Iron Technology in East Africa: Symbolism, Science, and Archaeology [Paperback]

Peter R. Schmidt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 22, 1997 | ISBN-10: 0253211093 | ISBN-13: 978-0253211095

"... one of the best books yet written on preindustrial African ironworking." —Geoarchaeology

"Peter Schmidt has written an important synthesis of two decades' work on the iron technology of the Haya people of Tanzania." —African Studies Review

"... essential reading for archaeologists, anthropologists, and historians of East Africa... " —International Journal of African Historical Studies

"In Schmidt's skillful and sensitive hands... the topic comes alive as a vital sociology of knowledge in ways that will interest a great many readers, both in and outside of archaeology and African Studies." —Choice

Peter R. Schmidt distills more than 20 years of research on the technological, historical, and cultural dimensions of African iron production from ancient times to the recent past. His investigation of the rich symbolism surrounding traditional methods of iron production sheds light on the history of iron technology and reveals its central cultural role.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Peter R. Schmidt is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Florida, editor of The Culture and Technology of African Iron Production, and co-editor (with Roderick J. McIntosh) of Plundering Africa's Past.

Product Details

• Paperback: 344 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press (June 22, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0253211093
• ISBN-13: 978-0253211095
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,686,499 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very welcome surprise, August 28, 2001

By 

Mark E. Hall (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Iron Technology in East Africa: Symbolism, Science, and Archaeology (Paperback)

This book comes as a very welcome surprise. For most of the 1980s and 1990s, Western anthropologists and archaeologists have been in upheveal or which -ism (functionalism, Marxism, structuralism, etc.) provides the best insights into explaining human behavior. As indicated in the sub-title of this book, this book manages to combine several of these -isms, and the result is a fairly interesting and thought-provoking study. The book opens with an overview on how Western scholars viewed sub-Saharan African ironworking up through the 1970s. The review stops in the 1970s, since it was then that serious archaeological and historical research began on sub-Saharan metallurgy. Some general readers will probably find parts of chapters 2, 3, and 4, boring or difficult. Having said this, this doesn't mean Schmidt is a bad writer-he is not. Its in these chapters that Schmidt reviews a variety of the -isms current in anthropology and archaeology and states how and why he wants to use them in his study. He then deals with the archaeological and ethnohistoric material in light of the theories he has discussed. Chapters 5 through 8 contain the science and archaeology. Schmidt presents the results of his ethnographic and experimental iron smelts and applies them to the archaeological record. The evidenc epoints to the Haya and other East African groups as having a fairly complex iron smelting technology. The furnace design incorporated pre-heating, and furnace temperatures could easily reach over 1200 degrees centigrade. One can debate whether this was intentional or accidental, but Schmidt demonstrates the Haya and other East African groups could do it consistently. The most controversial chapters of the book are the last two. In these, Schmidt takes the present day symbolic and ritual world of Haya iron smelters and projects it onto to the archaeological remains. While a strong case is made linking iron production and fertility rituals, one has to seriously question the assumption that the meaning of symbols remained unchanged for over 2000 years. Overall, this book is a welcome addition to the archaeological and anthropological literature. Schmidt tries to merge and apply a variety of disparate theories, and has suceeded in writing a very thought-provoking book.