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Published online 27 March 2006 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news060327-3
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Ingots reveal early Saharan trade
Copper chemistry helps researcher tap into Africa's past.
Ancient copper jewellery and ingots in sub-Saharan Africa have been found to bear the unique signature of copper ore from Morocco. This strongly suggests that trans-Saharan trade began hundreds of years earlier than previously thought.
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