How the earliest glass production south of the Sahara was found, and what it means
Evidence of sophisticated indigenous glass technology at Ile-Ife, Nigeria, dated to about 1,000 years ago shows the region also contributed to technological innovation and creativity
The story of humankind from the earliest times to the present is in many ways a story about technology. Archaeologists tend to study the development of technology to show how people lived and how they interacted with their environment.
Discoveries of technological innovation and skill in ancient African societies have challenged western theories that had no place for such evidence. Western scholars tried instead to explain these findings as the result of external influence. For example the debate on the invention of iron metallurgy in Africa remains unsettled. And it took several decades before Africans were credited for the construction of the Great Zimbabwe stone architecture...
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