Get premium membership and access revision papers with marking schemes, video lessons and live classes.

Processing. Please wait.

Uses of bronze in Africa

Answer Text:
Bronze.
- Bronze is a mixture of copper and tin which makes it harder than copper.
- It was used during the Bronze Age.
- In Africa, Bronze was used among the Yoruba, Dahomey and Asante in
Nigeria, in Benin and also in Egypt.
- Benin was the centre of Bronze.
Uses of Bronze.
(a) Making stronger weapons such as shields, spears, arrowheads, swords and daggers.
(b) Making sculptures and decorations. For example, in Benin it was used to make objects for religious ceremonies.
(c) Making knives, containers, pans and vases.
(d) It was a store of wealth.
(e) It was used to make tools.
Disadvantages of Bronze.
(a) The tools lost their sharpness and became blunt quickly since the metal was relatively soft.
(b) Bronze was not cheap. The mixture of copper and tin had to be acquired through trade thus making bronze expensive.
(c) It was difficult to get an appropriate proportion of each of the two metals.