Southern
Africa's Copper ingots

"Awọn ingotu Kopa ti Apa Guusu Africa" YORUBA

"Imingcele yensimbi yekhofi yeNingizimu Afrika" ZULU

"Amathafa eCopper eMzantsi Afrika" XHOSA

5th-20th century CE

Country Zimbabwe

Timeline 5th-20th century CE

Current state Excavated, housed in various museums (e.g., Museum of Human Sciences in Harare, Zimbabwe; Livingstone Museum in Livingstone, Zambia). Some still being discovered and studied.

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Southern Africa has rich copper ore deposits exploited by precolonial populations to manufacture various copper ingots (rectangular, fishtail, croisette). Ingots used as stores of copper, prestige items, and possibly currency. Production involved smelting and casting, traded over long distances across the region.

Testimony

Testify to advanced metallurgical skills and extensive trade networks of precolonial African societies. Ability to mine, smelt, and cast copper into standardized ingots indicates high technological expertise and organization. Widespread distribution highlights interconnectedness of communities and participation in long-distance trade.

“

Rich heritage of metallurgical innovation and economic exchange in Southern Africa. Showcases ingenuity and craftsmanship of precolonial African societies and their ability to produce and trade valuable commodities. Source of pride for contemporary African communities, highlighting ancestors' contributions to metallurgy and trade. Provides valuable insights into cultural and technological achievements of precolonial Africa.

Academic source

PLOS ONE article on copper ingots <br> NCBI article on copper ingots <br> Show Me Mizzou article on copper artifacts <br> SAIMM article on pre-colonial mining <br> Wikipedia article on copper metallurgy in Africa

Citations

[4] https://oxfordre.com/anthropology/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780190854584.001.0001/acrefore-9780190854584-e-64?d=%2F10.1093%2Facrefore%2F9780190854584.001.0001%2Facrefore-9780190854584-e-64&p=emailAuVTvXI2vjxto [6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper_metallurgy_in_Africa [11] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329783054_Azania_Archaeological_Research_in_Africa_Copper_wire_objects_from_Jahunda_and_Little_Mapela_technology_value_systems_and_networks_in_Iron_Age_southern_Africa [13] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/345918784_Preindustrial_Mining_and_Metallurgy_in_Africa [14] https://journals.udsm.ac.tz/index.php/sap/article/download/2769/2818 [1] https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0282660 [2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10032518/ [3] https://www.saimm.co.za/Journal/v100n01p049.pdf [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper_metallurgy_in_Africa [5] https://showme.missouri.edu/2023/copper-artifacts-unearth-new-cultural-connections-in-southern-africa/ [6] https://new.nsf.gov/news/copper-artifacts-unearth-new-cultural-connections [7] https://www.archaeology.org/news/11310-230328-africa-copper-ingots

Archive record

AFR·HER·0010

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Other traditions of Zimbabwe

The tradition lives on many forms.

Ishango Bone

18,000 - 20,000 BCE

Nabta Playa

7500 BCE - 3000 BCE

Yoruba Numeration System

Ancient times - Present

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Living Traditions Southern Africa's Copper ingots AFR·HER·0010