Humankind is believed to have existed in Africa for over 6 million years, based on the dating of excavated fossils. Transformations took place over time in response to severe climate changes and the Modern Human, believed to be the first to spread beyond Africa evolved only about 2 million years ago and did not move to other parts of the world until about 200,000 years ago. What is now known about ancient human history came from several sources: paleontologists excavate and evaluate human and article fossils dating back 2-3 million years; archaeologists excavate ancient sites and study recovered articles, mostly dating back 40-60,000 years; historians study oral and recorded history but the scope is limited to about 3,000 years when writing was invented. Archaeometallurgy evolved in the second half of the last century and has become a major tool for the study of ancient metals, metalworking structures, tools, waste products and finished artifacts, using techniques from the physical sciences. While this does not in anyway distract from the traditional approach of other archaeo-scientists, it is a very valuable complement, since it provides in-depth information about ore and slag composition, furnace design, macro and micro analysis of objects, all of which give vital information about the probable production techniques. Materials have played a central role throughout human history, starting with stone, flint, wood, straw, and transitioning to metals around ten to twelve thousand years ago. In fact the major stages of historical evolution are delineated by the materials that were in prominent use: Stone Age; Bronze Age; Iron Age, etc. If Africa is indeed the cradle of humankind, then it should have a very rich archaeo-history but most of the discoveries so far have been accidental. This book presents the results of a comprehensive study of the rich early archeometallurgical history of Nigeria which dates back to around 800 BC, in the context of early world metallurgy. Issues treated include probable socio/ethno cultural settings, practices in the context of early world metal cultures, provenance of technologies, and local technological innovations.

This book is an intellectual journey into epistemology, pedagogy, physics, architecture, medicine and metallurgy. The focus is on various dimensions of African Indigenous Knowledge (AIK) with an emphasis on the sciences, an area that has been neglected in AIK discourse. The authors provide diverse views and perspectives on African indigenous scientific and technological knowledge that can benefit a wide spectrum of academics, scholars, students, development agents, and policy makers, in both governmental and non-governmental organizations, and enable critical and alternative analyses and possibilities for understanding science and technology in an African historical and contemporary context.

The case studies included in this collection range from the coast of Lagos State, through the Yoruba inland, once dominated by Oyo and Ibadan, to Benin City, seat of the great pre-colonial empire, north to Zungeru, seat of colonial administration under Lord Lugard, and the Jos Plateau, homeland of the Ron; and south again to the Niger Delta, where the Nigerian people first began their historic interaction with Portuguese explorers.

The work of specialists archaeologists, historians, ethnologists, metallographs and sociologists gathered in this volume show the vitality of research being carried out on iron processing in Africa since as early as the third millennium B.C.

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.

This book reads the narrative of the national politics alongside deeper histories of political and social organization, as well as in relation to competing influences on modern identity formation and inter-group relationships, such as ethnic and religious communities, economic partnerships, and immigrant and diasporic cultures