Discuss the contributions of iron technology to the process of state Essay - 1

Discuss the contributions of iron technology to the process of state formation in Bantu Africa - Essay ExampleThe Bantu community had the notion of a big man who was enchanted with grasping of new opportunities. Such an idea led to the growth of political establishments as chiefdoms regrouped. It is believed that three main kingdoms that inhabited the western savannas came into being through this method. They include the Kongo, Luango, and the Tio. Importantly, copper trade in the contributed to the development of major commercial-grade market routes and major markets that expanded the territories of the existing political establishments. For instance, the Malebo Pool along River Zaire began through such a process. Furthermore, copper rich areas were regarded as capitals headed by a paramount chief. The paramount chief was surrounded by a close circuit of a court of title holders who performed rituals and tokens within reliable principalities. Archeologically, along the Zaire val ley iron and copper deposits had been discovered. In areas such as Boko Songho-Mindouli area, political establishments were related to the large deposits of iron and copper (Alimen).The emergence of these kingdoms in the 14th to 17th the century occurred more or less simultaneously as a result of iron technology. To begin with, the Mbundu Kingdom was established in the 16th century, and it controlled most economic resources and commercial routes in the south of the Kongo. As a sign of the political power they wielded, the Mbundu Kingdom used a moment of iron as an emblem and mark of their authority. This piece of metal was known as ngola. It is known that towards the end of the 15th century a holder of that emblem established a major kingdom. In subsequent centuries, the emblem played a significant role in the slave trade (Alimen). Towards the end of the eighteenth century, the Mbundu had organized a large commercial network of together with Portuguese immigrants whose trading cara vans reached as far as the Lozi and Lunda Kingdoms. The kingdoms developed a royalty form of a