AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF IRON SMELTING SITES AT TSAUNI, GIWA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA
AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF IRON SMELTING SITES AT TSAUNI, GIWA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA
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Date
2010-03
Authors
ODOFIN, AKOLADE TINUOYE
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Abstract
The recent archaeological research conducted at Tsauni iron smelting sites, Giwa Local
Government Area, Kaduna state, Nigeria, was essentially a study of the iron smelting at Tsauni
which involved archaeological surveying, excavation, metallurgical analyses and radio carbon
dating. Archaeological surveying of Tsauni in this research project indicates considerable
disparity in the physiographic and material evidence of the north and the south of the area. The
spatial configuration of the material evidence at Tsauni suggests that the location of smelting
sites was predicated on two factors: proximity to source of ore (as indicated in the closeness of
sites to the lateritic outcrops commonly found in the area) and the source of water reflected in
location near streams or gullies. Archaeological excavations conducted in the area also indicate
close affinities between the furnaces used at Tsauni north and south which were draught induced
type and the tuyeres which area also morphologically similar. From the metallurgical analyses of
iron smelting residues, we discovered that mineralogical phases in the slag samples from Tsauni
are essentially similar and are also closely related to samples from some sites in the Zaria region.
Based on technical analyses therefore, we posit, that there were no marked differences in the
pattern of iron smelting within Tsauni and other sites in the Zaria region. The C14 dates from
Tsauni north and south, which fall within the first and fourth centuries AD further corroborate
our view that smelting operations in the two areas were very similar, which goes to suggest that
what have been construed as different sites may actually be the same. The dates appear to be
strongly indicative of the existence of pre-Hausa iron smelters at Tsauni and the possibility that
iron smelting spread to other parts of Zaria area from there.
Description
A THESIS SUBMITTED TO POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL,
AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA IN PARTIAL
FULFILLMENT FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN ARCHAEOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHAEOLOGY,
AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY,
ZARIA, NIGERIA