Would I be correct in saying that pre-colonial West-Africa was basically neolithic but with iron tools? What other advancements makes West-Africas' neolithic distinct from it's iron age besides well, iron?
>>18405886It was rapidly approaching the Early Bronze Age. It would have gotten there if not for the Wh*te Man
>>18406092>It was rapidly approaching the Early Bronze Age>despite having iron working for ages alongside other forms of metal workingYou and OP need to search up the definitions for things before throwing out statements.
>>18406094They imported iron from North Africa. They bypassed the bronze entirely. The few iron smelteries they had were very low yield.
>>18406097>They imported iron from North AfricaRelevance?
>>18406099They did not independently produce significant quantities of iron. They were mostly dependant on imported iron.
>>18406100>They did not independently produce significant quantities of iron.Relevance?
Technically Early Iron Age barey
>>18406097Is that even true? West-Africa was sparsely populated iirc. They didn't need tons of iron.
>>18406116The Bantus produced enough iron tools to just hand them out to hunter-gatherers in exchange for snackies.
>>18406097> They imported iron from North Africa. They bypassed the bronze entirely.They still used bronze for art and had indigenous iron-working.
>>18405886>Would I be correct in saying that pre-colonial West-Africa was basically neolithic but with iron tools?Considering the -lithic periods are designated so entirely because of the material the tools are made out of, no. "Neolithic" does not actually imply anything specific other than complex stone tools and agriculture.> What other advancements makes West-Africas' neolithic distinct from it's iron age besides well, iron?Neolithic dinstinct from its Iron age.Urbanism, Monarchies, Pictographic writing, extended trade networks, state infrastructure projects, complex religious practices, Abugida Writing (Arabic).That said, you could ask just about the same thing about Iron age Gaul and come out with a similar answer.>>18406100Where do you get this information?Everything I have read implies that African societies were largely self-sufficient in Iron. With massive professional smelting facilities especially in the sahel, where they made iron for export.
>Would I be correct in saying that pre-colonial West-Africa was basically neolithic but with iron tools?No it wouldn't >What other advancements makes West-Africas' neolithic distinct from it's iron age besides well, iron?Indoor plumbing, multi floor buildings, reverse engineering of firearms, advanced agricultural techniques, sophisticated statecraft >>18406116>West-Africa was sparsely populated iirc.The Sokoto Caliphate alone had a population between 10 to 20 million
>>18406100That's false.>>18406121West Africans aren't Bantus
>>18406334In fairness, all of that was after European contact and the columbian exchange, an event whose consequences for Africa are really ignored.Not that it was that different before that, thoughie.
>>18406338I know that, it was just an easily recalled example that would go counter to the relevant claim.
>>18406341>In fairness, all of that was after European contact and the columbian exchangeNot really especially considering that only the coastal areas had contacts with European merchants and even those were relatively limited.
>>18406355The columbian exchange was deeply significant to people's that didn't have direct contact with Europeans. Manioc, Maize, Potatoes, these crops elicited massive changes in the societies they were introduced to.Iirc Manioc is currently the staple crop most of west africa lives off, replacing more traditional grains like sorghum or millet.
>>18406367>Iirc Manioc is currently the staple crop most of west africa lives off, replacing more traditional grains like sorghum or millet.Maybe now, Yam was overwhelming more popular in the pre colonial period.And you are overselling the impact that the introduction of American crops had in those societies. Highly centralized state existed even before the Columbian exchanged and traditional crops like millet and yam were still dominant in agriculture.
