Africa in the Iron Age: C.500 BC-1400 ADAfrica in the Iron Age is a comprehensive and authoritative introduction to African history between about 500 B.C. and A.D. 1400. The authors are not so much concerned with a particular technological revolution as the enormous changes - political, social and economic - that took place during the period 500 B.C.-A.D. 1400 all over the African continent. The book falls into three parts. Early chapters describe conditions about 500 B.C. when North Africa is already in the Bronze Age, Middle Africa is engaged in Stone Age farming and south of the Sahara most men live by hunting and gathering food. Between 500 B.C. and A.D. 1000 life in settled communities becomes normal throughout the continent. Finally, the Iron Age sees the rise of state systems, the development of long-distance trade and the spread of Islam and Monophysite Christianity. Any study of this period has to combine historical and archaeological methods in the search for evidence and in the subsequent interpretation of data. While literary evidence does exist for the period, Iron Age archaeology necessarily supplies most of the evidence examined. Roland Oliver is a leading African historian and the author of several standard books on the subject. Brian Fagan is an acknowledged expert on African Iron Age archaeology. |
Contents
Northern Africa at the end of the Bronze Age | 1 |
Early food production in middle Africa | 12 |
Late Stone Age huntergatherers in Africa south of the Equator | 22 |
Northeast Africa and the Greekspeaking world | 33 |
North Africa and its invaders from 500 BC till the Arab conquests | 47 |
SubSaharan West Africa in the Early Iron Age 500 BC to AD 1000 | 59 |
Westcentral Africa around the first millennium AD | 70 |
East Africa to about the eleventh century | 81 |
Muslim Egypt and Christian Nubia | 119 |
Christianity and Islam in northeast Africa | 132 |
The eastern Maghrib and the central Sudan during the early Muslim period | 145 |
The western Maghrib and Sudan c 7001250 | 157 |
Mali and its neighbours c 12501450 | 169 |
West Africa south of Hausaland c 7001400 | 180 |
Eastern Africa and the outside world c 10001400 | 191 |
States and trading systems of central Africa c 10001400 | 203 |
Southcentral Africa to the eleventh century | 93 |
South of the Limpopo and the Kalahari | 106 |
Suggestions for further reading | 215 |
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Common terms and phrases
African History agricultural Almoravid Arab archaeological Atlas Axum Bantu Berbers Bronze Byzantine Carthage cattle central centre century A.D. Christian coast coastal Congo basin conquest copper culture desert Dimple-based dynasty Early Iron Age East eastern Egypt Egyptian eleventh century Ethiopian evidence excavations Fatimids Fezzan food production fourth century frontier Ghana Gokomere gold Hausaland Hoggar Ifriqiya Indian Ocean Iron Age sites Islam ivory Journal of African Kanem Kenya Khoikhoi Kilwa king kingdom Lake language Late Stone Age Leopard's Kopje Limpopo lived Maghrib Mali medieval Meroe Meroitic miles millennium B.C. Morocco Muslim Negro Nguni Niger Nile ninth century North Africa northern Nubia pastoral pastoralists period plateau population pottery probably radiocarbon dates Red Sea region Rhodesia Roman Sahara Sanhaja savanna settlement slaves Sofala Somali Soninke south-central Africa southwards spread Stone Age Sudan Sudanic belt Tanzania Tichitt town trade tradition valley wares West Africa western Zambezi Zambia Zimbabwe