' is the definition.
(I have seen 'bygone era' mean 'iron age' so perhaps 'era' could also mean 'iron age')

'men began forging ahead' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'ahead' could be 'on' (synonyms) and 'on' is present in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'when' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for iron age that I've seen before include "prehistoric times" , "Hist. cultural stage" , "Prehistoric period" , "bygone era" , "A region (anag) - period long ago" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
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