What role did iron play in West Africa?

What role did iron play in West Africa?

What role did iron play in West Africa?

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. In the period from 14, iron technology appears to have been one of a series of fundamental social assets that facilitated the growth of significant centralized kingdoms in …

How did the development of iron technology affect life in West Africa?

West Africans discovered they could heat certain kinds of rock to get a hard metal, iron, which they could heat to shape into useful tools and weapons. How did early West Africans use iron? could also make iron tips for arrows and speakers, to defend themselves. useful iron farming tools, like the hoe, for digging.

How did iron working spread in Africa?

The nearby Djenn-Djenno culture of the Niger Valley in Mali shows evidence of iron production from c. 250 BC. The Bantu expansion spread the technology to Eastern and Southern Africa during c.

What was the importance of iron in the growth of African civilization?

The people of Africa, made use of iron tools for clearing the forests and reaping the harvest. Consequently, agriculture developed here at a quick pace. 2. The iron tools helped a lot in manufacturing ivory goods and digging out gold reserves.

Who used iron weapons first?

Western Asia In the Mesopotamian states of Sumer, Akkad and Assyria, the initial use of iron reaches far back, to perhaps 3000 BC. One of the earliest smelted iron artifacts known was a dagger with an iron blade found in a Hattic tomb in Anatolia, dating from 2500 BC.

Why was the Iron Age so important?

During the Iron Age, people across much of Europe, Asia and parts of Africa began making tools and weapons from iron and steel. The use of iron became more widespread after people learned how to make steel, a much harder metal, by heating iron with carbon.

What weapons were used in the Iron Age?

The most common weapons in the Iron Age were swords, spears, axes, and shields. It is revealed from the Iron Age tombs of the men that the princes and noble state persons were armed with bronze armor and helmet, a shield, and iron made attacking weapons; an ax or sword and spear.

What was after Iron Age?

The Iron Age follows on from the Bronze Age. This period begins in Britain with the Roman invasion of Claudius in AD43, and ends in AD410 with Honorius’s withdrawal of the legions. The Roman period is preceded by the Iron Age, and followed by the Early Medieval period.

How did the Iron Age change people’s lives?

Iron made life a lot easier in those days, when just living to the age of 45 was a feat. Iron farming tools, such as sickles and plough tips, made the process more efficient and allowed farmers to exploit tougher soils, try new crops and have more time for other activities.

Where is Iron most commonly found?

Iron is the fourth most abundant element, by mass, in the Earth’s crust. The core of the Earth is thought to be largely composed of iron with nickel and sulfur. The most common iron-containing ore is haematite, but iron is found widely distributed in other minerals such as magnetite and taconite.

How did the Celts make a living?

The Celts lived in round houses with thatched roofs – they were made in the shape of circles, rather than with four walls. Many Celts were farmers, so they grew their own food and learned where they could gather nuts, berries and honey around their village.

Where did Celts originally come from?

The Celts were a collection of tribes with origins in central Europe that shared a similar language, religious beliefs, traditions and culture.

What happened to the Celts?

What Happened to the Celts? Varying waves of innovation, invasion, and other changes meant that the Celts largely disappeared from Continental Europe, with the Roman Empire being particularly responsible for their decline. The Celts mingled with the existing peoples as well as subsequent visitors to the territory.

What were the Celts houses like?

The Celtic tribes lived in scattered villages. They lived in round houses with thatched roofs of straw or heather. The walls of their houses were made from local material. Houses in the south tended to be made from wattle (woven wood) and daub (straw and mud) as there was an ample supply of wood from the forests.

What type of weapons did the Celts use?

Celtic warriors carried long, or oval shaped shields, spears, daggers and long slashing swords made of iron.

Why did Celts built round houses?

Why Were Celtic Houses Round? The Celts lived in round houses to accommodate a large number of people and their possessions. Often many members of the same family lived within one house. Animals often slept in the roundhouses at night so farmers could keep them safe.

What did the Celts do for fun?

For amusement Celts played board games. They were also very fond of music and played flutes and lyres. In good weather, they held horse or chariot races. The Celts also enjoyed hunting wild boar on horseback.

Why are Celts important?

The early Celts created a trading centre of their own near the source of the Danube river in 625BC. It was the most important trading location in the Celtic world for around 150 years; by 450 BC, the Celts expanded their trading network throughout Europe and traded in luxury goods.

What are Celts famous for?

Celts were renowned for their ability to make swords of bronze and iron. Swords were too expensive for many common soldiers so they fought with spears or slings instead.