Ancient African Metallurgy

by Bisson, Michael S.; Childs, S. Terry; De Barros, Philip; Holl, Augustin F. C.; Vogel, Joseph O.

• ISBN13: 9780742502604
• ISBN10: 0742502600
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-04-01
• Publisher: Altamira Pr

Summary

Gold. Copper. Iron. Metal working in Africa has been the subject of both public lore and extensive archaeological investigation. Here, four of the leading contemporary researchers on this topic attempt to provide a complete synthesis of current debates and understandings: Where, how, and when was metal first introduced to the continent? How were iron and copper tools, implements, and objects used in everyday life, in trade, in political and cultural contexts? What role did metal objects play in the ideological systems of precolonial African peoples? Substantive chapters address the origins of metal working and the technology and the various uses and meanings of copper and iron. An ethnoarchaeological account in the words of a contemporary iron worker enriches the archaeological explanations. This book provides a comprehensive, timely summary of our current knowledge.

Author Biography

Augustin F.C. Holl is a professor at the University of California, San Diego.

Table of Contents

Tables, Figures, and Plates	viii
Acknowledgments	xi
Foreword	xiii
Joseph O. Vogel
Metals and Precolonial African Society	1	(82)
Augustin F. C. Holl
Precolonial Copper Metallurgy: Sociopolitical Context	83	(64)
Michael S. Bisson
Iron Metallurgy: Sociocultural Context	147	(52)
Philip de Barros
Traditional Iron Working: A Narrated Ethnoarchaeological Example	199	(56)
S. Terry Childs
References	255	(22)
Author Index	277	(6)
Subject Index	283	(10)
About the Authors	293