The Greatness Of Africa

European age of Discovery. Many were documented and praised in the
records of North African explorer Abu Muhammad ibn Battuta. Besides
being masters in iron, Africans were masters in brass and bronze. Ife
produced lifelike statues in brass,
an artistic tradition beginning in the
13th century. Benin also was a
manufacturer of glass and glass
beads, two types of iron furnaces
were used in Sub-Saharan Africa:
the trench dug below ground and
circular clay structures built above
the ground. Iron ores were crushed
and placed in furnaces layered with
the right proportion of hardwood. A flux
such as lime sometimes from seashells was added to aid in smelting.
Bellows on the side would be used to add oxygen. Clay pipes on the
sides called tuyères would be used to control oxygen flow.