History of West Africa more states. Early human settlers arrived in West Africa around 12,000 BCE. In the fifth millennium, as the ancestors of modern West Africans began entering the area, the development of sedentary farming began to take place in West Africa. The Iron industry, in both smelting and forging for tools and weapons, appeared in Sub-Saharan Africa by 1200 BCE, and by 400 BCE, contact had been made with the Mediterranean civilizations, and a regular trade included exporting gold, cotton, metal, and leather in exchange for copper, horses, salt, textiles, and beads. Culture developed further with the Nok culture (1000 BCE to
Nok Nok Nok is a village in Jaba local Government of Kaduna State, Nigeria. The discovery of terracotta figurines at this location caused its name to be used for the Nok culture, of which these figurines are typical, which flourished in Nigeria in the period 1500 BC - 500 AD. The artifacts were discovered in 1943 during mining operations. The archaeologist Bernard Fagg investigated the site, and with the help of locals discovered many other artifacts. Iron smelting furnaces were also found at Nok. Occupation dates far before the first iron smelting. A sample of carbonized wood found in the "main