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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Archaeology in West Africa: A Review of Recent Work and a Further List of Radiocarbon Dates
Author:Sutton, John E.G.ISNI
Year:1982
Periodical:The Journal of African History
Volume:23
Issue:3
Pages:291-313
Language:English
Geographic term:West Africa
Subjects:archaeology
Anthropology and Archaeology
Bibliography/Research
External link:https://www.jstor.org/stable/182097
Abstract:This article surveys the latest archaeological research and dating results for West Africa. For the Iron Age, recent fieldwork has been spread widely: especially noteworthy is that bearing on the history of ancient Ghana and Mali. Work on the Late Stone Age appears by contrast to have been rather patchy lately, although various palaeoecological researches continue to improve our understanding of the changing environments affecting West African populations over the last 10, 000 years. In south-central Niger, moreover, remains of copper-smelting by a stone-using community are dated to around 2000 B.C. From the same region, as also from northern Ghana, comes further evidence for the inception of the Iron Age during the first millenium B.C. The article is prefaced by some critical comments on the citing and interpretation of radiocarbon datings in historical discussions, and on the meaning of 'corrected' and 'calendar dates'. App., graph map, notes.
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