Conny Waters – AncientPages.com – The discovery of a 2,400-year-old metalworking workshop in Senegal offers important new information about the history of iron production in Africa.
Although archaeologists have studied this topic for decades, the origins of iron metallurgy in sub-Saharan Africa remain poorly understood. What is clear, however, is that this technological breakthrough—essential for making more effective agricultural tools—appeared in the region at least 3,000 years ago.
Aerial view of the Didé Ouest 1 iron reduction site following the 2018 excavation, showing an unusual deposit of used tuyères arranged in two semicircles. Credit: Camille Ollier
At an archaeological site in eastern Senegal, an international research team led by the University of Geneva (UNIGE) uncovered remarkably well-preserved remains of an ironworking workshop. Dating to the 4th century BCE and used for nearly 800 years, this site sheds light on late prehistoric metallurgical techniques and practices in Africa.
Globally, the timing of the Iron Age differs by region. In Europe, it is usually dated from around 800 BCE to the end of the 1st century CE. The earliest known evidence of iron production is generally traced to the 2nd millennium BCE in Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) and the Caucasus, from where the technology spread into Europe. Whether ironworking developed independently in Africa, however, is still an open and actively debated question.
Recent excavations led by a team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), in collaboration with the Institut Fondamental d’Afrique Noire (IFAN) in Dakar, have provided important new insights into the origins of iron metallurgy in West Africa.
At the Didé West 1 (DDW1) site, located near the Falémé River valley in eastern Senegal, archaeologists uncovered an exceptionally well-preserved iron-smelting workshop in 2018. This workshop was in use for an unusually long period, from the 4th century BCE to the 4th century CE. Such longevity is remarkable, as iron-smelting sites are generally used for only a few generations before being abandoned or relocated.
The workshop includes:
– A large slag heap containing around one hundred tons of waste from the smelting process
– A semicircular arrangement of about thirty used tuyères—clay pipes used to channel air into the furnace
– Thirty-five circular furnace bases, each about 30 cm deep
Evidence from the site suggests that iron and steel production was carried out on a relatively small scale, primarily to supply local communities. The metal was likely used mainly for making agricultural tools and other everyday implements.
“Thanks to its exceptional state of preservation, its age, the length of time it remained in use, and its distinctive technical features, this site is truly unique. It offers a rare opportunity to study the continuity and adaptation of an iron smelting technique over the long term,” says Mélissa Morel, postdoctoral researcher at the Laboratory of Archaeology of Africa & Anthropology (ARCAN) within the Biology Section of the Faculty of Science at UNIGE, and lead author of the article.
Since 2012, the team has been examining both historical and contemporary techniques used by potters and blacksmiths in the Falémé Valley. Their research has revealed several distinct ancient traditions of iron-ore smelting.
At the site known as DDW1, the layout of the area, the shape and structure of the furnaces, and the types of waste products found all correspond to a tradition labeled FAL02. This tradition is defined by small circular furnaces fitted with a removable chimney and by the presence of large clay tuyères (air conduits).
Credit: Anne Mayor
A notable feature of these tuyères is that, instead of a single air outlet, they contain multiple small openings linked to the main channel by perpendicular side ducts. This configuration helps distribute air evenly to the bottom of the furnace, improving the smelting process. Another distinctive aspect is the use of palm nut seeds as packing material at the furnace base—a technique that has not been documented before in this context.
“Despite the very long period during which this workshop operated, this tradition remained remarkably stable, undergoing only minor technical adjustments. This continuity contrasts with other African metallurgical contexts and highlights the importance of understanding the technical and cultural choices made by early metallurgists in iron production,” explains Anne Mayor, director of the ARCAN laboratory in the Biology Section of the Faculty of Science at UNIGE and senior lecturer and researcher at the Global Studies Institute, who led the project.
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The team’s research is ongoing at additional sites in Senegal, where they are comparing different smelting practices to better understand how ironworking techniques first developed and how they spread over time. So far, only about a dozen sites from the first millennium BCE have been thoroughly documented and reliably dated across West Africa, highlighting how much remains to be discovered about the region’s early ironworking history.
The study was published in the journal African Archaeological Review
Written by Conny Waters – AncientPages.com Staff Writer