Katie88
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Smelting and Salt - The Chalcolithic Part II
Metal work continued to evolve with the discovery of casting techniques. Copper was cast, allowing a greater range of use, and lead came to be worked. Silver from the Eastland was melted down and made into diverse objects, both practical and decorative.
Sculpture makes its appearance sometime around 2,200 BC. The main material employed was fine clay from Agades in the Southland; wood, jade and stone were also used. Both secular and religious subjects were treated. The minor arts also flourished. Pottery grew more elaborate, and a fine decorative ware became popular in the larger urban centres. Tapestries depicting various scenes of life and occasionally some religious subjects were fashionable, and soon were woven in various cities in Mali. Jadework advanced considerably, and we see many fine figurines and statuettes made of the stone. Jewellery of diverse types was also made, with new styles emerging that made use of new materials and techniques. Diversion also joined decoration, as we see the first children's toys in this period.
Colonization continued. The headwaters of the Bani River were settled, where fine clay, rabbits and horses are found, and a city was also founded to the north at Taghaza, whence came marble and obsidian, and where the rich coast plains over the Deomali Mountains afforded a fine situation for agriculture. Pioneers set out from Walata, too, and the Southland was gradually colonized up to Mount Hombori, which divides the Southland from the Eastland. These areas were rich in almonds, pistachios, potatoes, cattle and pigs, and also more exotic animals like elephants, while the jungle provides diverse products.
The invention of the plough early in our period must have been a major boost to agriculture. The first ploughs were made of antlers or wood; later, metal ploughs were invented, allowing heavier soils to be brought into cultivation and expanding the range of crops that could be grown. Irrigation techniques enabled further increases in production, both in terms of land area and produce per hectare, though dry farming remained dominant in most areas of Mali. In the latter part of this period, we start to see gardens coming into being, giving the average Malian access to a wider range of fruits, vegetables and herbs; and later it is likely that some gardens were built purely for recreation. Salt came into widespread usage, either quarried from near Awlil or extracted from the sea via evaporation, which allowed meat and fish in particular to preserved for longer.
If the reader wonders why we have said so little of military matters thus far, it is because there is precious little to be said. Mali's relations with its neighbours were cordial, and it appears that Mali itself was in a state of perpetual peace, only disturbed by the occasional incursions of barbarous raiders from the mountains or the deserts, which were never anything more than a minor nuisance. At the beginning of historical times, each city maintained a small defensive force drawn from the local tribes. These men were armed with bows, axes, and sometimes swords. They were never very numerous, and most acted as watchmen whose job was to keep order in the cities. There was also a small force of horsemen, presumably to deal with raiders, maintained from a small levy imposed on all cities. The navy was also relatively small, and its main foci were transporting men and materials as needed between Mali proper, the Southland and the Eastland, and keeping pirates at bay. Nevertheless, Malian chiefs strove to cultivate an image of military prowess, and it is known that foreign states feared its martial power.
It is somewhat difficult to speak of a Malian religion at this point. We know that they worshipped deities and that some of their gods were very ancient, for we have the remains of shrines and sanctuaries in continuous use for millennia, but we have few clues as to what system obtained, if any. Many others religious traditions, including Judaism, Kemetism and Shinto, existed in the world at this time, but none of these foreign faiths captured the imagination of the Malian populace, who stuck steadfastly to worshipping their ancestors, their animal deities and their chthonic gods. It is likewise hard to understand the structure of their religious observances. It seems that there were priests but no priesthood: every tribe, city and even family was free to choose its own gods and worship them as it pleased. This naturally led to very varied set of religious practices, but we may point out some general features. It is clear that from the earliest times animals were worshipped, with the eagle and the rhinoceros having especial importance, as we have remarked before. In different areas and epochs, other animals came to the fore, among these we mention the fox, which became important in the west of Mali, and the boar, which came to prominence in the Southland. We find family tombs that contain several generations with areas for offerings. These were generally symbolic rather than practical, and it appears that the Malian conception of the afterlife did not involve physical concerns such as food. The Mother Goddess was a vital figure, being propitiated in a variety of ways to ensure a bountiful harvest. There was also an underworld, whose figures could intervene in human affairs and are sometimes represented doing so in art, though the exact mythology surrounding this remains unclear.
Edit: Forgot to include the sceenshot
Metal work continued to evolve with the discovery of casting techniques. Copper was cast, allowing a greater range of use, and lead came to be worked. Silver from the Eastland was melted down and made into diverse objects, both practical and decorative.
Sculpture makes its appearance sometime around 2,200 BC. The main material employed was fine clay from Agades in the Southland; wood, jade and stone were also used. Both secular and religious subjects were treated. The minor arts also flourished. Pottery grew more elaborate, and a fine decorative ware became popular in the larger urban centres. Tapestries depicting various scenes of life and occasionally some religious subjects were fashionable, and soon were woven in various cities in Mali. Jadework advanced considerably, and we see many fine figurines and statuettes made of the stone. Jewellery of diverse types was also made, with new styles emerging that made use of new materials and techniques. Diversion also joined decoration, as we see the first children's toys in this period.
Colonization continued. The headwaters of the Bani River were settled, where fine clay, rabbits and horses are found, and a city was also founded to the north at Taghaza, whence came marble and obsidian, and where the rich coast plains over the Deomali Mountains afforded a fine situation for agriculture. Pioneers set out from Walata, too, and the Southland was gradually colonized up to Mount Hombori, which divides the Southland from the Eastland. These areas were rich in almonds, pistachios, potatoes, cattle and pigs, and also more exotic animals like elephants, while the jungle provides diverse products.
The invention of the plough early in our period must have been a major boost to agriculture. The first ploughs were made of antlers or wood; later, metal ploughs were invented, allowing heavier soils to be brought into cultivation and expanding the range of crops that could be grown. Irrigation techniques enabled further increases in production, both in terms of land area and produce per hectare, though dry farming remained dominant in most areas of Mali. In the latter part of this period, we start to see gardens coming into being, giving the average Malian access to a wider range of fruits, vegetables and herbs; and later it is likely that some gardens were built purely for recreation. Salt came into widespread usage, either quarried from near Awlil or extracted from the sea via evaporation, which allowed meat and fish in particular to preserved for longer.
If the reader wonders why we have said so little of military matters thus far, it is because there is precious little to be said. Mali's relations with its neighbours were cordial, and it appears that Mali itself was in a state of perpetual peace, only disturbed by the occasional incursions of barbarous raiders from the mountains or the deserts, which were never anything more than a minor nuisance. At the beginning of historical times, each city maintained a small defensive force drawn from the local tribes. These men were armed with bows, axes, and sometimes swords. They were never very numerous, and most acted as watchmen whose job was to keep order in the cities. There was also a small force of horsemen, presumably to deal with raiders, maintained from a small levy imposed on all cities. The navy was also relatively small, and its main foci were transporting men and materials as needed between Mali proper, the Southland and the Eastland, and keeping pirates at bay. Nevertheless, Malian chiefs strove to cultivate an image of military prowess, and it is known that foreign states feared its martial power.
It is somewhat difficult to speak of a Malian religion at this point. We know that they worshipped deities and that some of their gods were very ancient, for we have the remains of shrines and sanctuaries in continuous use for millennia, but we have few clues as to what system obtained, if any. Many others religious traditions, including Judaism, Kemetism and Shinto, existed in the world at this time, but none of these foreign faiths captured the imagination of the Malian populace, who stuck steadfastly to worshipping their ancestors, their animal deities and their chthonic gods. It is likewise hard to understand the structure of their religious observances. It seems that there were priests but no priesthood: every tribe, city and even family was free to choose its own gods and worship them as it pleased. This naturally led to very varied set of religious practices, but we may point out some general features. It is clear that from the earliest times animals were worshipped, with the eagle and the rhinoceros having especial importance, as we have remarked before. In different areas and epochs, other animals came to the fore, among these we mention the fox, which became important in the west of Mali, and the boar, which came to prominence in the Southland. We find family tombs that contain several generations with areas for offerings. These were generally symbolic rather than practical, and it appears that the Malian conception of the afterlife did not involve physical concerns such as food. The Mother Goddess was a vital figure, being propitiated in a variety of ways to ensure a bountiful harvest. There was also an underworld, whose figures could intervene in human affairs and are sometimes represented doing so in art, though the exact mythology surrounding this remains unclear.
Edit: Forgot to include the sceenshot
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