Which African culture is considered to be the first to smelt create iron for tools and weapons?

Which African culture is considered to be the first to smelt create iron for tools and weapons?

The Nok culture was one of the earliest known societies of Western Africa. It existed in modern-day Nigeria from around 500 B.C.E. to 200 C.E. The Nok farmed crops and used iron tools.

How did early West African use iron?

Iron played a central role in many societies of early Africa. It held both spiritual and material power. Physically, Africans used iron to create tools for agriculture, utensils for everyday life, and weapons for protection and conquest (Shillington, 2012, p.

What is the significance of a blacksmith in African culture?

To these African civilizations, iron had become the key to their development and survival, and it was worshiped as such. The Ife and Oyo people believe that the blacksmith has the power to express the spirit of Ogun, the god of iron, because they create iron, which is the foundation for their survival.

What tools did they use in the Iron Age?

The following is a list of some major Iron Age tools:

• Ard.
• Iron sickles.
• Coulter.
• Plowshare.
• Swords.
• Lances.
• Spear.
• Rotary quern.

Why did diverse cultures develop in Africa?

Why did diverse cultures develop in Africa? Because of trade, different beliefs and other advances in every civilization.

In which parts of Africa did ironworking first take place?

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 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 …

What tools did they use in the iron Age?

What are the tools used by a blacksmith?

The principal tools are hand hammers and sledgehammers, a great number and variety of chisels, punches and drifts and a selection of tongs with bits or jaws of various shapes.

What is the history of blacksmithing?

Blacksmithing origins first trace back to 1500 BC when the Hittites discovered the process of forging and tempering iron ore. Launching into the Iron Age, a process to produce wrought iron was developed through reducing natural iron ore with heat.

What did blacksmiths use to heat their forges?

Bellows helped concentrate air into the forge to make the fire hotter. Up until the late 1800s, when many were replaced by rotatory fans, blacksmiths classically used bellows to heat their forages.

Why are blacksmiths so important in West Africa?

The unseen participation of both ancestral and spiritual forces also lightens the workload. Blacksmiths in West Africa are responsible for the production of agricultural tools and weapons but also for important regalia and protective amulets.

When did blacksmithing begin in the Hittites?

Blacksmithing began millennia ago, when the Hittites began to forge and temper iron around 1500 B.C. It was crude, as all they had were basic tools and fire, but it sufficed for creating weapons such as spearheads and arrows. They were hampered by their scientific understanding of the properties of iron, however.

When did iron smelting start 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.