Glossary · Term

Charcoal

Charcoal is a fuel produced by heating wood in the absence of air, and was essential for smelting iron in the pre-industrial world. The Kushite region around Meroë became a centre of iron production, facilitated by abundant wood for charcoal. The industry formed an important part of the Kushite Empire's economy.

Charcoal
Image: Dati Bendo, European Commission · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

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Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Charcoal. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/charcoal
MLA
“Charcoal.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/charcoal. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Charcoal.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/charcoal.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Charcoal’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/charcoal (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻