Recent research at Soba focuses on the tangible and intangible heritage of the medieval capital of Alwa kingdom, whose remains cover approximately 275 ha. About 222 ha of this area has been built up or transformed into agricultural land in the past 30 years. An ethnographic survey was also carried out in the built-up area to understand how the residents engage with the archaeological heritage and material

Novel trajectories of food production, urbanism, and inter-regional trade fueled the emergence of numerous complex Iron Age polities in central and southern Africa. Renewed research and re-dating efforts in Botswana, Zimbabwe, and along the Swahili Coast are transforming models for how inter-regional interaction spheres contributed to these patterns. While societies in present-day Zambia played an

Two recent documentaries promote a “Black Pharaohs” theme in which Kushite rulers overthrew the superior Egyptians and ruled Egypt (Twenty-Fifth Dynasty), but the Egyptians later erased their reign from history. This narrative undergirds The Rise of the Black Pharaohs produced by National Geographic and “Lost Kingdom of the Black Pharaohs” by the Science Channel. This article argues that these documentaries

We conducted an anthracological analysis of charcoal remains from Border Cave’s member 1RGBS to provide environmental context for the site’s occupation ca. 74 ka. Charcoal specimens were analyzed to assess their quality and quantity, and identify their tree taxa to reconstruct the vegetation communities available to the site’s occupants. Specimens were analyzed using light stereomicroscopy and following

The study of raw materials is an essential step in lithic analysis, regardless of the age, provenance, and technology of the assemblages. As in many other contexts of the Paleolithic, researchers of the Middle Stone Age (MSA) in southern Africa have often focused their attention on fine-grained, non-local rock types, such as silcrete. Here, I spotlight raw materials considered to be of lower suitability

In this paper, we present a case study of the micromammal sequence from Marine Isotope Stage 5 (130,000–71,000 YBP) at Blombos Cave on the southern Cape coast of South Africa. Our analyses of the micromammal assemblage from 100,000 to 76,000 YBP shed light on micromammal taxonomic distributions, local palaeoenvironments, and site formation processes at this renowned Middle Stone Age site. Taphonomic

Kola nut (Cola cf. nitida) and Safou fruit (Dacryodes edulis) remains have been discovered in eleventh- to fourteenth-century archaeological contexts at Togu Missiri near Ségou in Mali. These remains are evidence of early trade in perishable foodstuffs from the West African forest zone into the Middle Niger region. On the basis of these finds, this paper argues that long-distance trade links were well

The recent investigation of an archaeological site in southwest Nigeria has added new insight into the early human occupation and cultural development in the rainforest of West Africa. In the Iresi Hills, two rockshelters were investigated in 2017 and 2018, and both yielded evidence of Later Stone Age (LSA) occupations. The artifact assemblage reveals two cultural phases—Aceramic LSA and Ceramic LSA

This review article examines seventy years of research and methodological approaches to the analysis of Mesolithic and Neolithic pottery in Sudan. It begins with the studies done by A. J. Arkell at the end of the 1940s, leading to the definition of the Khartoum Mesolithic and Khartoum Neolithic ceramic traditions. The article then discusses the application of the concepts of ware, fabric, decorative

A set of beads made of glass, gastropod mollusk shell, and fishbone from a Swahili occupation level on Ibo Island (northern Mozambique) is dated to the eleventh and twelfth centuries AD. The chemical composition of the glass beads and their chromophores, and the shell and fishbone materials, are studied to understand the local and trading provenance of these items. Representative samples of each material

Imprints of domesticated pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) spikelets, observed as temper in ceramics dating to the third millennium BC, provide the earliest evidence for the cultivation and domestication process of this crop in northern Mali. Additional sherds from the same region dating to the fifth and fourth millennium BC were examined and found to have pearl millet chaff with wild morphologies

The analysis of the faunal remains from Middle Stone Age deposits of Magubike rockshelter was undertaken to contribute to the modern human behavior debate. Multivariate taphonomic analyses implicate hominins as the key taphonomic agent in the accumulation and modification of the faunal assemblage. Results also show they mainly foraged on large-sized animals as the key sources of meat and marrow. Small-sized

We analyzed the ceramic assemblage from a re-excavated section of Tse Dura rockshelter (KA4RS1) in central Nigeria’s Ushongo area to understand the archaeological sequence of human occupation and cultural changes. The analysis, focusing on motifs, forms, and petrography, identifies three phases of human occupation. The petrographic results, in particular, revealed three main fabric groups—TD-AC1, TD-AC2

This study focuses on the chronostratigraphic sequence of the Cave of Kaf Taht el-Ghar (Dar Ben Karrich, Tétouan, Morocco) excavated in 2012 in the framework of the AGRIWESTMED research project. The broad sequence reveals a series of occupations ranging from the Pleistocene (Moroccan Aterian) to recent historical times. Our research identifies a rich Early Neolithic phase (sixth millennium cal BC)

This article examines the historical processes that shaped the development of archaeological practice in Angola during the Portuguese colonial period and the aftermath of political independence. Using published works, unpublished reports, and photographic records, we examine the research themes, actors, scholars, and institutions that influenced archaeological research in the country. We also used

In this article, we discuss the geological, mineralogical, and geochemical characteristics of the proposed sources of pigments used in the Wadi Sura rock art, southwestern Egypt. Colors used in the paintings include white, yellow, and several reddish hues ranging from pale red to dark reddish brown, rare black, and greenish hues. The results of Raman spectroscopy and pXRF techniques on both raw coloring

This article focuses on ceramic technology at Tell el-Iswid dating to the second half of the fourth millennium BC—Buto IIIa and Naqada III(A2)-B periods. The study investigates the crucial transitional period during the formation of the Egyptian State. It identifies four ceramic technical traditions and examines their respective evolution and interaction. It provides new data on the mechanisms underlying

Recent archaeological excavations (2016–2019) in the city of Tamuda (northern Morocco) yielded evidence of commercial milling and bread-making facilities dated to the Mauretanian period (first century BC). This article presents the results of the excavation of two Mauretanian buildings (E0 7 and E0 8) in the Eastern Quarter, in which evidence for flour milling and, indirectly, the preparation of bread

The so-called neolithization process (ca. 6000/5500–4000 BC) in Mediterranean Africa and the Sahara has been increasingly researched in recent years. In contrast, relatively little is known, especially in Mediterranean Africa, of the period between the beginnings of irreversible climatic deterioration in the Sahara, around 4000–3500 BC, and the onset of Iron Age to broadly Classical times. Why, with

Enset (Ensete ventricosum) is an indigenous Ethiopian domesticate growing in what is known as the “enset zone” of southwestern Ethiopia. Few archaeological sites have been excavated in this region, and only one site has yielded remains of enset. However, the abundant megalithic and rock art sites in the region compensate for the paucity of the archaeological record. This review article provides an

Recent excavations of Ifri Oudadane, a prehistoric rockshelter on the Mediterranean coast of NW Morocco, yielded a rich marine and terrestrial fauna. We present an analysis of the shellfish remains (exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates) from the 2011 trench, covering the Epipaleolithic and Early Neolithic levels. A total of 4,415 liters of sediment contained 8,749 specimens (MNI) of at least 40

The Canary Islands are an archipelago that lies about 100 km west of North Africa. Barley (Hordeum vulgare) has been continuously cultivated since the colonization of the islands. To investigate the agricultural history of the islands, the DNA from multiple individuals of six extant landraces of barley was sequenced, and the resulting data were analyzed with ABC modeling. Estimates of separation times

Umhlatuzana rockshelter has an occupation sequence spanning the last 70,000 years. It is one of the few sites with deposits covering the Middle to Later Stone Age transition (~40,000–30,000 years BP) in southern Africa. Comprehending the site’s depositional history and occupation sequence is thus important for the broader understanding of the development of Homo sapiens’ behavior. The rockshelter was

I review five “vanished technologies” from southern Africa that have been brought to light through use-wear studies of bone tools. Most of the examples discussed here represent the first recognition of these technologies in the region and provide unique insights into the technological and behavioral repertoires of past humans and hominins. Hominin foraging and subsistence practices are inferred from

Backed pieces became widespread in the Upper Pleistocene and Holocene and are part of the classic definitions for the Later Stone Age in many parts of Africa. However, the association of backed pieces with Later Stone Age is not clear in the Horn of Africa. These pieces are present in both Middle Stone Age (MSA) and Later Stone Age (LSA) contexts. To what extent was the “backing phenomenon” homogeneous

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed how coloniality and racism are endemic to modern society. This was reflected in many early western discourses, French in particular, about the pandemic in Africa. These discourses unveiled old colonial antagonism, projection, stigmatization, and paternalism. The articulation of such discourses among well-informed and sometimes well-meaning people calls for deeper introspection

The use of ochre has been documented in many Middle Stone Age sites of Southern Africa. However, the literature on the exploitation of ochre within the archaeological contexts of Later Stone Age (LSA) rock art sites is scarce. Despite the discovery of several painted shelters within the Erongo Mountains (Namibia), no archaeological study of ochre assemblages has been conducted in the region. Here,

Archaeological research shows that people have inhabited the southern Ghanaian forest zone for millennia. Yet the cultural landscape is poorly known due to enormous logistical challenges that have frustrated survey efforts for the past century. Establishing long-term archaeological and regional perspectives on the settlement landscape and patterns of material culture is necessary to address larger

The author group in the original version of this article contained a mistake.

The widespread utilization of laminar industries with backed retouch is the most characteristic feature of North African Later Stone Age contexts—from the Maghreb to the Nile Valley—between the end of the Pleistocene and the Early Holocene. These laminar microliths represent a true technological revolution triggered by the need for new tools to exploit a different range of resources available due to

Peter R. Schmidt has had a multidimensional career whose five decades of engagement with the archaeology of Africa has left enduring legacies. In this conversation, the reader is invited into the world of Peter Schmidt, from his humble family background to his formative years as a young adult finding his way to Africa and archaeology. His path to the field of African archaeology was unconventional

The final phase of the editorial process that culminated in this issue of African Archaeological Review (Volume 36, 2) took place in the atmosphere of panic and uncertainties unleashed by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. I must first thank our authors, reviewers, editorial team, and the Springer staff for keeping the clock of production moving despite the strains imposed by the pandemic on our

This article discusses two major types of the Upper Capsian cultural materials in the Eastern Maghreb (ca. 8.2–6.0 cal BP): worked bones and knapped stones. These materials represent the main “toolset” of Capsian groups. The comparative observation of the two systems of production—bone and lithic—has allowed the recognition of certain analogies in their methods of exploitation and fabrication. These

The Iringa Region is famous among archaeologists for the Acheulean site of Isimila, and among historians as the stronghold where Chief Mkwawa led the Hehe resistance against German colonial forces. However, our research reveals that Iringa has a rich archaeological record that spans the period from the Stone Age into the recent past. This article summarizes the results of 14 years of research by our

Iron production represents a major technological shift in African prehistory, and a growing body of archaeological and archaeometric data over the past few decades testifies to the complex origins and development of this technology across West Africa. The recent discovery and excavation of four iron smelting sites in the Falémé River region in eastern Senegal (Dakaba, Birandjikou, Madina Cheikh Oumar

Foods and foodways are closely connected to social processes and activities. The functions of ceramic vessels in transporting, storing, processing, and serving food are tied to these social processes. Vessel functions can thus provide direct evidence of social activities. This article presents the results of a functional analysis of ceramic vessels from Schroda, a tenth- to eleventh-century farming

Archaeological research has been carried out in the Eastern Rif (Morocco) since 1995 by a collaborative Moroccan-German research team. A major topic of the project is the transition from hunting-gathering to food production and related cultural developments. Innovations such as pottery and domesticated species appeared around 7.6 ka calBP. The cultivation of cereals and pulses is evident at that time

This paper investigates the ability of six common multispectral sensors (GeoEye, Landsat 8 OLI, RapidEye, Sentinel-2, SPOT 5, and WorldView-2) to map archaeological sites typically inhabited by the farming communities of Southern Africa and characterized by surface features such as middens, non-vitrified dung, and vitrified dung. To achieve this, hyperspectral data collected in the field using a GER-1500

Historical narratives in Upper Senegal largely center on precolonial statecraft, long-distance trade, and ethno-religious mobilization. Drawing on the perspective of political ecology, we examine how these regional processes intersected with village life through local relations to land. Specifically, we chart the long-term dynamics of settlements and their catchments along the Falemme River between

Africa represents a vast region where remote sensing technologies have been largely uneven in their archaeological applications. With impending climate-related risks such as increased coastal erosion and rising sea levels, coupled with rapid urban development, gaps in our knowledge of the human history of this continent are in jeopardy of becoming permanent. Spaceborne and aerial remote sensing instruments

The development of technological analysis at the end of the 1900s made it possible to explore new aspects of the production of artifacts from animal materials, especially bones and teeth, by Holocene Saharan societies. Here, we reappraise a selected set of these artifacts excavated from the shelter sites of Ti-n-Torha Two Caves, Ti-n-Torha East, and Ti-n-Torha North, in the Libyan desert of the Tadrart

The diverse array of tombs, tumuli, and other funerary monuments that dot the Sahara makes it one of the most fascinating mortuary landscapes in the world. Such features also comprise a large part of the archaeological record of the last 5000 years. Yet mortuary archaeology tends to be regionally and chronologically fragmented across multiple countries with distinct academic histories and language

The twentieth-century excavations of stratified deposits at Kom W, adjacent to Lake Qarun in Fayum north shore, Egypt, led to a variety of interpretations, including the argument for the presence of a Neolithic village. This has influenced the evaluation of early to mid-Holocene occupation in Egypt. Here, we report our recent study of the erosion and deposition processes at the site and its environs

For at least four decades, archaeologists have identified irrigation as playing a potentially major role in the rise of Aksumite civilization. Based on a systematic survey covering the area between Aksum and Yeha (Ethiopia), Joseph Michels proposed that large-scale irrigation systems introduced from Southwest Arabia contributed to the rise of Yeha as a major center of Pre-Aksumite civilization. To

The organization of past urban space continues to be an important focus of archaeological research in sub-Saharan Africa where the methods of space syntax now offer new interpretations of the built environment. Traditionally, space syntax uses access analysis graphs for buildings and axial maps for towns to represent and analyze the configuration of space as a network. Using perspectives from neuroscience

The Iberomaurusian lithic industries in the Maghreb are known for their microlithization characteristics beginning ca. 25 ka cal BP. The analyses of the Iberomaurusian lithic assemblages in Algeria have mostly focused on typological and stylistic issues. These are good for distinguishing the various archaeological entities encountered in the region but inadequate for understanding the techno-economic

From its inception in 2014, the interdisciplinary Bantu Mobility Project has sought to refocus research on the Bantu Expansions away from the macroscale towards a “writ small” approach within a well-defined region with well-understood episodes of language expansion, namely, the middle Kafue and middle Zambezi catchments of southern Zambia. This tighter focus enables the project to capture the human

chapter (6) to the most famous patron of female Cistercians in France, Blanche of Castile. Blanche founded two nunneries, namely Maubuisson (1236) and Lys (1248), both of which went on to be very successful. The remaining two chapters then take a closer economic look at Saint-Antoine-des-Champs, one of the “most successful houses of Cistercian nuns in the ecclesiastical province of Sens” (150) and

Although anatomically modern humans emerged during the MSA, debates have focused on the timing for the development of cognitive thoughts, planning depth, and profound cultural innovations. While some scholars have attributed these qualities to the LSA population, others have proposed that the evolutionary modern human behaviors developed during the MSA. This paper is a contribution to this debate based

The Iberomaurusian lithic assemblages from Ifri El Baroud (northeast Morocco) are discussed from techno-economic, typological, and functional points of view. The site preserves an archaeological sequence spanning the period ca. 23,000–13,000 cal BP. The analysis of the lithic materials from the sequence highlights the diachronic changes in human behavior. Results show a strong relationship between

This article presents the first detailed account of a previously unknown Early Iron Age pottery group from the Kongo Central Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The ceramic group is named Kitala ware, after the site where it was first discovered, and excavated in 2014 and 2015. Dated between cal AD 230 and 524 at Kitala, the ware is also documented as surface finds from six other sites south

Two species of cowrie shell, Monetaria moneta (Linnaeus 1758) and Monetaria annulus (Linnaeus 1758), occur repeatedly in archaeological contexts across West Africa. Despite their archaeological and ethnographic importance, these shells remain poorly and inconsistently reported in the archaeological literature. The absence of standardised data on species composition, size and condition of cowrie assemblages

The Boreda elders of southern Ethiopia requested that we create maps highlighting the locations of their historic settlements and sacred groves. Community elders led us along winding footpaths that ascended to nine mountaintops that had been occupied since the early thirteenth century and were abandoned nearly 100 years ago. Surrounding these historic communities are Boreda sacred groves with springs

An integrated geophysical survey was carried out in Igbo Oritaa, a suburb of Iwo town (southwest Nigeria). The study was part of an archaeological investigation initiated by the Iwo community to identify and preserve the town’s ancient sites. The geophysical investigations involved ground magnetic profiling, 1D vertical electrical sounding (VES), and 2D electrical resistivity imaging. The magnetic

Neolithic stone tool production in Sudan was quite diverse but exhibited high standards of production, as exemplified by the adze-like artifacts called “gouges”. Drawing on data from several sites in Jebel Sabaloka, and comparative data from Shaheinab and Sheikh el-Amin, our paper examines the economy of gouge production from a technological point of view. More specifically, we discuss the process

The article Usable Pasts Forum: Critically Engaging Food Security.

Berenike Trogodytika was one of the cities founded by Ptolemy II in the early third century BC as a trans-shipment point for importing East African elephants for the Hellenistic Egyptian army. Our archaeological research at the site has resulted in the analysis of 9498 animal remains and 8644 mollusc shells that revealed the environmental conditions of the Hellenistic port and fortress and some changes

In this inaugural Usable Pasts Forum, we make the case that archaeology has a critical role to play in reframing approaches to food security in the African continent. Readers who are unfamiliar with archaeology may find this an odd pairing, since the field is more often associated with characters like Indiana Jones than with anything “useful” in our modern world. After all, Dr. Jones’ missions involved

Among ancient Egypt’s most prized imports were resins and other aromatics obtained mainly from or through Nubia and Punt, an area that included the African and Arabian shores of the southern Red Sea. Egyptian texts emphasized the association between these places and the imports of aromatics, indicating that the use of incense and other types of aromatics was likely a foreign introduction to ancient

In the Levant and some arid zones of Central Asia, desert kites are well-known hunting structures often thought to have been used for the large-scale harvesting of gazelles during the Holocene. Until recently, such structures were unknown from the southern hemisphere. However, three kite sites have now been identified in Keimoes in the arid hinterland north of the Gariep River where the northwest Nama