Red Gold of Africa, 2003, 413 p., 40 ill. n.b., 6 ill. coul., 4 cartes. -

Sub-Saharan Africa has a long association with the extraction and exploitation of copper and it has long been known that copper held a more significant position in African society than either gold or silver. In this book, the author explores the copper resoures of Africa and the metallurgical processes that were learnt and used to produce a range of objects for a variety of different social, political and ritual purposes from its earliest exploitation c.2000 BC to the colonial era c.AD 1870-80. Her study looks at the trade in copper both within and outside the region, and at its role within society as a means to `support divine authority, the augmenter of fertility, the propitator of the ancestors, and the repeller of witches'.