African Archaeological Review最新文献

{"title":"Atbai Enclosure Burials: Monumentalism, Pastoralism and Environmental Change in the Mid-Holocene East Nubian Deserts","authors":"Julien Cooper,&nbsp;Marie Bourgeois,&nbsp;Maël Crépy,&nbsp;Maria Carmela Gatto","doi":"10.1007/s10437-026-09654-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10437-026-09654-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Despite being at the crossroads of the well-studied worlds of ancient Egypt and Nubia, the archaeology of the Atbai Desert, the region between the Nubian Nile and the Red Sea, is still in its infancy. Cultural horizons are poorly defined, and patterns and chronologies of human habitation are only slowly emerging. As part of the satellite remote sensing workflows of the Atbai Survey Project, a common monumental burial feature has been identified across the entire Atbai Desert from Upper Egypt to the Eritrean borderlands, typified by a circular stone enclosure wall with internal burials—labelled here as “Atbai Enclosure Burials (AEBs).” This monumental feature, a local manifestation of common Saharan prehistoric burial practice, while exhibiting diverse architectural features, presents a consistent burial tradition across the entire desert expanse between the Nile and Red Sea. These features are a unique manifestation of a local pastoralist culture we broadly date to the fourth and third millennia BC, whose beginning was coeval with the southward displacement of the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone. Its termination is likely linked with harsher environmental conditions and increasing anthropogenic pressures on vegetation cover after the end of the African Humid Period.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":46493,"journal":{"name":"African Archaeological Review","volume":"43 2","pages":"191 - 216"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10437-026-09654-y.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148366010","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"When Communities Gather Around Their Past: Advancing Equitable Futures Through Collaborative Ethnoarchaeological Research in Ghana","authors":"Dela Kuma,&nbsp;Kodzo Gavua,&nbsp;Patricia Ayipey,&nbsp;Ivan K. E. Nyamasekpor,&nbsp;Fredrick Tekpor","doi":"10.1007/s10437-026-09655-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10437-026-09655-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This article discusses how community-based collaborative efforts by the Amedeka Archaeological Project (AAP) in the southeastern region of Ghana can foster sustainable relationships between archaeologists and local communities. We also critically examine three interconnected dimensions that shape the future of equitable, community-engaged research in Ghanaian archaeology by reflecting on our positionalities, the evolving directions of our research questions, and the partnerships we build and sustain with the communities we are privileged to work with. </p></div>","PeriodicalId":46493,"journal":{"name":"African Archaeological Review","volume":"43 2","pages":"237 - 254"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148365972","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evolution of an Early and Long-Lasting Iron Smelting Technique at Didé West 1, Falémé Valley, Eastern Senegal","authors":"Mélissa Morel,&nbsp;Pierre Lamotte,&nbsp;Ladji Dianifaba,&nbsp;Alexander Walmsley,&nbsp;Irka Hajdas,&nbsp;Vincent Serneels,&nbsp;Anne Mayor","doi":"10.1007/s10437-026-09653-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10437-026-09653-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The region west of the Falémé Valley in eastern Senegal, where several distinct smelting traditions have been identified, is key to understanding early West African iron metallurgy, which remains globally underdocumented in this part of the continent. Excavations carried out in 2018 and 2022 at the Didé West 1 site (DDW1) uncovered an exceptionally well-preserved slag heap dated between the 4th century BCE and the 4th century CE, representing nearly eight centuries of activity. The site belongs to the FAL02 smelting tradition and revealed 35 circular clay-lined furnace bases producing internal slag blocks, numerous massive multiperforated tuyeres, and the distinctive use of palm nuts as stuffing material. This outstanding preservation offers a unique opportunity to investigate long-term technological continuity and adaptation. The stratigraphic and spatial analyses made it possible to reconstruct both the chronological sequence and the evolution of the workshop’s layout, which gradually shifted northward over time. Quantitative estimations suggest that iron smelting was likely small-scale and seasonal, primarily aimed at meeting local needs. Despite its extraordinary longevity, the tradition remained remarkably stable, with only minor technical adjustments. This technique and its continuity contrast with other metallurgical contexts and highlight the significance of technological choices in early iron production.\u0000</p></div>","PeriodicalId":46493,"journal":{"name":"African Archaeological Review","volume":"43 2","pages":"339 - 365"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148365974","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Past and Present Evidence of Loss and Replacements in African Pottery Traditions","authors":"Pauline Debels,&nbsp;Adrien Delvoye","doi":"10.1007/s10437-026-09652-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10437-026-09652-0","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":46493,"journal":{"name":"African Archaeological Review","volume":"43 1","pages":"1 - 5"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148061048","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Feasting in the Late Swahili: Zooarchaeological Remains from the Friday Mosque Complex at Mtwapa, Kenya","authors":"Max Price,&nbsp;Ellie Ager,&nbsp;Kris Kovarovic,&nbsp;Sibel Kusimba,&nbsp;Chapurukha M. Kusimba","doi":"10.1007/s10437-026-09651-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10437-026-09651-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Feasting played key roles in Swahili society during the medieval (c. 800–1500 CE) and colonial (c. 1500–1963 CE) periods, contributing to sociopolitical transformation and Islamic practice. However, the zooarchaeological signatures of feasting in the Swahili context remain poorly studied. Here, we report faunal remains recovered from the Friday Congregation Mosque Complex at Mtwapa to examine feasting and commemorative practices during the 15th–seventeenth centuries, a transitional period that saw the abandonment of stone towns and the beginnings of colonialism. Mtwapa experienced depopulation, but the Complex remained important for rituals, ancestor veneration, and socioeconomic display. Fauna from tombs and the fill of an abandoned guardhouse reveal that, although unexpected species (such as those forbidden under Islamic law) were found, feasts centered on marine fish, caprines, cattle, and chickens. These foods were not dissimilar from those found in quotidian contexts at other sites. Fish were dominated by Lethrinidae, a family of reef-dwelling species that can be caught with handlines, and caprines outnumbered cattle. Moreover, the abundance of fish relative to mammals and birds and the ratio of caprine-sized bovids to cattle-sized bovids grew over time, suggesting feasts increasingly relied upon common foods as the economic reach of elites contracted. </p></div>","PeriodicalId":46493,"journal":{"name":"African Archaeological Review","volume":"43 2","pages":"287 - 307"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10437-026-09651-1.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148366011","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Archaeology and Development: Pre-construction Archaeology in Benin, Nigeria","authors":"Caleb Adebayo Folorunso,&nbsp;Charles LeQuesne","doi":"10.1007/s10437-026-09650-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10437-026-09650-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The destruction of archaeological heritage during construction projects has remained a vexing issue in Archaeology globally and in West Africa in particular. While considerable advances have been made elsewhere, particularly in the USA and Europe, the practice of pre-construction archaeology is yet to have a firm root in West Africa and Nigeria in particular. This article presents recent efforts at pre-construction archaeology in Benin, Nigeria.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":46493,"journal":{"name":"African Archaeological Review","volume":"43 1","pages":"179 - 182"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148061090","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Wood or Soil? A Functional Analysis of Neolithic Rhyolite Gouges from Central Sudan Using Experimental Archaeology and Use Wear Study","authors":"Katarína Kapustka,&nbsp;Malgorzata Winiarska-Kabacinska,&nbsp;Ikram Madani Ahmed,&nbsp;Karolína Pauknerová,&nbsp;Ladislav Varadzin,&nbsp;Lenka Varadzinová","doi":"10.1007/s10437-025-09648-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10437-025-09648-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Since the Khartoum Neolithic was first identified, gouges have frequently been associated with this cultural horizon, yet their function has remained a subject of ongoing debate. Interpretations of their use have often been speculative, lacking robust scientific evidence from systematic analysis. This article addresses this gap by presenting a comparative study between experimentally replicated tools and archaeological specimens. The experimental gouges were produced by an experienced flintknapper using rhyolite from the Sabaloka region—the same geological source as the archaeological artifacts. These tools were then used in controlled tasks, specifically soil-working and woodworking, to generate diagnostic use-wear traces. The resulting wear patterns were carefully documented and compared with those observed on archaeological gouges recovered from the Neolithic sites of Fox Hill and Kadero in central Sudan. Through this analysis, the study provides more grounded insights into the functional role of gouges during the Khartoum Neolithic period and contributes to a deeper understanding of tool use in early agricultural societies in the region.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":46493,"journal":{"name":"African Archaeological Review","volume":"43 2","pages":"255 - 286"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-02-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10437-025-09648-2.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148365973","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Continuity and Transition from the Early to Mid-Holocene at the Foothills of the Drakensberg: Preliminary Results from the Current Excavations of Strathalan Cave A, North-Eastern Cape, South Africa","authors":"J. P. Reynard,&nbsp;T. Hattingh,&nbsp;B. Zwane,&nbsp;I. Guillemard,&nbsp;J. Bradfield,&nbsp;S. Woodborne,&nbsp;S. Oster,&nbsp;P. Morrissey,&nbsp;S. Challis,&nbsp;D. Stratford","doi":"10.1007/s10437-026-09649-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10437-026-09649-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The foothills of the Drakensberg are a significant region in understanding the links between environmental conditions and the spread of social networks across southern Africa. Strathalan Cave is an important site in this region yielding an extensive Holocene-aged deposit. Here, we report on the preliminary results from the ongoing excavations of Strathalan Cave A. Radiocarbon dates place the occupations between c. 5500 and 9000 yrs cal. BP with most occupations focused at around 7200 yrs cal. BP. Three allostratigraphic units were exposed in the deposit (A1, A2 and A3) with unit A2, the most anthropogenic unit, yielding combustion features and layers of bedding. The lithics are flake-dominated consisting mostly of hornfels but with a substantial CCS component showing little variation through time. A small quantity of ceramic fragments was recovered which may correspond to thin-walled LSA ceramics traditions, although at least one fragment may be associated with farming communities. The presence of rock art linked to the post-contact period also indicates that the cave was occupied from the early Holocene to the historic period. Grazers such as mountain reedbuck dominate the small faunal sample, but a range of browsing ungulates were also recorded. Bone tools were also noted. Of particular interest are a pestle, probably used to grind moist plant material, and a bone point, likely used for plant-based fibre processing. Plant remains were numerous, with charcoal analyses indicating an abundance of Protea and other grassland tree species. The phytolith data also show relatively high concentrations of phytoliths linked to trees in the deposit. The preliminary data indicate an environment of grassland interspersed with thicket, similar to today, with human occupations peaking between c.7000 and 8000 yrs cal. BP. We argue that depositional changes through the sequence may be linked to local-scale environmental shifts.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":46493,"journal":{"name":"African Archaeological Review","volume":"42 4","pages":"747 - 782"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10437-026-09649-9.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147338769","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Results of Preparatory Surveys on the Tagant Escarpment, Mauritania","authors":"Nikolas Gestrich,&nbsp;Maximilian Schulze","doi":"10.1007/s10437-025-09647-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10437-025-09647-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This article reports on a short survey carried out on the Tagant escarpment in southeastern Mauritania. This area has a great number of stone-built settlement and funerary sites and an unknown number of sites without stone architecture. The sites show continuity with the well-known neighbouring Tichitt complex of the Ceramic Late Stone Age. However, the Tagant escarpment has so far only been subject to one programme of fieldwork in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Recently, remote sensing work has been carried out there, but many important questions remain unanswered. This article presents the archaeological remains of two areas on the escarpment, laying the groundwork for future field research in this part of Mauritania.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":46493,"journal":{"name":"African Archaeological Review","volume":"42 4","pages":"783 - 807"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10437-025-09647-3.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147338114","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Replacement in Progress: Ethnoarchaeological Insights on Disappearing Pottery in Favour of Metal, Glass, and Plastic Containers in Lower Casamance, Senegal (Twentieth–Twenty-first Century AD)","authors":"Pauline Debels,&nbsp;Julien Vieugué,&nbsp;Camille Ollier,&nbsp;Moustapha Sall,&nbsp;Anne Mayor","doi":"10.1007/s10437-025-09644-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10437-025-09644-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Ceramic pots have long served a wide range of functions due to their favourable performance characteristics. While still used in some African societies today, their role has dramatically decreased over the past century, largely due to the spread of industrial containers such as plastic, glass, and metal. This study investigates a century of evolution of pottery use among the Jóola Kaasa people (Lower-Casamance, Senegal), using an ethnoarchaeological approach. The comparative study of ethnographic pots from the village of Edioungou (early twenty-first century) and archaeological pots from a disposal area (twentieth century) long used by the inhabitants allowed us to highlight diachronic changes in pottery and better understand their replacement by metal, glass and plastic containers. Results reveal uneven disappearance rates among vessel types, such as decreasing water transportation vessels, persisting fish cooking pots, and increasing palm wine serving vessels, showcasing that the process is far from linear. By putting research on the Jóola Kaasa village into perspective with the investigations carried out on other ethno-linguistic groups in Senegal, this study shows that the replacement of pottery by metal, glass and plastic containers is shaped not only by performance characteristics but also by economic, religious, cultural, and social factors. This work contributes to broader debates on material culture change and the replacement of pots with imported modern materials.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":46493,"journal":{"name":"African Archaeological Review","volume":"43 1","pages":"85 - 114"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148061285","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}