How is the African Iron Age different from the Iron Age of other civilizations?

Evidence of iron production dating to around 500 B.C. has been found in the area just north of the Niger and Benue rivers. The African Iron Age was different from that in other regions because they did not have a time period focused on copper and bronze.

What is the significance of Iron Age technology to African history?

Iron smelting and forging technologies may have existed in West Africa among the Nok culture of Nigeria as early as the sixth century B.C. In the period from 1400 to 1600, iron technology appears to have been one of a series of fundamental social assets that facilitated the growth of significant centralized kingdoms in …

Did Africa have an Iron Age?

The African Iron Age, also known as the Early Iron Age Industrial Complex, is traditionally considered that period in Africa between the second century CE up to about 1000 CE when iron smelting was practiced.

What are the features of Iron Age?

The characteristic of an Iron Age culture is the mass production of tools and weapons made from steel, typically alloys with a carbon content between approximately 0.30% and 1.2% by weight.

Did Africans invent iron?

Archaeological evidence for the origins and spread of iron production in Africa. By the late 1960s some surprisingly early radiocarbon dates had been obtained for iron smelting sites in both Nigeria and central Africa (Rwanda, Burundi), reviving the view that iron-making was independently invented in sub-Saharan Africa …

What weapons were used in the Iron Age?

The most common weapons in the Iron Age were swords, spears, axes, and shields. It is revealed from the Iron Age tombs of the men that the princes and noble state persons were armed with bronze armor and helmet, a shield, and iron made attacking weapons; an ax or sword and spear.

When did iron Working begin in Africa?

1st millennium BCE
Iron technology first appears in the African continent in the 1st millennium BCE, and the term Iron Age is generally used, certainly south of the Sahara, to describe iron-using communities in Africa until the modern historical era.

Did Africa have a Bronze Age?

Unlike Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa lacks a Bronze Age, a period in which softer metals, such as copper, were made into artifacts. In Sub-Saharan Africa there is a Stone Age and an Iron Age. By 500 BCE, smelting and forging iron for tools were well-developed.

What is the Iron Age famous for?

The Iron Age was a period in human history that started between 1200 B.C. and 600 B.C., depending on the region, and followed the Stone Age and Bronze Age. During the Iron Age, people across much of Europe, Asia and parts of Africa began making tools and weapons from iron and steel.

Why is it called Iron Age?

The Iron Age was a prehistoric, archaeological era that existed from around 1200 BC to 100 BC (the 12th to 1st Centuries Before Christ). During the Iron Age, iron material was commonly used to make tools, so the era was named after it.

When did Africans get iron?

Some recent studies date the inception of iron metallurgy in Africa between 3,000 and 2,500 BCE. Evidence exists for earlier iron metallurgy in parts of Nigeria, Cameroon, and Central Africa, possibly from as early as around 2,000 BCE.

Does Africa have iron?

Iron ore production in Africa is dominated by South Africa, Mauritania and Algeria. Many countries possess iron ore deposits that are as yet untapped/unmined.

What was a spear used for in the Iron Age?

The spear was another commonly found weapon during the Iron Age. It was used to hunt animals for food and also as a deadly long range weapon during battles. Iron Age spears were often made of wood, whilst the triangular tips (spearheads) were made with iron in order to cause as much harm as possible.

What was iron used for in Africa?

Iron played a central role in many societies of early Africa. It held both spiritual and material power. Physically, Africans used iron to create tools for agriculture, utensils for everyday life, and weapons for protection and conquest (Shillington, 2012, p. 45).

What was Africa like 10000 years ago?

10,000 years ago, this iconic desert was unrecognizable. But 11,000 years ago, what we know today as the world’s largest hot desert would’ve been unrecognizable. The now-dessicated northern strip of Africa was once green and alive, pocked with lakes, rivers, grasslands and even forests.

What language did the Iron Age speak?

The Brittonic languages derive from the Common Brittonic language, spoken throughout Great Britain during the Iron Age and Roman period.

What country has the most iron?

China
The Highest Iron Ore Producing Countries In The World

Who is the best spear in WWE?

With that said, let’s take a look at ten of the best spears in WWE history.

• 8 Charlotte Flair.
• 7 The Big Show.
• 6 Bobby Lashley.
• 5 Batista.
• 4 Rhyno.
• 3 Roman Reigns.
• 2 Goldberg.
• 1 Edge.

What weapons did Iron Age people use?

Why is Africa the cradle of humanity?

The idea that humans evolved in Africa can be traced to Charles Darwin. In his 1871 book The Descent of Man, Darwin speculated that it was “probable” that Africa was the cradle of humans because our two closest living relatives—chimpanzees and gorillas—live there.

Evidence exists for earlier iron metallurgy in parts of Nigeria, Cameroon, and Central Africa, possibly from as early as around 2,000 BCE. The use of iron ushered in an Iron Age in Africa, with the expansion of agriculture, industry, trade, and political power.

Why do you think such diverse cultures developed in Africa?

Why did diverse cultures develop in Africa? Push-pull factors caused people to migrate which meant trade and living in new places with their culture. They developed cities, cultures, and technologies.

At the beginning of the Iron Age many swords, spears, lances, axes and arrowheads were still being made of bronze; by the end of the period these weapons were almost exclusively made of iron. Shields were often made of organic materials, wood and leather, but with bronze fronts, which were sometimes highly ornate.

Which civilization started the African Iron Age?

Key Takeaways: African Iron Age The earliest iron artifacts in the world were beads made by the Egyptians about 5,000 years ago. The earliest smelting in sub-Saharan Africa dates to the 8th century BCE in Ethiopia.

Are we in the Iron Age?

The Ages

Unlike Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa lacks a Bronze Age, a period in which softer metals, such as copper, were made into artifacts. In Sub-Saharan Africa there is a Stone Age and an Iron Age.

Why was the Iron Age so important?

The Iron Age helped many countries to become more technologically advanced. Metalwork made tasks like farming easier, as the iron tools were much better than what the people had before. During the Iron Age, farmers used an ‘ard’ (an iron plough) to turn over their fields.

When did the Iron Age start in Africa?

The African Iron Age is traditionally considered that period in Africa between the second century AD up to about 1000 AD when iron smelting was practiced. In Africa, unlike the Europe and Asia, the Iron Age is not prefaced by a Bronze or Copper Age, but rather all the metals were brought together.

What was the religion like in the Iron Age?

For example, most religions and belief systems in this period were polytheistic. This means people in this period believed in more than one god, goddess, or other supernatural being. For example, the ancient Scythian culture, which inhabited what is today’s Iran, constructed a system that had seven different deities.

Why was the use of iron so important in Africa?

Iron has a number of advantages over copper, brass, wood, and stone. The use of iron ushered in an Iron Age in Africa, with the expansion of agriculture, industry, trade, and political power. In some African cultures, smelters and ironworkers are of low status because of the manual labor inherent in their work.

How did people make iron in the Iron Age?

To work iron, one must extract the ore from the ground and break it into pieces, then heat the pieces to a temperature of at least 1100 degrees centigrade under controlled conditions. African Iron Age people used a bloomery process to smelt iron.