Overview

“If you have roots in Africa read this – and be proud!”.

When Europeans first encountered African south of the Sahara, they found people with a culture of bodily decoration unlike that of the rest of the world. It was a wholly spontaneous development with no evidence of influence from outside.

Bangles were the standard means of conveying status, attraction and readiness for marriage. Rings were not especially common or important; the ring culture of Eurasia was unknown.

Copper was the preferred medal for decoration , with iron a modest second. Gold and silver were of little consequence.

The African style was chunky , solid,  weighty. Rarity was not a concern The Eurasians’  ” precious stones” were unknown. Semiprecious stones were used in only a few exceptional circumstances

The culture was unique. But astonishingly it was uniform and dense. Its elements were to be found in almost every inhabited part of sub-Saharan Africa.

Bangles, bronze bangles, were for centuries the defining material culture for this vast semi-continent