Michael S. Bisson

Philip De Barros

Augustin F. C. Holl

Terry S. Childs

O. Vogel, Joseph

Gold. Copper. Iron. Metal working in Africa has been the subject of both public lore and extensive archaeological investigation. Here, four of the leading contemporary researchers on this topic attempt to provide a complete synthesis of current debates and understandings: Where, how, and when was metal first introduced to the continent? How were iron and copper tools, implements, and objects used in everyday life, in trade, in political and cultural contexts? What role did metal objects play in the ideological systems of precolonial African peoples? Substantive chapters address the origins of metal working and the technology and the various uses and meanings of copper and iron. An ethnoarchaeological account in the words of a contemporary iron worker enriches the archaeological explanations. This book provides a comprehensive, timely summary of our current knowledge.

The Sociocultural Context

Ancient African Metallurgy

Ronald F. Williamson

Bruce Trigger has merged the history of archaeology with new perspectives on how to understand the past. He is a critical analyst and architect of social evolutionary theory, an Egyptologist, and an authority on aboriginal cultures in north-eastern North America. His contextualization of archaeology within broader society has encouraged appreciation of the power of archaeological knowledge and he has been an effective voice for non-oppositional forms of argument in archaeological theory. In The Archaeology of Bruce Trigger, leading scholars discuss their own approaches to the interpretation of archaeological data in relation to Trigger's fundamental intellectual contributions Contributors include Michael Bisson (McGill), Stephen Chrisomalis (Toronto), Jerimy J. Cunningham (Calgary), Brian Fagan (Lindbrior Corporation), Clare Fawcett (St. Francis Xavier), Junko Habu (California at Berkeley), Ian Hodder (Stanford), Jane Kelley (Calgary), Martha Latta (Toronto), Robert MacDonald (Archaeological Services Inc.), Randall McGuire (Binghamton), Lynn Meskell (Columbia), Toby Morantz (McGill), Robert Pearce (London Museum of Archaeology), David Smith (Toronto), Peter Timmins (Timmins Martelle Heritage Consultants), Silvia Tomásková (North Carolina), Bruce G. Trigger (McGill), Alexander von Gernet (Toronto), Gary Warrick (Wilfrid Laurier), Ronald F. Williamson (Archaeological Services Inc.), Alison Wylie (Washington), and Eldon Yellowhorn (Simon Frasier)

Theoretical Empiricism

Archaeology of Bruce Trigger

S. Terry Childs

O. Vogel Joseph

Professor Augustin F C Holl

Gold. Copper. Iron. Metal working in Africa has been the subject of both popular lore and extensive archaeological investigation. In this volume, four leading archaeologists attempt to provide a complete synthesis of current debates and understandings: When, how and where was metal first introduced to the continent? How were iron and copper tools, implements, and objects used in everyday life, in trade, in political and cultural contexts? What role did metals play in the ideological systems of precolonial African peoples? Substantive chapters address the origins of African metal working and analyze the specific uses, technology, and ideology of both copper and iron. An ethnoarchaeological account in the words of a contemporary iron worker enriches the archaeological explanations. The volume will be of great value to scholars and students of archaeology, African history, and the history of technology.

Ronald Williamson

Michael S. Bisson

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