They assimilated, displaced, or traded with aboriginal huntergatherers. Early history of south africa universitas airlangga. Recent research has greatly increased the known number of early iron age sites in zambia and a number of regional variants have been defined, based largely on the typology of the associated. It thus covers a very long period of time and is used to describe a great variety of different societies, from simple villagebased farmers and.
Ancient near east 1200550 bc bronze age collapse 12001150 bc anatolia, caucasus, levant europe aegean 1190700 bc italy 1100700 bc balkans 1100 bc 150 ad eastern europe 900650 bc central europe 80050 bc great britain 800 bc 100 ad northern europe 500 bc 800 ad south asia 1200200 bc east asia 500 bc 300 ad iron metallurgy in africa iron. Iron age mining links ancient sa to the world the mail. From the early iron age to the 1970s maylam, paul on. In some parts of africa, iron was developed very early on in fact. Some anthropologists believe that this migration process could have taken up to 2 000 years. Foragers among farmers in the early iron age of botswana. The development of mining and minerals processing in southern africa gold mining by the indigenous people of africa, as distinct from trading in gold along the east coast, was carried on from as early as 500 a. Early iron age populations of southern africa essay example.
The discourse that dominates the modelling of power relations in early southern african states such as great zimbabwe and mapungubwe is of a centralised state. History of southern africa south african history online. Research on bakoni ruins of south africa debunks colonial. Ultimately, mapungubwe and great zimbabwe are no less complex because. It follows the bronze age, in the ancient near east beginning c. It thus covers a very long period of time and is used to describe a great variety of different societies, from simple villagebased farmers and nomadic. In subsaharan africa there is a stone age and an iron age.
The iron age began and ended at different times in the histories of europe, china, africa and central asia. The problem the iron age connotes different ideas to many people. Pdf iron age settlement patterns and the origins of class. The iron ageof africa, the period when iron technologies emerged, is an interesting topic because it didnt happen uniformly. D in the early iron age until some point in the early 19 century. This is because iron was easier to shape as compared to stone and it produced more efficient tools like iron axes, hoes and knives and weapons like swords, spears and arrows. Craniodental continuity and change between iron age peoples and. Evidence for early ironworking in subsaharan africa. Of great significance are the lydenburg heads, which come from a site, dated to about 1 500 years ago, near the present town of lydenburg in mpumalanga. Early iron age horticulture in the thukela river basin of south africa. The problem of the bantu expansion the journal of african. The iron age in western europe is usually divided into two periodsthe hallstatt 900400 b.
A new look at interpretations of the early iron age in east africa. Tools and weapons made in the early iron age were made from iron and wood. Describe the economic changes in methods of production of food from the late stone age to the early iron age in southern africa. They were directly ancestral to the bantuspeaking peoples who form the majority of south africas. Population variation within the iron age of southern africa.
Development of early farming and pastoralism african. Late iron age 1250 first state 1200 1150 1100 middle iron age 1050 early nguni speakers 950 900 850 800 750 700 650 interaction ri. The iron age was a period in human history that started between 1200 b. South africas remotenessit lies thousands of miles distant from major african cities such as lagos and cairo and more than 6,000 miles 10,000 km away from most of europe, north america, and eastern asia, where its major trading partners are locatedhelped reinforce the official system of apartheid for a large part of the 20th century. Add tags for a history of the african people of south africa. Some 2 000 years ago, when the first waves of black settlers began arriving in southern africa, they brought with them the advantages of an iron age culture, farming. In europe, this development happened only in the 1700s ad. The early iron age in central europe, dating from c. This article refers to them as early farming communities, using agropastoralists as an alternative. They were directly ancestral to the bantuspeaking peoples who form the majority of south africas population today. Stone age and early iron age in africa sjc history. Because the first farmers had knowledge of ironworking, their archaeological sites are characterized as iron age c. Iron agepeople, introducing afarming economy and avillagebased society, moved into south africa from circaa. In africa, unlike europe and asia, the iron age is not prefaced by a bronze or copper age, but rather all the metals were brought together.
The history of food production in africa lags somewhat behind the research done in the near east and europe, but genomic work on modern africans has started in parallel with advanced linguistic work. The first millennium ad saw much of south central and southern africa transformed by the expansion and consolidation of communities that combined cultivation with herding and smelted and forged iron. Aug 15, 2014 metallurgy was brought to southern africa by early iron age farmers who, about 2000 years ago, made the dangerous journey across the limpopo river and moved down along the eastern coast into. It is generally used in africa, however, as a cultural term describing a particular way of life instead of a temporal term including all remains between certain boundary dates. The stage in the development of any people in which tools and weapons whose main ingredient was iron were prominent. History past exam questions and answers education for. Early iron age article about early iron age by the free. African context refers to a tech nology that led to the earliest major transformation of human so ciety in south. The central questions continue to revolve around whether systematic evidence is available to support an afroeurasian economic expansioncontraction periodization and, if so, how this might speak to the question of early afroeurasian interdependence and world system. 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. Jan 24, 2020 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 ce when iron smelting was practiced. They were directly ancestral to the bantuspeaking peoples who form the majority of south africa s population today. Iron age kingdoms of southern africa south african history. The early mixed farming communities of 200 ad consisted of family groups of people, who chose areas suitable to the type of farming in which they wished to indulge.
They settled in areas, cleared the land and grazed their animals in the nearby area. List any six types of foods for the late stone age people 6. The earlier stone age esa of southern africa comprises two culturestratigraphic unitesthe oldowan tradition between roughly 2 and 1. Africa, christianity, civilizations, colonialism, imperialism, independence, islam, sahara, transatlantic slave trade. The earliest evidence of ironworking in africa south of the sahara comes from the jos plateau in. Iron age kingdoms of southern africa south african. 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 ironusing communities in africa until the modern historical era.
Archaeology and ethnohistory of the african iron age. The iron age in eastern and southern africa extends over the last 2000 years, and. It thus covers a very long period of time and is used to describe a great variety of different societies, from. The seven ceramic heads, all of them adorned with intricate carvings, were initially discovered by a. Iron working and the iron age in africa african studies. Little is known about the social and religious life of people in the early iron age but inferences can be made from archaeological remains. The iron age is an archaeological age, the last of the threeage system of old world prehistory. The topic of early iron metallurgy in subsaharan africa encompasses both studies of the technology and archaeology of indigenous iron production, and also an understanding of the role that iron production played in african societies before european colonization some evidence from historical linguistics suggests that iron smelting may have been practiced by the nok. Kim and kusimba misunderstand the archaeological data pertaining to k2, mapungubwe and great zimbabwe because they rely on secondary sources. New groups of people arriving in south africa at that time had strong connections to east africa. The early iron age in zambiaregional variants and some. South africa history, capital, flag, map, population. Evidence of iron working dates to the sixth century b. It followed the stone and bronze ages but developed at different times in different parts of the world.
The earliest evidence of iron working in africa south of the sahara comes from the jos plateau in nigeria and from the area around lake. Two distinct streams are recognised in the spread of the early iron age industrial complex into subequatorial africa. 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 ce when iron smelting was practiced. Early iron age populations of southern africa essay sample. In east africa people produced steel as early as 500 bc. The only place in south africa where large slag floorsandfurnace debris fromthe early iron agehave been excavated is the broederstroom archaeological. Great zimbabwe is a massive african iron age settlement and drystone monument located near the town of masvingo in central zimbabwe. South african early iron age in zambia springerlink. Evidence of ironworking dates to the sixth century b. Early farming communities of southern and southcentral africa. This is a short history of africa excluding egypt, ethiopia and dutch and british south africa, which are the subjects of separate histories. From about 50,000bc groups of san people migrate out southern africa eventually giving rise apparently to modern man in the rest of the world.
May 30, 2019 great zimbabwe is a massive african iron age settlement and drystone monument located near the town of masvingo in central zimbabwe. The first millennium ad saw much of southcentral and southern africa transformed by the expansion and consolidation of communities that combined cultivation with herding and smelted and forged iron. From the precolonial to the modern day toyin falola and tyler fleming department of history, university of texas at austin, usa. The middle stone age 3 the late stone age 4 pastoralism and early agriculture 5 the iron age 6 iron age sites 6 first urban centres 6 europeans in south africa 7 settlement of the cape colony 7 growth of the colonial economy 9 increased european presence c.
The relationship between the later stone age and iron age. Metallurgy was brought to southern africa by early iron age farmers who, about 2000 years ago, made the dangerous journey across the limpopo river and moved down along the eastern coast into. The early iron age smelting sites discovered are generally characterized bythepresence ofsmelting slag andsometimes tlsooftuyere remains andpiecesofiron ore. By 100,000bc the san people had settle in southern africa. The iron age is so named after the materials used at the time to make tools and weapons. First measurements taken of south africas iron age. Pdf 1997c early iron age ndondondwane south africa. A team of researchers has for the first time recovered a magnetic field record from ancient minerals for iron age southern africa between and 1500 ad. The problem of the bantu expansion volume 7 issue 3 roland oliver. From about 500ad bantu speaking people from central and eastern africa had migrated into south. Pdf archaeology and ethnohistory of the african iron age. It is taken to end with the beginning of classical antiquity, in about the 6th century bc, although in northern europe, the germanic iron age is taken to last until the beginning of. Origin and development of the early iron age in south central africa.
These strange artifacts are preserved in the national museum in cape town and are thought to date back to 490 ad, the early iron age in africa. The early iron age people appear to have been responsible for the introduction into zambia of potmaking, metallurgy and, less certainly, food production. Great zimbabwe is the largest of about 250 similarly dated mortarless stone structures in africa, called collectively zimbabwe culture sites. Before these capitals can be categorized according to definitions of early states elsewhere, they need to be interpreted in their own terms. The nok civilization iron way of life, existed as early as b. In the first millennium ad gold was principally obtained. Background to the transvaal iron agenew discoveries at. In addition, the development of iron technology is closely correlated with the spread of farming societies in subsaharan africa after 3000 bp. Iron age cultures used iron extensively for tools and weapons, rather than relying on earlier technologies such as stone or bronze. The site was abandoned early in the seventeenth century, wrote steyns team in the 1998 paper. The bantu people are enormously important in the history of africa, as they were the first to introduce the smelting of iron and use of iron tools in many parts of africa.