Indigenous African Furnace Types and Slag Composition—Is there a Correlation?

摘要: Within variation, three major iron smelting furnaces were used in the Iron Age of sub-Saharan Africa, ranging from natural draught driven tall shaft to forced powered low and bowl furnaces. These furnace types are, however, mostly known ethnographic context. Often, archaeologists are confronted with remnants process, forcing them speculate on anatomy extant The presence multiple fused tuyeres has been identify archaeological record. However, working back remains such as slag type using physical chemical evidence generally proved be ‘undoable’. Thus, when randomly selected, chances high that one cannot separate slags those formed their or counterparts. This observation is hardly unexpected; analogous thermodynamics thermo-chemical reactions governed bloomery irrespective type. Rehren et al. (2007) have labelled this phenomenon ‘tyranny system constraints’. In study, we argue hierarchical use statistical methods may add another layer which, coupled indicators, useful correlating chemistry antiquity.