| Abstract: | The Early Urewe Iron Age Industry plays a key role in the diffusion paradigm of iron metallurgy in sub-Saharan Africa. This technological diffusion is then linked to the expansion of Bantu speakers. The Urewe archaeological sites extend from Zaïre through Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Kenya to Tanzania. The present paper presents a critical evaluation of the 14C and thermoluminescence data associated with Urewe cultural material. It shows this Industry to date to 2500-1300 BP (550 BC - AD 650) and that iron smelting is indeed associated with early dates. Thus the Victoria Lake area is one of the oldest, well dated centres of iron production in Africa. It is at least at the origin of all east and southern Africa's iron smelting techniques. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish. |
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