Professional Documents
Culture Documents
No .13
November 1978.
Newsletter of t h e S o c i e t y of A f r i c a n i s t A r c h a e o l o g i s t s i n America.
E d i t e d by P.L. S h i n n i e and i s s u e d from t h e Department of Archaeology,
The U n i v e r s i t y of Calgary, Calgary, A l b e r t a , T2N 1N4, Canada. Typing
and e d i t o r i a l a s s i s t a n c e by Ama Omsua S h i n n i e .
-------------
M r . F. Kense
Department of Archaeology
U n i v e r s i t y of Calgary
Calgary A l b e r t a
T2N I N 4 Canada.
Dr.J. Bower of Iowa S t a t e
Committee wishes it t o be made
s u g g e s t i o n of 2 8 t h , 29th A p r i l
apologise
f o r g i v i n g a wrong
U n i v e r s i t y a member of t h e S t e e r i n g
c l e a r t h a t he was n o t a p a r t y t o t h e
as d a t e s f o r t h e Conference. I
impression.
NOTES TO CONTRIBUTORS
Nyame Akuma i s i n t e n d e d p r i m a r i l y f o r q u i c k , s h o r t , news i t e m s
concerning r e c e n t r e s e a r c h . It i s n o t planned t h a t it should compete
w i t h such j o u r n a l s as Azania, B u l l e t i n of IFAN, B u l l e t i n of South
African Archaeological S o c i e t y , West African J o u r n a l of Archaeology,
Kush, Annales d f E t h i o p i e e t c , i n t h e p u b l i s h i n g of major a r t i c l e s .
concerning a r c h a e o l o g i c a l
There i s a p l a c e f o r s h o r t a r t i c l e s
r e s e a r c h b u t t h e e d i t o r a s k s t h a t t h e y be s h o r t - n o t more t h a n about
t h r e e t o f o u r s i n g l e spaced q u a r t o pages. They need n o t , and on t h e
whole should n o t , be f u l l y r e f e r e n c e d s i n c e Nyame Akuma h a s n e i t h e r
t h e t y p i n g c a p a c i t y nor t h e number of pages t o make t h i s p o s s i b l e , n o r
i s it u s u a l l y a p p r o p r i a t e .
P l e a s e keep i l l u s t r a t i o n s t o a minimum - a few good q u a l i t y
photographs can be accepted b u t t h e y should be s o p r i n t e d a s t o
conform t o t h e page s i z e . Drawings should be i n good b l a c k i n k on
w h i t e paper (photo - c o p i e s w i l l n o t d o ) , and should a l s o be planned
t o f i t t h e page s i z e . The e d i t o r i s unable t o a r r a n g e f o r r e d u c t i o n ,
re-drawing, o r p a s t i n g up. The page s i z e i s 11 i n c h e s x 8.5 i n c h e s
( 2 7 . 8 cm. x 21.5 cm.).
It would be much a p p r e c i a t e d i f when it i s p o s s i b l e t e x t could
be typed single-spaced on t h e right s i z e of paper and w i t h a carbon
r i b b o n . T h i s s a v e s much time as t h e t e x t does n o t t h e n have t o be
re-typed. I r e a l i s e t h a t i n Europe and Africa our paper s i z e i s n o t
normally a v a i l a b l e , t h a t carbon r i b b o n s and e l e c t r i c t y p e w r i t e r s a r e
h a r d t o come by, and t h a t i n many c a s e s our c o n t r i b u t o r s have t o t y p e
t h e i r own a r t i c l e s , o f t e n under d i f f i c u l t c o n d i t i o n s . My wife w i l l
c o n t i n u e t o r e - t y p e a l l t h o s e a r t i c l e s which need i t .
F i n a l l y p l e a s e n o t e a g a i n t h a t Nyame Akuma i s a v e h i c l e f o r
news i t e m s on a l l a s p e c t s of archaeology and ethno-archaeology from
A.frica w i t h t h e exception of t h e c l a s s i c a l p e r i o d s of North A f r i c a and
t h e Pharaonic p e r i o d s of Egypt. The c l a s s i c a l world of North A f r i c a
i s somewhat remote from t h e i n t e r e s t s of most of our r e a d e r s and
Pharaonic Egypt i s w e l l c a t e r e d f o r i n t h e annual reviews t h a t
P r o f e s s o r L e c l a n t p u b l i s h e s i n O r i e n t a l i a . Should t h e r e be a demand
from t h e r e a d e r s f o r a change i n p o l i c y I w i l l , of c o u r s e , c o n s i d e r i t .
P.L. S h i n n i e .
Wednesday June 27
Overview r e p o r t s on d a t i n g .
Palaeoenvironmental s t u d i e s .
Thursday 2une 28
Upper P l e i s t o c e n e hominids.
Statement of problems f o r f u t u r e r e s e a r c h .
For t h i s symposium p l e a s e w r i t e t o :
Mrs. J a n e t t e Deacon
Department of Archaeology
U n i v e r s i t y of S t e l l e n b o s c h
S t e l l e n b o s c h 7600
South A f r i c a .
NEWS ITEMS
ALGERIA
REPORT ON THE
o or onto
BOTSWANA
D r . Lepionka w r i t e s :
Having noted D r . Hitchcock's kind remarks concerning t h e
excavation at Tautswe i n t h e last i s s u e of Nyame Akuma, I thought
t h a t it would be well t o mention t h a t t h e f i n a l paper on t h a t
excavation i s now a v a i l a b l e . It i s e n t i t l e d Tautswemogala:
Transition from E a r l y --t o Late I r o n b e i n South A f r i c a and was
submitted t h i s May as a d o c t o r a l d i s s e r t a t i o n . It may be consulted
at t h e l i b r a r i e s of Harvard U n i v e r s i t y . A s it involves some
fundamental i s s u e s concerning t h e d e f i n i t i o n of t h e Leopard's Kopje
t r a d i t i o n , I i n t e n d t o seek p u b l i c a t i o n f o r i t , and would a p p r e c i a t e
any suggestions a s t o a l i k e l y p u b l i s h e r .
Recent a c t i v i t i e s have otherwise been r a t h e r f a r a f i e l d from
A f r i c a , but a t l e a s t a r e centered i n t h e b i r t h p l a c e of Afro-American
c u l t u r e , t h e Low Country of South Carolina, where I have been involved
p r i m a r i l y i n t h e h i s t o r i c p e r i o d , and hope t o f u r t h e r t h e search f o r
evidence of African m a t e r i a l c u l t u r e i n t h i s r e g i o n .
EGYPT
D r . Hassan of Washington S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y r e p o r t s :
My f i e l d r e s e a r c h i n Siwa O a s i s , n o r t h e r n Egypt, h a s been
concluded and a f i n a l r e p o r t i s now i n p r e p a r a t i o n . P r e l i m i n a r y
r e p o r t s appeared i n Nyame Akuma ( ~ c t o b e r1976) and Current Anthropology
The r e g i o n of Siwa Oasis w a s occupied d u r i n g a moist
( ~ o l1.9 , 1978)
phase d a t i n g from c a . 9500 t o 6500 u n c a l i b r a t e d radiocarbon y e a r s
b e f o r e p r e s e n t . The a r c h a e o l o g i c a l remains i n d i c a t e t h a t v a r i o u s
p l a c e s i n t h e r e g i o n were i n h a b i t e d by h i g h l y mobile, small bands
s h a r i n g a common t e c h n o l o g i c a l t r a d i t i o n , which d i f f e r s from t h a t of
neighboring geographic a r e a s . There i s no evidence f o r a g r i c u l t u r a l
o r p a s t o r a l p r a c t i c e s . Hunting and g a t h e r i n g seem t o have been t h e
predominant s u b s i s t e n c e a c t i v i t i e s . T h i s c o n t r a s t s w i t h evidence f o r
a g r i c u l t u r a l communities i n t h e s o u t h e r n p a r t of t h e Western D e s e r t .
I n t h e summer of 1977, e x p l o r a t o r y a r c h a e o l o g i c a l i n v e s t i g a t i o n s
were undertaken i n t h e r e g i o n of Baharia Oasis and t h e d e s e r t margin
of West D e l t a . These s t u d i e s provide f u r t h e r evidence f o r t h e e a r l y
Holocene moist phase and i n d i c a t e t h a t B a h a r i a Oasis was occupied by
hunting-gathering communities. The E t h i c technology of t h e s e
communities i s s i m i l a r t o t h a t e x h i b i t e d by t h e I s n a n I n d u s t r y of t h e
The Archaeology of t h e Dishna P l a i n , Egypt, The
N i l e Valley
Archaeological
Geological Survey of Egypt, Paper No. 59, 1974)
survey of t h e West D e l t a d e s e r t margin r e v e a l e d t h e presence of two
Middle P a l a e o l i t h i c s i t e s showing g r e a t t y p o l o g i c a l s i m i l a r i t i e s w i t h
Middle P a l a e o l i t h i c s i t e s from Nubia. Palaeoenvironmental s t u d i e s of
t h e N e o l i t h i c settlement--Merimda Beni Salama, i n c o n j u n c t i o n w i t h
M r . Zahi Hawwass, t h e Egyptian Department of A n t i q u i t i e s , r e v e a l s
t h a t a r i d c o n d i t i o n s were p r e v a l e n t d u r i n g t h e occupation of t h e s i t e .
The o n s e t of d r i e r c o n d i t i o n s i s c l e a r l y i n d i c a t e d and i s
contemporaneous with t h e p e r i o d of d e s e r t i f i c a t i o n beginning c a . 6500
radiocarbon y e a r s ago.
assan an,
I had a l s o t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o s t u d y t h e Q u a t e r n a r y and
a r c h a e o l o g i c a l geology of Hierakonpolis i n c o n j u n c t i o n w i t h t h e work
undertaken by P r o f e s s o r Walter F a i r s e r v i s and D r . M e Hoffman. The
g e o l o g i c a l i n f o r m a t i o n from H i e r a k o n p o l i s , Khattara-Nagada, and
Merimda promise t o c l a r i f y t h e palaeoenvironmental s e t t i n g of t h e
P r e d y n a s t i c developments i n Egypt.
GAMBIA
GHANA
by
7.
The name @ - dome means " i n t h e middle of marshy ground". The whole
a r e a where t h e y first s e t t l e d i n t h e same v i c i n i t y w a s s a i d t o have
been very marshy and according t o them a s p i r i t l i v e d t h e r e and t o
enable peaceful settlement t h e s p i r i t had t o be compensated i n t h e
form of human s a c r i f i c e t o enable i t l e a v e t h e a r e a and f i n d a new
abode. The s a c r i f i c e needed w a s e i t h e r a v i r g i n boy o r g i r l . The
t h e n chief (name not given) was unwilling t o give h i s own c h i l d up
but a sub-chief (name f o r g o t t e n ) volunteered h i s two c h i l d r e n . A f t e r
t h e obnoxious s a c r i f i c e t h e place d r i e d up and became a r a b l e . The
sub-chief w a s enstooled i n place of t h e paramount chief and t h e
descendants of t h i s brave new chief a r e t h e present c h i e f s of
Anyirawase.
The t r a d i t i o n continues t h a t t h e Pekis a r r i v e d i n t h e a r e a l a t e r
having come from t h e d i r e c t i o n of Hohoe through Kpeve. They asked
t h e Awudome people f o r land t o s e t t l e . Land w a s given. L a t e r ,
missionaries got t h i s agreement s e t down i n w r i t t e n r e c o r d . A s t h i s
w a s a controversy being d e a l t with i n court at KO it w a s inexpedient
t o follow it up s e r i o u s l y .
The o r a l t r a d i t i o n w a s c o l l e c t e d as a supplement t o t h e survey
work and was meant t o provide an i n s i g h t i n t o t h e h i s t o r y of t h e a r e a
as t h e people of t h e a r e a s e e i t . Supplementary information needs t o
be c o l l e c t e d from o t h e r people so t h a t t h e f a c t s can be properly
s i f t e d out.
CONCLUSIONS
The m a t e r i a l s obtained a t both s i t e s a r e q u i t e i n t e r e s t i n g .
There i s t h e need t o follow up and excavate t h e two p o t s as t h e
mountain s i d e i s g e n e r a l l y stony and cannot provide any dependable
s t r a t i g r a p h y . Recovery of a few more potsherds, s l a g s and some
carbon may provide some u s e f u l index f o r understanding t h e s i t e .
Also important i s t h e need t o l o c a t e more s i t e s i n order t o g e t a
s u i t a b l e a r e a f o r l a t e r excavation.
Excavation of t h e stone age a r e a at t h e base of t h e mountain i s
not immediately necessary. But a l a r g e q u a n t i t y of t h e stone m a t e r i a l
should be c o l l e c t e d and s t u d i e d f o r a more d e t a i l e d d e s c r i p t i o n t o be
obtained. L a t e r , however, a small t e s t p i t could be sunk t o o b t a i n a
p o s s i b l e s t r a t i g r a p h y with which some meaning can be given t o t h e
stone o b j e c t s . Oliver Davies has mentioned pebble t o o l s and
acheulian handaxes found around t h e Awudome mountain a r e a s . These
m a t e r i a l s w i l l a l s o have t o be examined alongside t h e m a t e r i a l s t o
be obtained a f t e r sinking t h e t r e n c h mentioned above. Unfortunately
t h e r e i s no mention of t h i s p a r t i c u l a r s i t e i n h i s f i e l d n o t e s .
T h i s r e p o r t i s s u p p l i e d by M r . F . Kense of t h e U n i v e r s i t y of
Calgary.
'
ber)
The a r c h a e o l o g i c a l team f o r t h e 1978 season ( ~ u l ~ / ~ e ~ t e m was
headed by P r o f . P.L. Shinnie of t h e Department of Archaeology a t t h e
U n i v e r s i t y of Calgary and included h i s w i f e , A m a S h i n n i e , a s w e l l as
M r . F . J . Kense from t h e U n i v e r s i t y of Calgary, M r . S.A. Copp from t h e
Department of Archaeology a t Simon F r a s e r U n i v e r s i t y , and Mrs.Kathleen
Robertson, p r e s e n t l y r e s i d i n g i n L i v i n g s t o n e , Zambia. The group w a s
housed r e l a t i v e l y comfortably i n a Government Rest House l o c a t e d j u s t
on t h e o u t s k i r t s of t h e town, and a compound w i t h i n t h e town i t s e l f .
A work f o r c e of about 15 "schoolboys" (ages 16-21) provided t h e main
l a b o u r f o r e x c a v a t i n g , while an a d d i t i o n a l 5 younger boys a s s i s t e d
w i t h t h e washing of t h e p o t s h e r d s .
The town i t s e l f i s p r e s e n t l y i n h a b i t e d by about 2,000 p e o p l e ,
and b o a s t s a p o l i c e p o s t , a p o s t o f f i c e and a medical c l i n i c . These
b u i l d i n g s a r e t h e o n l y ones b u i l t of cement walls, w i t h t h e remainder
of t h e town s t r u c t u r e s s t i l l c o n s t r u c t e d of t h e t r a d i t i o n a l m a t e r i a l
of mud. While i r o n corrugated r o o f i n g i s t h e popular medium of
f i n i s h i n g t h e s e s t r u c t u r e s , t h e u s e of t h a t c h e d r o o f i n g i s by no means
obsolete.
P r e l i m i n a r y i n v e s t i g a t i o n of t h e town a r e a r e v e a l e d t h a t t h e
occupation zone h a s been s h i f t i n g t o t h e n o r t h and west of t h e r i v e r
bank s o t h a t from t h e s e o b s e r v a t i o n s and from t h e o r a l t r a d i t i o n s of
t h e town, it w a s i n t h i s a r e a t o t h e south and e a s t t h a t t h e
e x c a v a t i o n u n i t s were p l a c e d . Four d i f f e r e n t a z e a s were t e s t e d
d u r i n g t h e season; two as s i n g l e 2 x 2 m. u n i t s , one as t h r e e a d j a c e n t
2 x 2 m . u n i t s and t h e f o u r t h as s i x 2 x 2 m. u n i t s . Due t o t h e t i m e
l i m i t s and s i z e of s u p e r v i s o r y crew, o n l y one of t h e s i n g l e 2 x 2
u n i t s was completed t o s t e r i l e ( a r e a "w") and one o f t h e s i x 2 x 2 ' s
excavated t o s t e r i l e ( a r e a "K", u n i t A 1 2 ) . Both t h e s e u n i t s
r e v e a l e d t h a t t h e depth of d e p o s i t was c o n s i d e r a b l y g r e a t e r t h a n
a n t i c i p a t e d - t o d e p t h s of 3.60 m. and 3.45 m. r e s p e c t i v e l y .
MYTH OR REALITY
On c o n s u l t a t i o n with t h e e l d e r s at Duayeden-Nyanawase I w a s l e d
t o a newly c o n s t r u c t e d r o a d s i t e about 500 metres f r o ? t h e town.
)
s e l e c t e d f o r trial excavaThe a r e a r e f e r r e d t o as S i t e 1 ( D D ~ was
t i o n ' . A 4 x 1 m. t r e n c h was opened. A few p o t s h e r d s , one nyame
akuma ( c e l t ) and two rubbing s t o n e s were found. The s h e r d s a r e
mostly p o o r l y made, i l l - f i r e d , heavy r i m , t h i c k w a l l , c o a r s e t e x t u r e
and mostly undecorated p o t t e r y r e m i n i s c e n t of t h e Kintampo n e o l i t h i c
type. A t a d e p t h of 75 cm: t h e s t e r i l e s t o n e bedded r e d d i s h l a y e r
was exposed without any evidence of I r o n Age m a t e r i a l such as s l a g ,
i r o n o b j e c t s o r tobacco-pipes. Reviewing t h e evidence and i n view of
t h e f a c t t h a t t h e s i t e i s o n l y about 300 metres s o u t h of a r o c k s h e l t e r
i n which worked s t o n e implements were c o l l e c t e d , one i s i n c l i n e d t o
b e l i e v e t h a t S i t e 1 ( D D ~ i)s p r o t o - I r o n Age. It i s u n f o r t u n a t e t h a t
no carbon sample came from t h i s s i t e b u t it i s expected t h a t
thermoluminiscence w i l l p u t t h e s i t e i n t o p e r s p e c t i v e .
A s e t t l e m e n t of mud b u i l d i n g s with a
1: Sangaya ( ~ e ~ i o2:n f i r k i )
guessed population of a t l e a s t 500 Kanuri-speaking people. Located on
a s e t t l e m e n t mound i n t h e midst of an e x t e n s i v e f i r k i c l a y p l a i n which
f l o o d s during t h e r a i n s , it i s probable t h a t occupation h a s been
continuous f o r s e v e r a l thousand y e a r s . Sorghum i s grown: both dawa
and masakwa. Masakwa growing n e c e s s i t a t e s f a l l i n g - f l o o d f m i n g of
t h e surrounding f i r k i . A v a r i e t y of l e s s important crops i s a l s o
grown, some of them i n gardens i r r i g a t e d by a modern borehole-fed l a k e
a t t h e edge of t h e v i l l a g e . P r i o r t o t h e e x i s t e n c e of t h e borehole,
t h i s l a k e only h e l d water i n t h e r a i n y season and w e l l s of about 30
metres depth were necessary t o g e t water throughout t h e year. The
v i l l a g e r s a l s o keep c a t t l e , sheep and g o a t s and v a r i o u s o t h e r animals.
The c a t t l e a r e s t a l l e d i n cow-houses: a t n i g h t d u r i n g t h e d r y season,
i n t h e day-time during t h e r a i n y season because of b i t i n g f l i e s . I n
d r y seasons t h a t a r e p a x t i c u l a r l y d r y t h e c a t t l e a r e taken t o Lake
Chad o r t o one of t h e r i v e r s but it i s l a c k of grass r a t h e r t h a n l a c k
of water which i s t h e deciding f a c t o r . F i s h can be caught i n t h e
v i l l a g e l a k e and even i n t h e d r y season 'mud f i s h ' can be dug up from
t h e hardened f i r k i , Sorghum i s t h e s t a p l e food and i s s t o r e d f o r up
t o two years i n p i t s dug i n t h e ground within t h e s e t t l e m e n t . To
prepare as food it i s u s u a l l y husked i n a p e s t l e and mortar and t h e n
ground t o a f l o u r , t r a d i t i o n a l l y on a grindstone, now i n a d i e s e l powered grinding machine. There i s l i t t l e wood a v a i l a b l e i n t h e
Sangaya a r e a and d r i e d cakes of cow manure a r e used as f u e l . Cooking
i s done on f i r e p l a c e s of a s i m i l a r design t o some of t h o s e excavated
i n t h e upper p a r t of t h e Daima mound.
3:
I n t h e Yobe r e g i o n r a i n f a l l i s markedly l e s s t h a n i n t h e f i r k i
and s e t t l e m e n t i s of a l e s s permanent n a t u r e , both i n b u i l d i n g
m a t e r i a l s and c o n t i n u i t y of occupation. The c r o p s and animals which
a r e t h e most important r e f l e c t t h e d r i e r c o n d i t i o n s compared t o t h e
f i r k i but s k i l l f u l u s e of t h e Yobe R i v e r f o r i r r i g a t i o n m i t i g a t e s t o
some e x t e n t t h e e f f e c t s of t h e d r i e r c l i m a t e .
ma or no
1: Maidbe
8 9 ) . The d e s e r t e d remains of a Kanuri town probably
d a t i n g from sometime during t h e l a s t 500 y e a r s . It i s s i t u a t e d about
27 kilometres SSE. of Golumba, i n l e v e l sandy country, and c o n s i s t s
of an a r e a enclosed by a town w a l l w i t h i n which a r e a number of small
s e t t l e m e n t mounds of Yobe t y p e , with grey-stained s u r f a c e sand
s c a t t e r e d with potsherds and o t h e r a r c h a e o l o g i c a l m a t e r i a l . A t t h e
c e n t r e of t h e s i t e i s a roughly c i r c u l a r a r e a , s a i d by l o c a l
t r a d i t i o n t o have been t h e Mai's palace- compound. It measures about
195 metres a c r o s s and i s enclosed by a d i t c h and a steep-sided e a r t h e n
bank, t h e t o p of which i s 4-5 metres above t h e bottom of t h e d i t c h .
This bank i s probably t h e remains of a n upstanding mud w a l l r a t h e r t h a n
of an earthen rampart. The enclosure has two e n t r a n c e s on i t s west
s i d e and a low s e t t l e m e n t mound a t i t s c e n t r e .
o or no
2: SW. of Kambile
90). This s i t e i s s i t u a t e d 3 k i l o m e t r e s SW.
56) on t h e SE. s i d e of t h e Jarawa-Golumba road. It
of Kambile
i s a f l a t s i t e l o c k t k on a s l i g h t l y e l e v a t e d sandy a r e a surrounded
by f i r k i which f l o o d s during t h e r a i n s . A t its h i g h e s t point i s a
t h i n s c a t t e r of potsherds and o t h e r archaeological m a t e r i a l . T h i s
s i t e appears t o be a post-contact one, probably n i n e t e e n t h and
t w e n t i e t h century i n d a t e , with some t r a c e s of e a r l i e r m a t e r i a l
p r e s e n t . It i s probable t h a t t h e s i t e was d e s e r t e d only i n r e c e n t
decades. The provision of borehole water a t s e l e c t e d s e t t l e m e n t s i n
t h i s a r e a s i n c e t h e mid 1950s has probably caused t h e abandonment of
many smaller v i l l a g e s . The s i t e i s of p a r t i c u l a r value i n throwing
l i g h t on t h e end of t h e a r c h a e o l o g i c a l sequence i n Borno.
o or no
3:
o or no
Suwa
9 1 ) . T h i s s i t e i s s i t u a t e d about 6 k i l o m e t r e s NW. of
Borno 90 i n t h e midst of an e x t e n s i v e .-f i r k i c l a y p l a i n which f l o o d s
d u r i n g t h e r a i n s . I t i s a l a r g e s e t t l e m e n t mound of f i r k i t y p e ,
guessed t o be about 6 metres h i g h , w i t h a modern v i l l a g e on t h e SW.
end. The NE, end of t h e mound i s n o t occupied by b u i l d i n g s and h a s
a t h i c k s c a t t e r of p o t s h e r d s and o t h e r a r c h a e o l o g i c a l m a t e r i a l . The
s u r f a c e m a t e r i a l at Suwa appears t o be of a ' l a t e Daima' d a t e ,
i n d i c a t i n g occupation from l a t e i n t h e f i r s t millennium t o e a r l y i n
t h e second millennium A . D .
o or no
9 2 ) . T h i s s i t e i s s i t u a t e d 4-5 k i l o m e t r e s SE.
of Suwa
91) on t h e n o r t h e r n s i d e of t h e t r a c k l e a d i n g towards
Golumba. It i s a f l a t s i t e l o c a t e d on a s m a l l sandy a r e a surrounded
by a n e x t e n s i v e f i r k i c l a y p l a i n which f l o o d s d u r i n g t h e r a i n s . The
s i t e c o n s i s t s of a t h i n s c a t t e r of s h e r d s and o t h e r a r c h a e o l o g i c a l
m a t e r i a l and would appear t o be of p o s t - c o n t a c t d a t e , probably
belonging t o t h e n i n e t e e n t h and t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r y , w i t h some t r a c e s
of e a r l i e r m a t e r i a l p r e s e n t . Like Borno 9 0 , it i s probable t h a t t h e
s i t e was d e s e r t e d only i n r e c e n t decades as a response t o b e t t e r water
s u p p l i e s elsewhere. Its small s i z e and i s o l a t e d p o s i t i o n might
suggest t h a t it was occupied o n l y s e a s o n a l l y .
4: SE. of Suwa
o or no
o or no
$: Garm Kime
93). This i s a f l a t site s i t u a t e d 4 kilometres
t o t h e west of Mongonu, 100 metres south of t h e t a r r e d r o a d from
Maiduguri t o ~ o n ~ o nt hua t w a s b u i l t i n t h e l a t e 1960s. The s i t e i s
l o c a t e d i n a f l a t sandy a r e a , nearby a r e two small c l a y d e p r e s s i o n s
t h a t could provide water f o r p a r t of t h e y e a r . There i s a square
earthwork e n c l o s u r e measuring about 75 by 53 m e t r e s , w i t h a bank
about 1 metre h i g h . T h i s bank i s l i t t e r e d with broken f i r e d r e d
b r i c k and t h e r e i s a p o s s i b l e b u t d o u b t f u l e n t r a n c e t o t h e e n c l o s u r e
on i t s western s i d e . A s c a t t e r of broken b r i c k l i e s i n s i d e t h e
e n c l o s u r e , p a r t i c u l a r l y on a s l i g h t l y r a i s e d a r e a . About 75 metres
away from t h e NW. c o r n e r of t h e e n c l o s u r e i s a roughly c i r c u l a r
mound, about 1.5 metres h i g h , which a l s o h a s a s c a t t e r of broken
f i r e d r e d b r i c k . There i s no p o t s h e r d s c a t t e r w i t h i n t h e s q u a r e
e n c l o s u r e , o r on i t s bank, o r on t h e a d j a c e n t mound b u t p o t s h e r d s
can be found s c a t t e r e d on grey-stained sand around t h e s i t e ,
e s p e c i a l l y t o t h e NE. and E. where t h e r e a r e a number of low s e t t l e ment mounds of Yobe t y p e . To t h e n o r t h of t h e t a r r e d r o a d , perhaps
0.5 k i l o m e t r e from t h e s i t e , i s t h e modern v i l l a g e of Garu Kime, a
Kanuri place-name t h a t t r a n s l a t e s i n t o English as ' r e d w a l l '
The
i n h a b i t a n t s s a y t h a t t h e s i t e i s o l d e r t h a n Kukawa, probably meaning
t h a t it i s p r e - n i n e t e e n t h c e n t u r y A . D . They s a y t h a t t h e s q u a r e
e n c l o s u r e was t h e Mai's compound and t h e s e p a r a t e mound t h e remains
of t h e mosque. S u r f a c e m a t e r i a l a t t h e s i t e i n d i c a t e s a second
millennium A.D d a t e and t h e s i m i l a r i t y of name and presence of
f i r e d b r i c k seem good r e a s o n s t o claim t h a t t h i s i s t h e s i t e of Garu
K i m e ( a l s o known as ~ u d i )mentioned i n t h e Mahram l i s t e d as
Manuscript 52 i n H . R . Palmer, Sudanese Memoirs, Volume 111, Lagos
1928, p. 28. According t o t h i s document, Garu K i m e was t h e f i r s t
o or no
6: Yedi
94). This s i t e i s s i t u a t e d about 14.5 kilometres N N W .
of Marte on t h e road between Marte and Mongonu. It i s an e x t e n s i v e
low eroded bank, all t h a t
but low settlement mound of f i r k i type.
remains of a defensive w a l l , was observed around t h e edge of t h e mound
on i t s NE. s i d e . Apart from i t s NE. extremity which has a t h i c k
s c a t t e r of potsherds and o t h e r archaeological m a t e r i a l , t h e r e s t of
t h e mound i s covered by a modern v i l l a g e . The mound s t a n d s i n t h e
midst of an expanse of f i r k i c l a y which f l o o d s during t h e r a i n s but
it i s near t h e edge of t h e f i r k i p l a i n s . The s u r f a c e m a t e r i a l at t h e
s i t e appears t o be of ' l a t e Daima' and ' p o s t D a i m a ' d a t e , i n d i c a t i n g
occupation from l a t e i n t h e f i r s t millennium A.D. down t o t h e p r e s e n t
time.
o or no
7: W. of Kauwa
95). This s i t e i s s i t u a t e d about 9 kilometres
ENE. of Kukawa and about 1.5 kilometres W. of t h e Kauwa road
junction, on t h e t a r r e d road from Maiduguri t o Kukawa t h a t was b u i l t
i n t h e l a t e 1960s. A t t h i s point t h e road t o Kukawa c r e s t s a r i s e
formed by a b e l t of s t a b i l i z e d sand dunes, t h e s u r f a c e of which i s
very l o o s e , Amongst t h e s e i s a s e r i e s of amorphous s e t t l e m e n t mounds
of Yobe t y p e . A t l e a s t s i x mounds a r e present but t h e whole t e r r a i n
i s undulating and t h e s i t e extends on both s i d e s of t h e t a r r e d road.
A l l t h e immediate a r e a has grey-stained sand but t h e mounds a l s o have
a s c a t t e r of potsherds (mostly r a t h e r comminuted) , some animal bone
fragments, fragments of freshwater s h e l l and a l o t of f i s h bone most
of which i s broken i n t o small fragments. Other archaeological
m a t e r i a l i s a l s o p r e s e n t . Apparently t h e s i t e i s t h a t of a s e t t l e m e n t
belonging t o t h e second millennium A.D. The occupation of t h i s
e l e v a t e d dune a r e a would have allowed e x p l o i t a t i o n of nearby c l a y pans
which f l o o d during t h e r a i n s . The kanwa ( ~ a u s a )o r potash t r a d e
t r a d i t i o n a l l y passed through t h i s a r e a , t h e potash being brought
a c r o s s Lake Chad from NE. of t h e Lake and landed on t h e Baga peninsula.
I t i s p o s s i b l e t h a t Borno 95 was t h e l o c a t i o n of one of t h e more
westerly potash markets during a period of high Lake l e v e l .
o or no
8: Ngauro Kura
96). This s i t e i s s i t u a t e d about 4 kilometres
roughly SW. of Yau on t h e edge of a side-channel of t h e Yobe River,
l e s s than 1 kilometre from t h e Mainari i r r i g a t e d garden. The s i t e
c o n s i s t s of a l a r g e , very steep-sided s e t t l e m e n t mound of Yobe t y p e ,
5-6 metres h i g h , with a number of f a r smaller and lower mounds i n i t s
v i c i n i t y . The mounds, and t h e a r e a i n between them, a r e of greys t a i n e d , loose sand with a s c a t t e r of potsherds and o t h e r archaeolog i c a l m a t e r i a l t h a t i s p a r t i c u l a r l y t h i c k on t h e l a r g e mound. The
s u r f a c e m a t e r i a l appears t o be of second millennium A . D . d a t e , down
t o r e c e n t times. V i l l a g e r s from Mainari say t h a t t h e place i s c a l l e d
New S i t e s 1978
Ethnographic i n v e s t i g a t i o n s
6:
89 : Maidbe
El:
Sangaya
9: Ajere
E2:
Daima
91: Suwa
E3:
Mainari
24: Kursakata
E4:
Malam Nguptori
29: Daima
93 : Garu Kime
38: Borno 38
94 : Yedi
70: Shilma
95 : W . of Kauwa
Yau
0
DAMATURU
F I R K I TYPE MOUND
*SITE
A VOBE
TYPE MOUND(S)
FLAT SITE
+
QUARRY
$I
SITE
#BURIAL
SITE
by
University of Cambridge.
2)
3 ) t h e r o l e of a q u a t i c resources e s p e c i a l l y s h e l l f i s h
i n Niger Delta subsistence economy.
4)
SIERRA LEONE
D r . H i l l of t h e U n i v e r s i t y of Waterloo w r i t e s :
. .
SOUTH AFRICA
1977
by
John Parkington
During ~ u n e / ~ u1977
l ~ a t o t a l of 250 man days were spent i n t h e
O l i f a n t s River Valley supported by funds from t h e Human Sciences
Research Council. The aims of t h e research were m u l t i p l e : our prime
i n t e r e s t l a y i n t h e way i n which p r e h i s t o r i c populations of h u n t e r s
o r herders had occupied t h e v a l l e y , p a r t i c u l a r l y i n t h e few m i l l e n i a
p r i o r t o c o l o n i a l p e n e t r a t i o n . I t w a s assumed t h a t s e t t l e m e n t i n
t h e v a l l e y would have been p a r t of wider settlement p a t t e r n s
involving o t h e r resource zones from t h e A t l a n t i c c o a s t t o t h e Karoo,
and p r e d i c t i o n s t o t h e e f f e c t had a l r e a d y been published. I n t r y i n g
t o determine t h e s e settlement d e t a i l s a number of research l i n e s
were opened up and t h e present r e p o r t sketches i n t h e r e s u l t s as of
April 1978.
1 Excavation
2.
Surface C o l l e c t i o n s
With t h e r e a l i s a t i o n t h a t t h e Andriesgrond s t o n e a r t e f a c t
assemblage was c l e a r l y d i f f e r e n t i a b l e from o t h e r s i n complementary
resource zones, it seemed worthwhile making f u r t h e r c o l l e c t i o n s i n
t h e O l i f a n t s River v a l l e y t o t e s t f o r t h e homogeneity of assemblages
t h e r e . Seven o t h e r c o n t r o l l e d c o l l e c t i o n s were made, t h e ' c o n t r o l '
being t h a t every attempt was made not t o be s e l e c t i v e but t o pick up
a l l a r t e f a c t u a l m a t e r i a l . These were s u r f a c e c o l l e c t i o n s from
d e f l a t i o n hollows o r from g r a s s y swathes i n f r o n t of caves o r rock
s h e l t e r s , and t h u s cannot be placed i n t h e i r proper chronological
p o s i t i o n , though most w i l l be contempory with t h e Andriesgrond
occupations. Some t h i r t y thousand a r t e f a c t s were c o l l e c t e d and have
now been formally analysed i n our Department using a scheme g e n e r a l l y
accepted by s t o n e age a r c h a e o l o g i s t s i n t h e Cape. The r e s u l t s show
t h a t t h e Andriesgrond p a t t e r n of adze-domination i s f r e q u e n t b u t n o t
u n i v e r s a l i n t h e O l i f a n t s River v a l l e y . Three o t h e r assemblages,
i n c l u d i n g one from i n f r o n t of t h e Andriesgrond cave and another from
a s i m i l a r l o c a l i t y on t h e e a s t bank of t h e r i v e r l e s s t h a n 5 km away,
have a higher percentage of adzes t h a n any o t h e r formal t o o l category.
One assemblage i s anomalous i n many ways and t h r e e o t h e r s , a l l from
d e f l a t i o n hollows near t h e confluence of t h e Doorn and O l i f a n t s r i v e r s
and c l e a r l y not a s s o c i a t e d with caves o r s h e l t e r s , show higher f i g u r e s
f o r s c r a p e r s than f o r adzes.
What t h i s means i s n o t y e t c l e a r . However, it can a t l e a s t be
s a i d t h a t no concentration of adze-dominated assemblages can be shown
t o e x i s t i n o t h e r zones of t h e south western Cape as y e t and t h a t t h e
apparent coincidence of n a t u r a l wood r e s o u r c e s , adzes with t h e i r
presumed f u n c t i o n and abundant wood shavings i s more t h a n s u g g e s t i v e .
One p o s s i b l e reason f o r t h e higher s c r a p e r f i g u r e s i n t h e DoornO l i f a n t s confluence s i t e s i s t h a t t h e s e a r e not s h e l t e r s i t e s , and
t h e r e f o r e perhaps l e s s permanent and l e s s s u i t a b l e o r l i k e l y as
a r t e f a c t maintenance l o c a l i t i e s , and t h a t t h e y a r e l o c a t e d c l o s e t o
t h e source of rock types n o t n a t i v e t o t h e upper O l i f a n t s River v a l l e y .
This l a s t p o i n t b r i n g s up t h e question of s t o n e raw m a t e r i a l
usage i n t h e O l i f a n t s River Valley. The Andriesgrond assemblage i s
dominated by s i l c r e t e a r t e f a c t s and i n t h i s i s c l e a r l y l i n k e d with
t h o s e of t h e sandveld t o t h e west. However i n a l l assemblages from
3.
Surveys
Q u i t e obviously it i s d i f f i c u l t t o i n t e r p r e t a r c h a e o l o g i c a l
m a t e r i a l s , whether bone, p l a n t o r a r t e f a c t , without a good understandi n g of t h e contemporary environment. We t h u s spent some time i n 1977
t r y i n g t o c h a r a c t e r i s e t h e context of t h e Andriesgrond cave i n terms
of t h e a v a i l a b i l i t y of p l a n t and animal foods and s t o n e , c l a y and
organic r a w m a t e r i a l s . T h i s i s made more d i f f i c u l t by t h e obvious
changes brought about by r e c e n t d i s t u r b a n c e s of t h e environment, most
notably f l o o d i n g of t h e O l i f a n t s River and o t h e r concentrated farming
i n t h e v a l l e y alluvium. Nevertheless we d i d manage t o l o c a t e a wide
range of p l a n t foods i n t h e cave v i c i n i t y , t o note t h e i r h a b i t a t
preferences and t o monitor t h e a v a i l a b i l i t y of e d i b l e p a r t s . One
prominent discovery was t h a t d e s p i t e t h e presence of v e r y l a r g e
numbers of f r u i t - b e a r i n g Nylandtia bushes on t h e s l o p e s i n f r o n t of
t h e cave, no seed p i t s were recovered d u r i n g excavation. This i s
p a r t i c u l a r l y s u r p r i s i n g as f r u i t s of t h i s genus have been excavated
i n very l a r g e numbers from one cave s i t e i n t h e sandveld, where t h e
shrub i s perhaps l e s s common. Although t h e d i s t r i b u t i o n of t h i s
genus may have been a l t e r e d by r e c e n t a g r i c u l t u r a l o r grazing
p r a c t i c e s , it i s tempting t o conclude one of two t h i n g s : e i t h e r t h e
s i t e of Andriesgrond was scheduled f o r occupation a t a time of y e a r
when t h e f r u i t s were not r i p e : o r t h e f r u i t s were used l a r g e l y f o r
t h e i r water content i n d r y sandveld c o n d i t i o n s and v i r t u a l l y ignored
i n t h e v i c i n i t y of t h e permanently-flowing O l i f a n t s R i v e r . These
and o t h e r hypotheses may be generated and t e s t e d i n f u t u r e survey
work.
SUDAN
The seasonal interconnection between Zakiab and Kadero:
two Neolithic s i t e s i n t h e Central Sudan.
Randi Haaland, H i s t o r i c a l Museum, University of Bergen.
I n February 1978 t h e Zakiab s i t e (coordinates 1 5 4 6 ' ~ ,. 32'35' E. )
was excavated by A l i Tigani E l Mahi and myself. The s i t e was f i r s t
recorded by Arkell ( ~ r k e l,l A . J , 1953 p. 106). The s i t e was
s e l e c t e d f o r excavation s i n c e it was i n t e r p r e t e d a s contemporary with
4
t o 5260 + 90 and
t h e Kadero s i t e ( t h i s s i t e has been ~ 1 dated
5030 t 70 B.P.) and r e l a t e d t o t h e s i t e as a d r y season herding and
f i s h i n g camp.
Conclusion.
The excavation of Zakiab has t o a l a r g e e x t e n t supported t h e
preliminary hypothesis put forward r e g a r d i n g t h e s i t e as a d r y
season camp, occupied f o r herding and f i s h i n g a c t i v i t i e s and r e l a t e d
t o Kadero as a base s i t e . I w i l l a l s o suggest t h a t t h e e x p l o i t a t i o n
of t h e a q u a t i c resources got more important at t h e end of t h e d r y
season when t h e o t h e r resources got more s c a r c e . I do n o t suggest
t h a t t h e Zakiab s i t e was occupied during t h e whole d r y season from
October t o June, I s e e t h e s i t e as occupied f o r s h o r t e r p e r i o d s ,
probably only f o r one t o two months
The f a c t o r s i n f l u e n c i n g t h e
movements along t h e N i l e , would h a v a t h e a v a i l a b i l i t y of grass, t h e !b,een
people would have t o move with t h e c a t t l e when t h e p a s t u r e was
exhausted (water and f i s h were constant f a c t o r s )
F u r t h e r fieldwork.
To g e t an understanding of t h e y e a r l y cycle of a d a p t a t i o n , it
i s of utmost importance t o make a d e t a i l e d survey of s i t e s both
along t h e Nile and f u r t h e r away. I n t h e zone along t h e Nile I would
expect t o f i n d more d r y season camps, most of them probably s m a l l e r
than Zakiab with l e s s b u i l t - u p d 6 b r i s and t h e r e f o r e d i f f i c u l t t o f i n d .
Dry Season
Base
Site
Herding
fishing
Cultivation
Animal Husbandry
Rainy Season
Camps
Herding
REFERENCES
Arkell, A.J. 1953
Esh Shaheinab, Oxford
Haaland, R. in press.
'Lithic tools as possible indicators for emly domestication'.
Haaland, R. in press.
'Seasonal variations among Neolithic Sites in Central Sudan'.
Krzyzaniak, L. 1977
'New light on the early stage of development of foodproducing
economy in the Upper Main Nile Valley', Journal of African
History, XIX, 159-72.
Klichowska, M. 1978
'Preliminary results of paleoethnobotanical studies of plant
impression on potsherds from the Neolithic settlement of Kadero',
Nyame Akuma, 12, 42-43.
A Tigani E l Mahi.
( ~ u b i e~ o u d a n a i s e )
ZAIRE
Report on Archaeological, Ethnographic, and Geographic
Fieldwork i n Equator Province, Z a i r e
by
Manfred K .H Eggert and Kanimba Misago
e x p l a n a t i o n provided f o r t h e absence of v i l l a g e s on t h e o p p o s i t e
bank. There a r e s t r o n g i n d i c a t i o n s i n t h e e t h n o h i s t o r i c a l r e c o r d ,
however, a c c o r d i n g t o which t h e E l i n g a , t h e r i v e r p e o p l e , once
s e t t l e d t h e r e f o r some time b e f o r e e s t a b l i s h i n g themselves on t h e
l e f t bank. E v i d e n t l y , only a thorough a r c h a e o l o g i c a l check can
s e t t l e t h i s question.
The choice of a C e n t r a l African t r o p i c a l r a i n f o r e s t a r e a
f o r t h e r e s e a r c h i n q u e s t i o n was motivated l a r g e l y by t h e c u r r e n t
i n t e r e s t i n e a r l y I r o n Age A f r i c a and t h e a s s o c i a t e d problem of
t h e s o - c a l l e d "Bantu expansion". S i n c e t h e t r o p i c a l r a i n f o r e s t
f i g u r e s prominently i n t h e l i n g u i s t i c hypotheses u n d e r l y i n g t h e
Bantu problem, f i e l d r e s e a r c h i n r e s p e c t i v e r e g i o n s seems t o be
of a h i g h o r d e r of p r i o r i t y . The second major r e a s o n f o r t h e
c h o i c e w a s our i n t e n t i o n t o t r y t o s y s t e m a t i c a l l y l i n k archaeolog i c a l d a t a and o r a l t r a d i t i o n s i n o r d e r t o throw some l i g h t on t h e
e t h n o h i s t o r y of such a h a b i t a t . It was hoped t h a t by u s i n g what
h a s been termed t h e D i r e c t H i s t o r i c a l Approach (Steward 1942), a
p a r a d i g m a t i c a l l y i n t e r e s t i n g c a s e of ( i n a v e r y broad s e n s e of t h e
term) s e t t l e m e n t c o n t i n u i t y w i t h i n t h e r a i n f o r e s t might be
developed.
Choosing s p e c i f i c a l l y t h e Ruki a r e a was t h e outcome of both
s u b s t a n t i v e as w e l l as pragmatic c o n s i d e r a t i o n s . Members of t h e
I n s t i t u t e of Ethnology of Mainz U n i v e r s i t y ( ~ r i k aSulzmann;
E r n s t W . ~ Z l l e r )had done some e t h n o g r a p h i c a l work i n t h e a r e a i n
t h e e a r l y f i f t i e s and t h e r e b y encountered a p o t t e r y of a k i n d
a b s o l u t e l y unknown t o t h e l o c a l p o p u l a t i o n . They found t h i s p o t t e r y
b e i n g washed o u t of t h e grounds a f t e r heavy r a i n s . A s t o pragmatic
motives, t h e I n s t i t u t e h a s , through t h e good o f f i c e s of F a t h e r G .
H u l s t a e r t of Bamanya, v e r y good r e l a t i o n s with t h e M.S.C., t h e
C a t h o l i c missionary s o c i e t y a c t i v e i n t h e Equator r e g i o n of Z a l r e .
T h i s proved t o be of i n v a l u a b l e h e l p as t o t h e more t e c h n i c a l s i d e
of t h e p r o j e c t .
With r e g a r d t o t h e n a t u r e of t h e r e s e a r c h o b j e c t i v e s a j o i n t
e f f o r t from both an a r c h a e o l o g i c a l and an ethnographic p o i n t of view
seemed t o be i n o r d e r . Furthermore, a d e t a i l e d s t u d y of t h e
morphology of t r o p i c a l r i v e r h a b i t a t s promised t o provide important
i n f o r m a t i o n as t o t h e p o t e n t i a l l y s i g n i f i c a n t r e l a t i o n s h i p s between
1) P r i n c i p a l i n v e s t i g a t o r : P r o f e s s o r E r n s t FI. Miiller; F i e l d d i r e c t o r :
D r . Manfred K .H. Eggert ( t h e n of t h e U n i v e r s i t y of Maine; now a t t h e
U n i v e r s i t y of amb burg)
The geographical and geomorphological a s p e c t s
of t h e p r o j e c t are b e i n g t a k e n c a r e of by Johannes P r e u s s of t h e
Geographisches I n s t i t u t a t Mainz. The fieldwork h a s been undertaken
i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h t h e I n s t i t u t d e s ~ u s g e sNationaux du Z a i r e ,
r e p r e s e n t e d by Kanimba Misago.
r i v e r and landscape. 2
Within t h e contemporary v i l l a g e s on t h e l e f t bank of t h e Ruki,
t h e i n h a b i t a n t s , e s p e c i a l l y t h e o l d e r generation, have very d e c i s i v e
i d e a s about t h e general h i s t o r y of t h e region as such and, more
s p e c i f i c a l l y , about t h a t of t h e i r own groups and v i l l a g e s .
F o r t u n a t e l y , t h e y do not only know of one-time v i l l a g e s , but a r e a b l e
t o l o c a t e those abandoned s e t t l e m e n t s i t e s ( e l a l i , p l . b i l a l i ) with
a b s o l u t e c e r t i t u d e . I n t a k i n g advantage of t h i s s i t u a t i o n , we
concentrated our archaeological work on two of t h e s e s i t e s . The s i t e
of Botendo, where because of t e c h n i c a l d i f f i c u l t i e s we only
accomplished some reconnaissance work, i s l o c a t e d about 2 kms. e a s t
of Longa, a v i l l a g e a t a d i s t a n c e of approximately 80 kms. from t h e
mouth of t h e Ruki. The second s i t e , Nkile, s i t u a t e d about 20 kms.
downstream near t h e v i l l a g e of Bokuma, furnished t h e bulk of t h e
archaeological m a t e r i a l gathered during t h i s f i r s t f i e l d season.
Small t e s t trenches were excavated a t t h r e e d i f f e r e n t l o c a t i o n s
within t h e once s e t t l e d a r e a now completely covered by secondary
f o r e s t v e g e t a t i o n . The m a t e r i a l secured c o n s i s t s almost e x c l u s i v e l y
of p o t t e r y which on t h e b a s i s of design and form o r i e n t e d c r i t e r i a
f a l l s i n t o two d i f f e r e n t c a t e g o r i e s . There a r e good reasons f o r t h e
assumption t h a t t h e s e two groups r e p r e s e n t chronological d i f f e r e n c e s
though we were not a b l e t o demonstrate t h i s s t r a t i g r a p h i c a l l y .
According t o o r a l t r a d i t i o n t h e v i l l a g e s of both Botendo and
Nkile were abandoned soon a f t e r t h e t u r n of t h e last century. On
t h e b a s i s of s t r o n g resemblances t o t h e p o t t e r y being f a b r i c a t e d
today i n s e v e r a l v i l l a g e s on t h e Ruki, t h e younger ceramic horizon
of Nkile (encountered i n Botendo as well) can be l i n k e d t o t h e l a t e s t
settlement phase of t h e two s i t e s . The absolute p o s i t i o n of t h e o t h e r
horizon remains h y p o t h e t i c a l . It i s t o be hoped t h a t radiocarbon
d a t i n g of charcoal samples obtained from t h e same stratum w i l l provide
u s with at l e a s t some general i d e a s as t o i t s a b s o l u t e chronology.
It should be noted t h a t a c e r t a i n c o n t i n u i t y between t h e two groups
of p o t t e r y i s demonstrated by way of a r a t h e r c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s u r f a c e
treatment. I n t e r e s t i n g l y enough, t h e p o t t e r y i n t e r p r e t e d as forming
Even on t h e s t i l l v e r y l i m i t e d b a s i s of t h e e t h n o h i s t o r i c a l
information c o l l e c t e d s o far a number of h i s t o r i c a l l y important
hypotheses can b e formulated and o p e r a t i o n a l y z e d i n a r c h a e o l o g i c a l
terms. Ve hope t o accomplish an i n i t i a l f i e l d t e s t of a n a c c o r d i n g l y
s t r u c t u r e d approach of mutual e l u c i d a t i o n d u r i n g subsequent f i e l d w o r k
scheduled f o r 1979.
Steward, J u l i a n H
194.2 The Direct H i s t o r i c a l A proach t o Archaeology.
American Antiquity 7 (4 : 337-43.
Sulzmann, Erika
1960 Zentralafrikanische Keramik aus voreuropaischer
Z e i t . Keramos 8: 19-21.
V i s i t i n g Appointment
P r o f e s s o r van d e r Merwe, Department of Archaeology, P r i v a t e Bag,
Rondebosch, Cape 7700, South A f r i c a , w r i t e s as f o l l o w s :
My c o l l e a g u e , John E . Parkington, w i l l be on s a b b a t i c a l l e a v e
f o r t h e p e r i o d 1 J u l y 1979 - 30 June 1980; I w i l l be on s a b b a t i c a l
l e a v e f o r t h e p e r i o d 1 J u l y 1980 - 30 June 1981. We need t o f i n d
one o r two replacements t o take c a r e of our t e a c h i n g commitments
o v e r two y e a r s .
Our t e a c h i n g y e a r r u n s March 1 - June 15 and J u l y 15 - December 1 0 .
Each of o u r s a b b a t i c a l l e a v e p e r i o d s , t h e r e f o r e , i n c l u d e s a summer
r e c e s s . We would p r e f e r t o have a s i n g l e replacement f o r t h e e n t i r e
two y e a r s , o r e l s e two replacements f o r one y e a r each. Since
Parkington t e a c h e s i n t h e a r e a of Stone Age A f r i c a and I t e a c h t h e
I r o n Age (on t h e undergraduate l e v e l ) , t h e replacement(s) need t o be
capable i n t h e s e a r e a s . We can always change t h e curriculum t o s u i t ,
however.
The maximum s a l a r y f o r t h e p o s i t i o n w i l l be R9700 p e r y e a r
( ~ =1 $ l . l 5 ) , which i s a t t h e S e n i o r L e c t u r e r l e v e l . T h i s i s n o t
l a v i s h , b u t comfortable. A f u l l y f u r n i s h e d " s a b b a t i c a l home" can
probably be r e n t e d f o r R200 - R P j O p e r month, f o r example. Finance,
equipment and a s t u d e n t crew f o r f i e l d w o r k can be arranged i f w e have
enough l e a d time.