The Swahili On The

Coast of Kenya:Archaeology at Mtwapa and a Collective

Examination of Contemporary Sites

Linda RideoutUniversity of Southern MaineApril 10, 2010

How We See Things

Source: www.nationalgeographic.com

Who Are The Swahili?

http://siegfriedmodola.wordpress.com

Source: http://swahili.rutgers.edu

The SwahiliA multi-ethnic people with a common cultural and linguistic heritage

Ancient Swahili Modern Swahili

Language – Bantu with Arabic words

Trade and Commerce

Mixed-Ethnicity

Shared similar ceramic traditions

Usually adhered to Islam

Built with timber, daub, and coral

Two Thoughts on Swahili Origins:

Model One: Foreign Origins•Persians moved into East Africa, intermarried

•Developed City-States•Began building using coral rag

Model Two: Indigenous Origins:•Coast settled by stone-tool users•Followed by Bantu groups•Mentioned in accounts of Ibn Battuta

Source: A Review of Swahili Archaeology. Chami, Felix A.. African Archaeological Review, Sep1998, Vol. 15 Issue 3, p199-218

A Matter of Linguistics

•Misconceptions• Arabic words = Arabic dominance

•Corrections• a Bantu language• Arabic words were limited and late-coming• tools, ornaments, spices, plants, household items, and maritime and kinship terms

Mark Horton, Derek Nurse, Farouk Topan, Will. C. van den Hoonard, “EAST AFRICA: Persian relations with the lands of the East African coast, particularly Somalia, Kenya, and Tanzania.,” Encyclopaedia Iranica Online, December 15, 1996, available at www.iranicaonline.org.

The Swahili Coast

Early Accounts

•Periplus of the Erythraean Sea•Claudius Ptolemy’s ‘Geography’•Accounts from Chinese Sailors:•Various other Portuguese, Islamic and Chinese accounts

Trade Goods and Routes

Travelling on Dhows

Trading in Ivory

The History of Swahili Coast Archaeology•Early Archaeologists

• James Kirkman• Worked on Kenyan coast from 1940s- 1980s• Excavated at: Kilepwa, Gedi, Takwa, Kinuni, Malindi, Mambrui, Ungwana, Mombasa, Jumba La Mtwana, Kilindini

• Neville Chittick• Worked at Kilwa Kisiwani and Manda 1950s• First Director of British Institute from 1961 – 1983

• Felix Chami• Professor• Works in Tanzania, looks at overall Swahili archaeology

Archaeological Sites Along the Swahili Coast

1956

The Culture of the Kenya Coast in the Later Middle Ages: Some Conclusions from Excavations 1948-56Kirkman, J.S.South African Archaeological Bulletin, Vol. 11, No. 44 (Dec. 1956), pp. 89-99

Archaeological Sites Along the Swahili Coast

1998

A Review of Swahili Archaeology Chami, Felix A.African Archaeological Review,Sep1998 Vol. 15 Issue 3, p199-218

The Archaeology at Mtwapa•About Mtwapa

• Settlement began about 4 B.C.

• Dates from about the 7th century for Islamic period

• Site abandoned in the 1600-1700s

•Location• About 15 km north of Mombasa

• At mouth of Mtwapa Creek

• In small forest

Source, Monge, Janet: Researching the Origins of Swahili Coast Inhabitants. Expedition, 00144738, 2001, Vol. 43, Issue 1

Some Site Photos

Swahili Burials and the Collection of Skeletal Samples•Excavation of 4 tombs

• 2 in Locality 10• 2 in Locality 11

•Total of at least 16 individuals were uncovered

• Some burials were disturbed

•Sterile recovery process• 2 long bones, and 6 teeth

•Burial practices follow Islamic beliefs

Photos of Skeletal Samples

Evidence of Disease

•Infant burials• High number of infants

•Severe bone disease on Sample # 6• Bony regrowth and fusion• Possibly yaws or endemic syphilis

Evidence of Disease

Pottery Types Found At Mtwapa•Local = Tana Ware

• Decorated and undecorated• Burnished and unburnished• Made locally from local materials

•Islamic Ware• Usually glazed and undecorated• Green and blue-green• Yellow and black• Imported

•Other Imported Types• Chinese celadon and porcelain• Sgraffito

Pottery Types Found At Mtwapa

Other Artifacts at Mtwapa•Button•Shotgun shell casing•Glass shards•Beads•Shells•Fish and animal bones•River pebbles•Iron slag•Microliths•Daub/burned clay•Charcoal*Post Hole

The Future of Swahili Coast Archaeology•Continued comparison of skeletal material to modern Swahili populations

• DNA Analysis of Skeletal Remains• Cranial Morphology

• Undertaken by Dr. Janet Monge• “Examination of the skeletons from Mtwapa and Shanga clearly shows their gross morphological affinities to the Taita, their hinterland neighbors… Common biological features include the amount of projection and broadness of the face.”

• Dental Comparisons• Being done by Amy Hubbard, Ohio State Grad Student

THE END

BibliographyChami, Felix A.A Review of Swahili Archaeology. African Archaeological Review, Sep1998, Vol. 15 Issue 3, p199-218Freeman-GrenvilleThe East African Coast - Select Documents from the first to the earlier nineteenth century. Clarendon Press. Oxford: 1962Horton, MarkCoastal Towns of East Africa - Periplus of the Erythrean Sea, Geography, Porites. Cambridge History of Africa Vol. 3Horton, Mark; Nurse, Derek; Topan, Farouk; Will. C. van den Hoonard; “East Africa: Persian relations with the lands of the East African coast, particularly Somalia, Kenya, and Tanzania.,” Encyclopaedia Iranica Online, December 15, 1996, available at www.iranicaonline.org.Kirkman, J.S.The Culture of the Kenya Coast in the Later Middle Ages: Some Conclusions from Excavations 1948-56. South African Archaeological Bulletin, Vol. 11, No. 44 (Dec. 1956), pp. 89-99LaViolette, Adria; Fleisher, JeffreyThe Urban History of a Rural Place: Swahili Archaeology on Pemba Island, Tanzania, 700-1500 AD. International Journal of African Historical Studies, Vol. 42, No. 3, 2009Monge, JanetResearching the Origins of Swahili Coast Inhabitants. Expedition, 2001, Vol. 43, Issue 1Peterson, AndrewDictionary of Islamic Architecture. Routledge, USA: 1996Reynolds, David WestSwahili Ghost Town. Archaeology, Nov/Dec2001, Vol. 54, Issue 6, pp. 1-16Spear, ThomasEarly Swahili History Reconsidered. International Journal of African Historical Studies, 03617882, 2000, Vol. 33, Issue 2Wilkinson, J.C.Oman and East Africa: New Light on Early Kilwan History from the Omani Sources. The International Journal of African Historical Studies, Vol. 14, No. 2 (1981), pp. 272- 305