Dr. Kevin MacDonald

But the making of iron is a sacred process. It's an ideological process. It's giving birth to something which was not there before. And so in a sense, smiths are almost like sorcerers. And also, therefore, that makes it to me all the more probable that the Smiths are also linked to the making of these statues.

If we look at much more historic situations, again, in the Mandate world, so particularly in Mali, and there's a great book by McNaughton on the Mandate blacksmiths, which is worth looking at. because it gives a lot of the historical context of blacksmiths in this area. You know, blacksmiths are a caste in and of themselves. They're part of what's called the Nyama Kalah, those who shave Nyama.

If we look at much more historic situations, again, in the Mandate world, so particularly in Mali, and there's a great book by McNaughton on the Mandate blacksmiths, which is worth looking at. because it gives a lot of the historical context of blacksmiths in this area. You know, blacksmiths are a caste in and of themselves. They're part of what's called the Nyama Kalah, those who shave Nyama.

If we look at much more historic situations, again, in the Mandate world, so particularly in Mali, and there's a great book by McNaughton on the Mandate blacksmiths, which is worth looking at. because it gives a lot of the historical context of blacksmiths in this area. You know, blacksmiths are a caste in and of themselves. They're part of what's called the Nyama Kalah, those who shave Nyama.

And generally speaking, in the Mandate world, within blacksmith families, the men can make sort of magical earthen They also obviously do all the metalworking and the metal smelting and the creation of the metal objects. But the women within the blacksmith caste, which is referred to as the Numu, they do the pottery making.

And generally speaking, in the Mandate world, within blacksmith families, the men can make sort of magical earthen They also obviously do all the metalworking and the metal smelting and the creation of the metal objects. But the women within the blacksmith caste, which is referred to as the Numu, they do the pottery making.

And generally speaking, in the Mandate world, within blacksmith families, the men can make sort of magical earthen They also obviously do all the metalworking and the metal smelting and the creation of the metal objects. But the women within the blacksmith caste, which is referred to as the Numu, they do the pottery making.

So, you know, and that's not just in the Mandae world, it's in other parts of Africa as well, that you have cast blacksmiths. So this is very, you know, early on, and as before, generally people want to talk about there being casts in Africa.

So, you know, and that's not just in the Mandae world, it's in other parts of Africa as well, that you have cast blacksmiths. So this is very, you know, early on, and as before, generally people want to talk about there being casts in Africa.

So, you know, and that's not just in the Mandae world, it's in other parts of Africa as well, that you have cast blacksmiths. So this is very, you know, early on, and as before, generally people want to talk about there being casts in Africa.

But, you know, this is a group that's doing absolutely amazing things with terracotta at the same time as they're doing absolutely pioneering things with ironworking.

But, you know, this is a group that's doing absolutely amazing things with terracotta at the same time as they're doing absolutely pioneering things with ironworking.

But, you know, this is a group that's doing absolutely amazing things with terracotta at the same time as they're doing absolutely pioneering things with ironworking.

Well, this is what's peculiar, because Nock just kind of fizzles between 300 BC and the first century AD. Date-wise, because we tend to grade... the intensity of occupation on the landscape by total numbers of radiocarbon dates for a period, because we're trying to date as many things as we can. And so there's like a steep cliff, a fall-off in our numbers of radiocarbon dates after 300 BC.

Well, this is what's peculiar, because Nock just kind of fizzles between 300 BC and the first century AD. Date-wise, because we tend to grade... the intensity of occupation on the landscape by total numbers of radiocarbon dates for a period, because we're trying to date as many things as we can. And so there's like a steep cliff, a fall-off in our numbers of radiocarbon dates after 300 BC.

Well, this is what's peculiar, because Nock just kind of fizzles between 300 BC and the first century AD. Date-wise, because we tend to grade... the intensity of occupation on the landscape by total numbers of radiocarbon dates for a period, because we're trying to date as many things as we can. And so there's like a steep cliff, a fall-off in our numbers of radiocarbon dates after 300 BC.

They don't just go away entirely, but they they fade. And then we have nothing after the beginning of the first century AD that we can ascribe materially to Nock. And there are other things which come into the area that look very different, very different pottery traditions and so forth. So Nock just kind of disappears.

They don't just go away entirely, but they they fade. And then we have nothing after the beginning of the first century AD that we can ascribe materially to Nock. And there are other things which come into the area that look very different, very different pottery traditions and so forth. So Nock just kind of disappears.

They don't just go away entirely, but they they fade. And then we have nothing after the beginning of the first century AD that we can ascribe materially to Nock. And there are other things which come into the area that look very different, very different pottery traditions and so forth. So Nock just kind of disappears.

There's this sort of peak intensity between 800 or at best 900 BC, might have the earliest terracottas by then. But more certainly from 800 BC, 300 BC, it's just a cliffhedge drop-off. So something happens then. There are all sorts of things one can invoke. You could say there could be conflict, there could be environmental collapse. These are all the sort of things we tend to use as explanations.