Innovation, tradition, and metals at Kilwa Kisiwani*

Abstract

In this paper, we explore themes of creativity and innovation through a case study of iron production at Kilwa Kisiwani. Evidence of large-scale metal extraction was uncovered at the site and archaeometallurgical analyses were carried out to understand the associated technological traditions. We suggest that iron smelters at Kilwa Kisiwani employed a tapping technique to facilitate slag removal, may have used lime as a flux, and practiced the craft with a high degree of consistency. The paper proposes that technological traditions and the scale of production found at Kilwa are unparalleled elsewhere along the East African coast. The singularity of such technical traditions leads us to argue for the innovative character of craftspeople at the site. We discuss sources of inspiration and dynamics of communal creativity leading to the formation and consolidation of a new technical approach to iron extraction in the Swahili region.

Metadata

Item Type:

Article

Authors/Creators:

Baužytė, Ema
Barfod, Gry
Wynne-Jones, Stephanie https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3005-8647

Funding Information: Archaeometallurgical work was conducted as part of the first author’s PhD and funded by the Danish National Research Foundation (DNRF119) as part of the Urbnet Centre of Excellence, Aarhus University. Research at Kilwa was completed under the auspices of the Songo Mnara Urban Landscape project, directed by Stephanie Wynne-Jones and Jeffrey Fleisher under COSTECH permit number 2016-219-ER-2009-46 and Antiquities Division excavation license # ERV7570058. It was funded by the National Science Foundation, US (BCS-1123091) and the Arts and Humanities Research Council, UK (AH/J502716/1). Access to materials was facilitated by Jeffrey Fleisher and Mark Horton. We would also like to thank the Antiquities staff at Kilwa Masoko, particularly Revocatus Bugumba, for his help during fieldwork. Professor Bertram Mapunda read an earlier draft of this paper and we are grateful for his engagement. We would also like to extend our sincerest gratitude to the anonymous reviewers for their invaluable insights and constructive comments on the earlier version of this paper. Funding Information: *Archaeometallurgical work was conducted as part of the first author’s PhD and funded by the Danish National Research Foundation (DNRF119) as part of the Urbnet Centre of Excellence, Aarhus University. Research at Kilwa was completed under the auspices of the Songo Mnara Urban Landscape project, directed by Stephanie Wynne-Jones and Jeffrey Fleisher under COSTECH permit number 2016-219-ER-2009-46 and Antiquities Division excavation license # ERV7570058. It was funded by the National Science Foundation, US (BCS-1123091) and the Arts and Humanities Research Council, UK (AH/J502716/1). Access to materials was facilitated by Jeffrey Fleisher and Mark Horton. We would also like to thank the Antiquities staff at Kilwa Masoko, particularly Revocatus Bugumba, for his help during fieldwork. Professor Bertram Mapunda read an earlier draft of this paper and we are grateful for his engagement. We would also like to extend our sincerest gratitude to the anonymous reviewers for their invaluable insights and constructive comments on the earlier version of this paper. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 by the Board of Trustees of Boston University.

Keywords:

Africa, Craft, Iron working, Smelting, Swahili

Dates: