[Tim Simmons]

Another thought on brass in Africa. The book I mentioned has no referance to ancient Rome and Africa, trade across the sahara would have existed then. Romans and ancient Egypt which included much of the present day Sudan. So brass as a material or technology could have been traded by this route well before the classic age of European exploration without mentioning the superior metals coming from the east. All early explorers like Speke and Burton mention brass in the most isolated places.