Browsing by Author "Lyaya, Edwinus Chrisantus"

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    Archaeological Field Research at Ifakara, Tanzania
    (Nyame Akuma, 2008) Lyaya, Edwinus Chrisantus
    This paper reports on field research conducted at Ifakara, east-central Tanzania (Figure 1). Ifakara is terra incognito archaeologically speaking because until this fieldwork research, nothing had been reported from this part of Tanzania. The field work was designed (1) to conduct an ethnoarchaeological survey with a view to assess public awareness of cultural heritage, (2) to conduct extensive archaeological survey to discover sites, and (3) to study modern iron smiths. This paper is based on preliminary analysis and presents results of the field research. Results indicate that Ifakara is archaeologically significant.
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    Archaeological Field Research in Njombe, Tanzania
    (Nyame Akuma, 2008) Lyaya, Edwinus Chrisantus
    This report is based on field research conducted at Njombe, southern Tanzania (Figure 1). The field research focused on investigating the bio-metallurgy of Bena ironworking and excavating Nundu iron smithing site. The results for this study indicate that while Bena iron workers were species-selective during iron working and that Nundu is an incontrovertibly smithing site in the southern highlands of Tanzania.
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    Archaeology of Hehe Iron Smelting Technology at Kalenga, Southern Tan zania
    (Studies in the African Past, 2012) Lyaya, Edwinus Chrisantus
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    Bio-archaeometallurgy, Technology, and Spatial Organization of Ironworking at Mjimwema, Njombe Tanzania
    (UCL, 2011) Lyaya, Edwinus Chrisantus
    Amongst the features of ironworking of sub-Saharan Africa can be counted: (1) the critical incorporation of rituals, symbolism, and medicines; (2) that some societies produced bloomery iron through two stages - namely, iron smelting and smithing - while others, employed a three-stage process where an iron refining process was situated between the former two stages; (3) that while iron smelting activities were generally secluded from the general population, iron refining and smithing were more often carried out in or near villages. The purpose of the current work is to examine the available archaeometallurgical remains of ironworking in order to investigate how the Mjimwema ironworking technology in Tanzania relates to these three features of the African ironworking process. To this end, methods including macroscopic examination of the remains, ethnohistorical exploration of the process, and botanical classification of the bioarchaeometallurgical samples have been used. The results indicate that the ironworking at Mjimwema followed the two-stage process, and that the ironworking process symbolised the process of pregnancy and child-birth. With regard to the latter finding, it is argued that in order to fully understand the justification of the incorporation of rituals and medicines in the technology, we ought to give equal research attention to the socio-cultural contexts within which the technology operated. It is also argued that the same socio-cultural conditions explain the seclusion of both smelting and smithing activities from residential areas.
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    The Bloom Refining Technology in Ufipa, Tanzania (1850-1950)
    (Archaeopress, 2012) Lyaya, Edwinus Chrisantus; Mapunda, Bertram Baltazar; Thiro, Rehren
    The classification of African metalliferous relics generally lacks clarity, because African ironworking involved variable processes. The purpose of this paper was to find out how the refining process was related to or different from the smelting process, macroscopically, chemically, and microscopically. Macroscopically, refining sites or clusters in the field can be differentiated from smelting clusters based on attributes such as area size, slag morphology, quantity and composition of the remains. Chemically, it has been difficult to draw a line between the two processes, but there is a significant difference between the two based on microstructural analyses. Refining slag principally contain roundish iron prills indicative of a highly reducing process if compared to the smelting process, which results in more angular ferritic iron particles. These results indicate that the refining process was meant to consolidate incoherent and slag-rich bloom fragments into larger, denser and possibly more carbon-rich metal ready to be forged into high-quality implements.
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    From Fipa to Nyiha Case Study: The Bloom Refining Process in Mbozi, Tanzania
    (Nyame Akuma, 2010) Lyaya, Edwinus Chrisantus
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    Making metals in East Africa and beyond: archaeometallurgy in Azania, 1966–2015
    (Rooutledge, 2015) Lyaya, Edwinus Chrisantus; Louise, Iles
    Over the course of the last 50 years, the field of archaeometallurgy has grown dramatically, becoming firmly established within the realm of archaeological science. The archaeology and ethnography of African metallurgy have made a major contribution to this field, providing valuable information on the impressive range of raw materials and techniques that past metal producers and metalworkers used, as well as providing important insights into the socio-cultural settings within which these technologies operated. This paper summarises the role that Azania has played in communicating some of this research, and charts the development of African archaeometallurgy through Azania’s pages.
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    Metallurgy in Tanzania
    (Springer, 2014) Lyaya, Edwinus Chrisantus; Mapunda, Bertram Baltazar
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    Re-visiting African Bloom Refining Technology in Tanzania
    (Nyame Akuma, 2009) Lyaya, Edwinus Chrisantus
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    Use of charcoal species for ironworking in Tanzania
    (2015) Lyaya, Edwinus Chrisantus
    The study of the chemistry and physics of African metal production has received more attention than the biology of African metal production (tree, plant and animal species that were part and parcel of ironworking processes), because archaeometallurgists rarely attempt to explain the properties of such species; for example, accounting for their selection for metal production and processing. One possible reason for such omissions is the rarity or lack of evidence as compared to slags, furnace walls and tuyères, which are common and durable materials on ironworking sites. In order to redress this discrepancy, this paper presents an investigation of ethnographic tree species, alongside the criteria used to select such species for charcoal production, as well as their socio-cultural uses. It becomes apparent that in this part of the continent ironworkers did not practice omnivorous consumption of wood for ironworking, but instead they were species selective. Selection criteria for preferred species were dependent on both technical aspects and socio-culturally relevant parameters. It is argued here that due to species selection, it is improbable that ironworking technology led directly to total deforestation.