Discoveries in the Lamu Archipelago

Abstract

This article describes an archaeological survey and excavations carried out by our Institute on the islands of Manda and Pate. A wealthy settlement on the former is shown to date back to the ninth century A.D. Pate on the other hand is maintained to be of little importance before Portuguese times, and its ruling Nabahani dynasty to be of much more recent origin than has hitherto been held.