Cambridge Archaeological Journal· 2015Q1
Invention and Innovation in African Iron-smelting Technologies
- 66citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2015year
Short summary
African iron smelting demonstrates significant technological invention, contrary to the narrative of stagnation until European colonization.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- African iron smelting shows evidence of significant technological invention.
- The common European narrative of technological stagnation in Africa until colonization is criticized.
- Low population densities in pre-colonial Africa hindered innovations in mass production and transportation.
- Distinction between invention (creating new tech) and innovation (widespread adoption/improvement) is key.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Sub-Saharan Africa is often characterized by Europeans as a region that saw no significant technological change from the adoptions of agriculture and ironworking until the European colonization of the entire continent after 1880. This article criticizes this view by exploring the distinction between invention and innovation, using African iron smelting as a case study. It argues that there is in fact much evidence for the invention of new technologies in recent African prehistory, but that very low population densities precluded innovations in mass production and transportation.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Cambridge Archaeological Journal, 2015 · DOI ↗
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Field: Archeology (Social Sciences)
ArcheologySocial Sciences