importance of iron in africa

The Iron Age Before the Iron Age in southern Africa most people were nomadic and survived by hunting wild animals and gathering wild plants. This essay will argue for the independent discovery of iron smelting technology in sub-Saharan Africa based on discoveries made in Western Africa. Ultimately, iron tools allowed Africans to flourish in every environment, Physically, Africans used iron to create tools for agriculture, utensils for everyday life, and weapons for protection and conquest (Shillington, 2012, p. 45). The topic of early iron-metallurgy in sub-Saharan 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. Today, Great Zimbabwe is the site of the most extensive ruins in Africa south of the Sahara. The journal celebrates writing in all its forms by inviting student authors to submit projects composed across different genres and media. Who are these invaders and what composes their incredible weapons? 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. In areas where people had lived in settled, urban communities for hundreds of years, like Northern Africa, these changes were less pronounced. Many Africanists accept an independent development of the use of iron in Sub-Saharan Africa. Power Figure (Nkisi) [Kongo peoples; Democratic Republic of Congo] (1979.206.127)”. Though people have lived in Africa quite some time, the use of iron tools marks the significant moment of African civilization. The use of coal in South Africa dates back to the iron age (300-1880 AD), when charcoal was used to melt iron and copper, but large-scale exploitationOpen-pit mining account for roughly half of South African coal mining operations, the other half being sub-surface.Environmental impact. MU is an equal opportunity/access/affirmative action/pro-disabled and veteran employer and does not discriminate on the basis of sex in our education programs or activities, pursuant to Title IX and 34 CFR Part 106. When soldiers march past, their polished, bronze armor gleams in the sunlight. Africa is big and what I mentioned above only covers a tiny bit of that continent. The ore would be placed in the belly of the female structure, a word that also translates to life or soul in several African languages (Power Figure/Nail Fetish, n.d.). in the upper Nile and to the fifth century B.C. The Importance of Iron in Aquaponics | Service Providers to the Aquaculture Industry throughout Africa Fish Farming and Aquaculture Products +27 46 622 3690 info@aquaafrica.co.za History of Africa. Iron-rich rocks are found all over the world but the rocks are only ore-grade and suited for commercial production in … Kumba Iron Ore produces high quality lump (64.0% Fe) and high grade sinter fines (63.5% Fe). 6.0 The History of Iron Mining in South Africa ... important aims: stimulate domestic demand, accelerate infrastructure development, strengthen labor arbitration processes, allow private investment in infrastructure, and develop workforce-training programs. From the cars we drive and the bridges we drive on, to the skyscrapers that line our country’s skylines to the wind turbines generating power throughout the nation, iron mining has built America. Then, with each use of the figure, a nail or other piece of metal was embedded into it, adding to its power. In the period from 1400 to 1600, iron technology appears to have been one of a series of fundamental social assets that facilitated the growth of significant centralized kingdoms in the western Sudan and along the Guinea coast of West Africa. However, since the discovery and subsequent use of iron in Central Africa by the first millennium, the metal became a central part of the Kikongo spiritual world as indicated through the several nails imbedded in the bodies of minkisi available at this and other museums around the world. Great Zimbabwe, extensive stone ruins of an African Iron Age city. Iron ore is found in rocks in many parts of Africa. The use of metal in this particular religious object was incorporated after the original ceremony had been created. A variety of analytical approaches are commonly used by archaeometallurgists to learn more about past iron technologies, particularly those methods that explore the chemistry and mineralogy of archaeological samples. Thus the miracle of creating iron out of dirt was comparable to the miracle of procreation. Most chiefdoms were small in size and people did not regard land as property. Not all minkisi were associated with iron. Iron-bearing ores are much more abundant in the earth’s crust than those of copper, and in Africa, iron was recovered from these ores using the bloomery process, until the importation of European iron in the later second millennium eventually undermined local production. For PGMs, gold, iron ore and export coal, we find that 47 percent of South Africa’s mining jobs, along with 42 percent of revenues, are in Spiritually, Africans considered iron potent. In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. In addition, they could capture strong animals like the elephants, which they used during wars (“Early Iron Age in Sub Saharan Africa,” n.d.). The Mining of Iron Ore in South Africa. New York City: St. Martin’s. millennium cal BC been as carefully studied, or so fully. The central area of ruins extends about 200 acres (80 hectares); it is the largest of more than 150 major stone ruins found in Zimbabwe and Mozambique. • Iron Age: was the time in history when humans discovered iron and learned how to make and use iron tools. Evidence of iron-working dates to the sixth century B.C. View Iron Age Technology and Agriculture Development in African Societies Research Papers on Academia.edu for free. Why not abandon it and send the manpower to the fight in Europe? North Africa and the Nile Valley imported its iron technology from the Near East and followed the Near Eastern pattern of development from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age. ­Humans have come up with countless uses for iron, from carpentry tools and culinary equipment to complicated machinery and instruments of torture. They also made ornaments and jewelry from iron and copper. Minkisi provide us with a unique opportunity to understand the cultural power of iron in early African societies. 3rd ed. Just a question for some of the WW2 historians. In the 13th and 14th centuries CE, when it was the principal city of a major state, its population exceeded 10,000 inhabitants. Ethiopia 2. The fabrication of iron tools and weapons allowed for the kind of extensive systematized agriculture, efficient hunting, and successful warfare necessary to sustain … Your "iron level" is checked before each blood donation to determine if it is safe for you to give blood. Iron was used in West Africa for tools and for weapons. Iron ore smelter International sales of iron ore exported by country totaled US$122.5 billion in 2019, increasing by 74.2% since 2015 when iron ore shipments were valued at $70.3 billion and expanding 30.3% from 2018 to 2019. The Iron Age was a period in human history that started between 1200 B.C. In South Africa our iron ore operations are made up of a 69.7% shareholding in Kumba Iron Ore Limited (Kumba), a leading supplier of seaborne iron ore. Kumba is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and operates three mines. Two areas of sub-Saharan Africa have emerged as candidates for areas where iron smelting could have developed, the Western Africa region around the Niger-Nigeria border or north-western Tanzania. In most regions, the primary metal for making tools was bronze, an alloy composed of copper and tin. There isn't a huge pool of resources, the infrastructure is low and my troops suffer attrition from the desert climate. Meanwhile, civilian use increased, as everything which could be made of iron began to be in demand, even window frames. In conclusion, during the Iron Age, twins played an important, spiritual role among several societies of West Africa. It is the sedimentary Precambrian rocks, particularly in western Africa, that have proved the basis of Africa’s role as a major world producer of iron ore. University of Missouri Museum of Art and Archeology African Exibit, Columbia Missouri. The introduction of iron working was said to be an important turning point in Old World history, and this applies specifically in sub-Saharan Africa (Barros 2000, 147). Iron benefits to the body includes improving cognitive function, treating anemia, supporting the muscle, aiding oxygen circulation, boosting the immune system, treating fatigue, restless leg syndrome that is a result of iron deficiency, act as neurotransmitter and helps reverse insomnia. (n.d.) Exibit. From a continental perspective, Oceania (mostly Australia) sold the greatest amount of exported iron ore at 53.8% of the global total. The early African farmers used iron to make spear tips, hammers, hoes and axes. By that time, much of Europe had settled into small village life, toiling the soil with bronze and stone tools. The museum’s nkisi is a wooden male figure approximately two to three feet tall. Artifacts is sponsored by The Campus Writing Program. Food processing techniques and indigenous fermented beverages 19. It damages The ore is distributed with 20.4 percent in Northern Africa, 40% in Western Africa, 24.5% in Central Africa and 15.1% in Eastern and Southern Africa. ... part of sub-Saharan Africa has iron working in the first. 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. The first farmers mined the iron ore and figured out how to turn the … Iron tools enhanced weaponry, allowed groups to clear and manage dense forests, plow fields for farming, and basically better everyday lives. Iron deficiency, and specifically iron deficiency anaemia, remains one of the most severe and important nutritional deficiencies in the world today. New groups of people arriving in South Africa at that time had strong connections to East Africa. Most details preserved are on the head, with a realistic portrayal of a human face and neck. and 600 B.C., depending on the region, and followed the Stone Age and Bronze Age. Iron played a central role in many societies of early Africa. Overall, the value of iron ore imports for all importing countries increased by an average 58.1% since 2015 when iron ore purchases were valued at $91.4 billion. 18. Mostly, agricultural and military practices were improved. By interpreting the results of these analyses in conjunction with ethnographic, historical, and experimental data, it is possible to reconstruct the techniques and ingredients that past smelters and smiths employed in their crafts, and address important questions concerning the organization of production, the acquisition of raw materials, innovations and changes in technological approach, and the environmental and social changes that accompanied these technologies. Power Figure/Nail Fetish (Nkisi). Apparently, in this case, culture may have adapted to technological advancement. Now iron tools had begun to replace flint tools. Iron-rich rocks are found all over the world but the rocks are only ore-grade and suited for commercial production in … Only one nail is imbedded above the neck and none are below the groin. The Earth's crust is 5 percent iron, and in some areas, the element concentrates in ores that contain as much as 70 percent iron. Shillington, K. (2012). In addition, the development of iron technology is closely correlated with the spread of farming societies in sub-Saharan Africa after 3000 BP. The iron produced was mostly used for everyday items, farming implements, ritual … Africa (excluding South Africa) has iron ore reserve estimated at over 34 billion tons (or some 15 percent of the world’s total), with 11 countries having reserve greater than one billion tons. Aksum (also spelled Axum or Aksoum) is the name of a powerful urban Iron Age Kingdom in Ethiopia that flourished between the first century BC and the 7th/8th centuries AD. Iron played a central role in many societies of early Africa. Good sources of iron. They made bellows, the air pumps used to heat the furnace’s fire, in the shape of male genitals while the furnaces themselves were intentionally constructed to resemble the body a woman (Shillington, 2012, pp. Moreover, in places where iron ore was scarce, traders had to import iron from other regions, suggesting that the production of minkisi was tied to long distance trade. These Late Iron Age farmers left huge numbers of stonewalled settlements throughout South Africa. Then one day, a strange army rides in to conquer your lands. The more active metal has to almost completely corrode before the less active iron or steel begins the process. Characteristics & Importance. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1979.206.127 (October 2006), Ross, E. G. (2000).The age of iron in West Africa. These two commodities are responsible for around two fifths of the country’s mining revenues and jobs. Africa the birth place of Iron • Africa was one of the first places on earth where iron and the use of iron was first discovered. South of the Sahara Desert, however, settled civilizations and iron tools often went hand-in-hand. Indigenous metallurgy with respect to iron and steel in East Africa.. 17. In 730 BCE, the Nubians again invaded northern Egypt, and the Nubian king, Piankhi, moved his capital to Memphis and started Egypt's 25th dynasty. In South Africa our iron ore operations are made up of a 69.7% shareholding in Kumba Iron Ore Limited (Kumba), a leading supplier of seaborne iron ore. Kumba is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and operates three mines. The arrival of iron smelting technology in sub-Saharan Africa played a significant role in shaping the historical record of the area by bringing profound changes to the lives and societies of its inhabitants (Haaland Shinnie 7). Iron is an important component of hemoglobin, the substance in red blood cells that carries oxygen from your lungs to transport it throughout your body. A lack of iron can lead to iron deficiency anaemia. The rise of iron tools signaled some major changes in societies across Africa. Every age group is vulnerable. Believed to be about 600 B.C. Iron deficiency impairs the cognitive development of children from infancy through to adolescence. The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity.It was preceded by the Bronze Age and the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic, and Chalcolithic).The concept has been mostly applied to Europe and the Ancient Near East, and, by analogy, also to other parts of the Old World. The earliest securely dated iron-smelting furnaces in sub-Saharan Africa (ca. For more information, visit MU’s Nondiscrimination Policy or the Office for Civil Rights & Title IX. With the right balance of audacity and pragmatism, regional integration could yield larger dividends COMMENT | Célestin Monga | When Kwame Nkrumah, under whose leadership Ghana became the first African country to claim independence in 1957, was overthrown by a military coup in 1966, few of his fellow citizens shed a tear for his regime. The Iron Age in Egypt began in the period called the Early Iron Age between 1200 and 1000 BC, characterized by the use of irons like sienna iron to create jewelry. in Nigeria. Some societies, such as the Igbo, killed twins out of a greater fear. Because the first farmers had knowledge of ironworking, their archaeological sites are characterized as Iron Age ( c. 200 ce ). The rest of the body, particularly the chest and thoracic area, is imbedded with nails and shards of thin metal. It held both spiritual and material power. gold, most South African operations are at the least competitive end of the global cost curve. Published by Digital Service, 234 Heinkel Building, Columbia, MO 65211, Email: digitalservice@missouri.eduPhone: 573-882-4523, © 2020 — Curators of the University of Missouri. Iron tribute. Iron production was a particularly important precolonial African technology, with iron becoming a central component of socioeconomic life in many societies across the continent. Salt from the Sahara desert was one of the major trade goods of ancient West Africa where very little naturally occurring deposits of the mineral could be found. So, the introduction of iron tools was o… Iron is important in making red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body. African leaders are embracing AfCFTA. I'm playing as Italy, and I'm wondering why I should devote so many resources to the fight in Africa. Spiritually, Africans considered iron potent. 1825 has been called the start of the new Iron Age, as the iron industry experienced a massive stimulation from the heavy demand for railways, which needed iron rails, iron in the stock, bridges, tunnels and more. With iron-deficiency erythropoiesis (also known as marginal iron deficiency), iron stores are depleted and transferrin saturation declines, but hemoglobin levels are usually within the normal range. In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. The Iron Age. The process to create iron was also labor intensive, requiring the construction of bellows and forges, the gathering of ore, and the cutting and burning of wood for charcoal. The practice of using minkisi reveals much about the societies that used them. The body is proportional except for the feet, which seem to be larger to serve as a base to balance on. To make a long story short I just raise a few major points: Smelting happened all over the place in many cultures. The adult minimum daily requirement of iron is 1.8 mg. Only about 10 to 30 percent of the iron you consume is absorbed and used by the body. Because iron ore is the key ingredient of steel, and nearly 95% of the metal used every year around the world is steel – iron is the most frequently used metal in the world. It lies in southeastern Zimbabwe, about 19 miles (30 km) southeast of Masvingo. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History, Department of Archaeology, The University of Sheffield, Early States and State Formation in Africa, Historical Preservation and Cultural Heritage, A Brief Introduction to the Role of Iron in Africa, Experimental Archaeology and Ethnoarchaeology, Understanding African Iron Technologies: Final Thoughts, https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.013.212. tion of important iron working sites, and for study of. Importantly, from a cost perspective iron ore currently only accounts for between 11–13% of ArcelorMittal’s (AMSA) total steel production costs at interim prices. Nevertheless, after the development of the iron industry, the cultural impact of iron in Central Africa was so strong that it did become an integral part of a powerful religious act. Perhaps, the use of iron nails in minkinsi offers just another example of the larger question of whether technological advancements lead to social change or do the social environments lead to technological advancement. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. Part of Issue 12, published in April 2015. The Yoruba loved twins and worshipped them as Gods, knowing that if they did not, the consequences would be dire. Iron is a very hard, strong metal and iron tools made even the toughest soils workable for agriculture. This advance enabled more land to be cleared for agricultural purposes and for hunting skills to be improved and to become far more effective. One of them is the nkisi (pl. A medium-sized country that fits in a square of 1,600 km side and with a total land area of slightly more than 1.2-million km2, it … Year over year, the value of iron ore imports accelerated by 23.6% from 2018 to 2019. 400–200 BCE) were shaft furnaces with multiple bellows and internal diameters between 31-47 inches. Because of the elemental forces wielded to create iron out of earth, smiths were revered, respected, and feared (Ross, 2000). The South African Iron Ore Cluster Page 4 3.0 THE SOUTH AFRICAN ECONOMY TODAY South Africa is located at the southern tip of Africa. Perceptions of time and space in various parts of Africa. Iron is not made in the body and must be absorbed from what you eat. Iron nuts and bolts Globally, purchases of imported iron ore totaled US144.5 billion in 2019. Unearthed on northeastern Minnesota’s Iron Range in 1884, iron mining has long-played, and continues to play, a vital role in every individual’s life. All rights reserved. In Nubia, an Egyptianization of culture began, including the use of Egyptian writing – more of the world's cultural diffusions. Southern Nguni built the first stonewalling in about AD 1300 in the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal. 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. The discourse starts from whether they have enough terminology and vocabulary to be languages of teaching and […] Before iron can be put to any of these uses, however, it has to be mined from the ground. Explain impact of iron technology on the people of Africa i) The discovery of iron technology led to the manufacture of better and efficient tools for farming.For example, iron hoes and panga ii) The use of iron tools enabled people to clear natural vegetation and bring more land under cultivation hence more food The history of South Africa is significant because, it shows a story in history that has been told many times, the story of a need for change, a revolution. Iron production was a particularly important precolonial African technology, with iron becoming a central component of socioeconomic life in many societies across the continent. The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity.It was preceded by the Bronze Age and the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic, and Chalcolithic).The concept has been mostly applied to Europe and the Ancient Near East, and, by analogy, also to other parts of the Old World. This report focuses on the South African iron ore mining sector which produced 78 million tonnes (Mt) of iron ore during 2014. Of this total, 67.2Mt worth US$6.7bn was exported. Although smelting was most intensively focused in regions where all the necessary components of a smelt were plentiful—iron ore, ceramic, fuel, and water—frequent occurrences of small-scale, local iron production mean that iron slag and associated remains are common finds on archaeological sites across Africa. Hematite accounts for approximately 95% of South Africa’s iron ore production. Mining Iron Ore in Africa. If your iron is low, eating a diet that is high in iron-rich foods such as fortified cereals, red meat, dried fruit, and beans may not be enough to give you what you need. The artist who made the museum’s nkisi left the figure’s belly hollow, so that it could be filled with objects of power. The University of Missouri Museum of Art and Archaeology has several artifacts made of iron that were used in religious ceremonies across Africa. Known as Moor Park, this first walling stands in defensive positions on hilltops and spurs. Africa, Iron and Empire The Nubians to 500 BCE. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The archaeological remains found on iron production and iron-working sites can provide detailed information about the past processes that were undertaken at these sites, as well as the people involved with the technologies both as practitioners and consumers. For many decades Africa has been the only place in the world where most children are taught in the language that is not their own. These … Iron ore is the key component in steel, the most widely used of all metals. Imagine you live in the ancient Mediterranean or the Middle East, and plow your fields with strong bronze tools. Among archaeologists, it … There are many examples of minkisi that do not use metal at all (Power). Artifacts is a refereed journal of undergraduate work in writing at The University of Missouri. In order to construct a nkisi, a society had to support artisans who carved the figure, spiritual leaders who made these objects sacred, and smiths who smelt and forged the tools and nails used in the ceremonies. Good sources of iron include: liver (but avoid this during pregnancy) red meat; beans, such as red kidney beans, edamame beans and chickpeas; 57-60). Under the terms of the licence agreement, an individual user may print out a single article for personal use (for details see Privacy Policy and Legal Notice). Role of women in the production of West African textiles such as adire, sanyan, adinkra and kente. Contemporary iron age furnaces in Europe ( La Tène ) were different: the furnaces had a single set of bellows and had internal diameters between 14–26 inches. DMCA and other copyright information. Africa’s most significant iron reserves are to be found in western and Southern Africa. Printed from Oxford Research Encyclopedias, African History. Iron ore prices do not materially influence steel prices in South Africa as steel is priced on the basis of international prices. • 500 B.C. It thus covers a very long period of time and is used to describe a great variety of different societies, from simple village-based farmers and nomadic pastoralists to … Therefore, minkinsi production required specialized workers indicating that societies that used such artifacts were prosperous enough to support a social hierarchy containing members who did not actively participate in food production. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/iron/hd_iron.htm (October 2002). In the period from 1400 to 1600, iron technology appears to have been one of a series of fundamental social assets that facilitated the growth of significant centralized kingdoms in the western Sudan and along the Guinea coast of West Africa. North Africa was complete, marking the beginning of the cultural, religious and ethnic division between Africa north and south of the Sahara. Monthly gold production reached a new monthly low in January, according to data released by Stats SA 1.Although a number of temporary factors might have contributed to the unusually low level, general historical trends show that gold has lost the prominent place it once had in the South African economy. You could not be signed in, please check and try again. The cultural use of minkisi was not dependent on iron nails or pieces of metal. minkisi), a statue that the Kikongo speaking people of Central Africa used to determine the source of chronic problems or find evildoers (Power Figure/Nail Fetish, n.d.). They were directly ancestral to the Bantu-speaking peoples who form the majority of South Africa’s population today. If you are interested in working for Iron Wealth, please email careers@ironwealth.africa with a CV and Cover Letter detailing your … Iron ore is the key component in steel, the most widely used of all metals. Iron made life a lot easier in those days, when just living to the age of 45 was a feat. Iron smelting and forging technologies may have existed in West Africa among the Nok culture of Nigeria as early as the sixth century B.C. Privacy policy, equal opportunity/access/affirmative action/pro-disabled and veteran employer. At this time also the Bantu people had completed their migration from west to southern Africa. Coal in South Africa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Readers of Coetzee’s Age of Iron were able to experience this first hand, and through lecture were able to gain an understanding of South Africa’s history. You watch your powerful armies get defeated quickly; their swords shattering against the strangers' weapons. Finally, there certainly aren't any iron shortages to worry about. The decreasing importance of gold mining in South Africa. This places African languages at the centre of discussion where education is concerned. Without social organization or hierarchy, all members of the group would merely fend for themselves or close friends and family. Kumba Iron Ore is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and operates three mines: Sishen and Kolomela mines situated in the Northern Cape and Thabazimbi mine in the Limpopo province. If this nail nkisi were to be used as a case study to find an answer to this question, it would probably have to be the former explanation. When you compare iron and steel with something like aluminum, you can see why it was so important historically. Artisans carved the basic figure of minkisi while ritual specialists infused spiritual power to the statue. 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