Archaeological Survey And Excavations At Mikindani, Southern Tanzania: Finding Their Place In The Swahili World (2859) (Bar International)

Large-scalenetworks of interaction and exchange have existed on the East African Swahilicoast for at least the past two millennia, linking coastal populations withSouth Asia, the Middle East and the African Interior. The connections coastalinhabitants nurtured along those networks were crucial to the development ofSwahili urban society in the early second millennium CE. The archaeologicalproject detailed in this book explores the functioning of Swahili networks byexamining their influence in the region around the town of Mikindani insouthern Tanzania through a thorough programme of survey and excavations. TheMikindani project is the first of its kind in Tanzania south of Kilwa, andprovides an opportunity to investigate Swahili life away from major centres inmore modest towns and villages. In so doing, it reveals historical trajectoriesfor coastal communities that rely more heavily on interior than Indian Oceanconnections, emphasizing coastal variability, identifying additional paths tosocioeconomic success and recognizing that elements thought 'characteristic' ofSwahili culture - including participation in trade - were part of social andeconomic strategies that were adopted, or not, to suit regional circumstances.

• | Author: Matthew Pawlowicz
• | Publisher: British Archaeological Reports Oxford Ltd
• | Publication Date: May 31, 2017
• | Number of Pages: 198 pages
• | Language: English
• | Binding: Paperback/Social Science
• | ISBN-10: 1407314866
• | ISBN-13: 9781407314860