 to A.D. 50) is known as Phase I and is some of the earliest evidence for iron production in sub-Saharan Africa.This initial phase is not associated with the Later Stone Age, and there has never been an occupation from this period at the site, or evidence for it has never been found.Until 250 B.C., the area surrounding Djenné-Djenno was either uninhabited or visited by nomadic groups that stayed for short periods.