Iron Age Ceramics In South Africa

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.

Iron age ceramics in south africa.

As demonstrated in this paper such analyses help to understand the technological aspects such as raw materials manufacturing techniques and vessel function. 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. They were directly ancestral to the bantu speaking peoples who form the majority of south africa s population. Tion horizons each with burnt daga remains and separate ceramic.

Ancient near east 1200 550 bc bronze age collapse 1200 1150 bc anatolia caucasus levant europe aegean 1190 700 bc italy 1100 700 bc balkans 1100 bc 150 ad eastern europe 900 650 bc central europe 800 50 bc great britain 800 bc 100 ad northern europe 500 bc 800 ad south asia 1200 200 bc east asia 500 bc 300 ad iron metallurgy in africa iron. In this paper we examine ceramics manufactured and used during the last five centuries aperiodcharacterizedbycomplexsocial economic andpoliticalinteractions among societies. In the shashe limpopo valley the suite of middle iron age sites include ceramics representing zhizo 2229ad26 10th century k2 2229ab6 meyer 1998 2229aa73 murimbika 2006 11th 13th centuries and 2229aa14c huffman 2007 pta 8771 910 50 bp. The roots of southern africa s iron age are in something called the bantu expansion.

Archaeological research should go beyond typologically defined ceramic styles to explore material culture meanings and group interactions. New groups of people arriving in south africa at that time had strong connections to east africa. The late iron age luangwa pottery tradition represents some matrilineal western bantu speakers with an origin in a forest neolithic who moved into parts of central africa previously occupied by patrilineal eastern bantu speakers represented by the chifumbaze complex. Pta 8759 970 20 bp tk2 2229ad35 schoeman 2006 pta 9461 795 15p.

Eastern bantu speaking nguni and sotho tswana. Journal of archaeological science 37 10. Intensive el niño and the iron age of south eastern africa. In southern african iron age studies there are few attempts to systematically apply and include laboratory analyses when studying archaeological ceramic materials.

Because the first farmers had knowledge of ironworking their archaeological sites are characterized as iron age c. Around 200 ce bantu speaking peoples of west central africa expanded to the east and south spreading not only.