Summary
The contribution the metallurgist can make to African Iron Age studies has been assessed by detailed investigation of the pre-industrial bloomery iron process still practiced by the Dimi people of the Gemu province in southwest Ethiopia. Metal objects and slags from this process were examined metallographically, and chemical analyses of the ores and slags have been obtained. Quantitative energy-dispersive x-ray analyses have shown that it is possible to relate the composition of the slag inclusions to the iron ores of the region. Such an analytical technique, when combined with archae-logical, linguistic, and historical evidence, may provide a valuable means of characterizing the ironwork of specific production centers and establishing trade networks of iron objects. In this context, theories of the African Iron Age are reviewed with specific reference to Ethiopia.
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Todd, J.A. Studies of the African Iron Age. JOM 31, 39–45 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03354569
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03354569