West African Iron Age

Abstract

RELATIVE TIME PERIOD: Follows the West African Neolithic tradition and precedes the West Africa Regional Development tradition. It must be emphasized that the term Iron Age, as well as the preceding and following periods, subsumes a tremendous range of variation. Such partitions do not represent well-defined chronological or culture historical divisions in West Africa. Indeed, the defining characteristic of this period—indigenous metallurgy—may not have played a significant role in some of the cultures considered during the entire time represented. As a whole, West Africa is poorly known archaeologically, particularly the Liberian, Sierra Leone, and Guinea coasts and hinterland. The term Iron Age is hence used very guardedly to indicate a general period of technological development, although one that is not universal or contemporary throughout the whole of West Africa.