The Southern African Iron Age began around 1 800 years ago, when the Ntu speaking (formerly known as Bantu) peoples moved into the area.
When did the iron age occur in 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 1000 CE when iron smelting was practiced.
Did Africa have the first Iron Age?
African sites are turning up dates as early as 2000-1200 BC. Modern archaeological evidence identifies the start of large-scale iron production in around 1200 BC, marking the end of the Bronze Age.
When was metal first used in Africa?
Although this review principally concerns Africa south of the Sahara desert, the earliest evidence of metal production and use was in Egypt. Copper was first used there around 5000–4000 BCE and was being smelted by 3000 BCE.
When did the iron age begin and end?
1200 до Рождества Христова – 332 до Рождества Христова
Are we still in the Iron Age?
There are very few references to iron (σιδηρος) in Homer: this is the Bronze Age after all, or rather a tale of the Bronze Age. … Our current archaeological three-age system – Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age – ends in the same place, and suggests that we haven’t yet left the iron age.
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.
Which city is the oldest iron making center?
Excavations at Taruga revealed the oldest known Nok culture settlement, inhabited between the 4th & 2nd century BCE. The remains of perhaps 13 iron-smelting furnaces were discovered at Taruga alone (55 km southeast of Abuja).
Who first discovered iron?
The ancient Hittites of Asia Minor, today’s Turkey, were the first to smelt iron from its ores around 1500 BC and this new, stronger, metal gave them economic and political power.
What Caused the Iron Age?
Earthquakes, famine, sociopolitical unrest and invasion by nomadic tribes may also have played a role. Some experts believe that a disruption in trade routes may have caused shortages of the copper or tin used to make bronze around this time. Metal smiths, as a result, may have turned to iron as an alternative.
What metals were found in Africa?
Africa is richly endowed with mineral reserves and ranks first or second in quantity of world reserves of bauxite, cobalt, industrial diamond, phosphate rock, platinum-group metals (PGM), vermiculite, and zirconium.
Where is iron found in Africa?
In Southern Africa most iron ore reserves lie in South Africa itself. The chief deposits are at Postmasburg, in the Bushveld Complex, at Thabazimbi, and in the vast low-grade deposits of Pretoria. There are also substantial reserves in Zimbabwe.
What is smelting in Africa?
The Iron Age of Africa is generally considered to have taken place between 200 AD and 1000 AD when iron smelting was a practice. … The advantages of Iron are obvious, easier to cut trees with and easier to shave stone. In the 2nd millenium BC, it is believed that Western Asians invented the process of iron smelting.
What age was 8000 BC?
10,000 years ago (8,000 BC): The Quaternary extinction event, which has been ongoing since the mid-Pleistocene, concludes.
What age comes after Iron Age?
The Ages
| Age | Time | Period Name |
|---|---|---|
| Stone Age | – 3.000 BC | Neolithic |
| Bronze Age | 6.000 – 2.000 | Copper Age |
| 3.000 BC – 500 AD | Bronze Age | |
| Iron Age | 1.000 BC – now | Iron Age |
When did humans start using metal?
Ancient man first found and began using Native Metals approximately 5000 years BC. Over the next 2000 years, leading up to the Bronze age, man mastered how to find, manipulate and use these native metals in better ways and in a range of applications. Nuggets of gold were often the easiest to find and use.