Why are "ancient" weapons more powerful than third age weapons?

Do they date pre 6,000 years? Can't remember the name of the book of the top of my head, but are they that old? My LOTR history is a bit rusty.

Actually, they are OLDER than 6000 years, as they, Radagast, Gandalf, and the Blue Wizards are all Maiar, so they are older than the Earth itself.

6000 years? Where did that number come from?

well, the Third Age was about 3000 +years, the second was 2000-4000 and the First Age 1000, and before in the Ages of the Trees, that was a long time, at least 500, and before the Earth was Created which could have been 20 or so years, but they ARE over 6000 since they have seen every year that ever happened.

I wonder what they (the Maiar) do in their free time...

I dont know..... I think they do what the Valar want them to do.......

If I remember the Silmarillion and the chronologies at the back of the books right, each Age of Trees was 10,000 years, roughly a combined 6000 for the years of the Sun and Moon, and there was like 10,000 years following the creation, the Lamps, and Melkor's darkness.

I forgot about the chronologies, but yeah ur right more or less