Chemical analysis of glass from African archaeological sites has become a standard research tool ... more Chemical analysis of glass from African archaeological sites has become a standard research tool over the past decades. Despite the multiplication of studies, the continent still exhibits vast unexplored regions. One of these is the surroundings of Lake Chad. This paper discusses the results of LA‐ICP‐MS analysis of recently excavated glass beads from the late medieval Chadian site of Tié. We demonstrate that the composition of those glass beads largely matches assemblages from along the East African coast. This indicates that most of the beads examined entered the region via a hitherto undocumented east–west Sudanic route linking Northeast Africa with Lake Chad.
Silver and gold artefacts from a 12–13th c. CE tumulus in Senegal were recently analysed by means... more Silver and gold artefacts from a 12–13th c. CE tumulus in Senegal were recently analysed by means of XRF and LA-ICP-MS. The identification of major, minor and trace elements allowed gaining a rare insight into the composition of precious metals circulating in that part of Africa in medieval times. The results show that all objects were made of polymetallic alloys. Comparisons with analyses from other West African as well as North African and European silver and gold artefacts suggest that the metal from the studied objects most probably originate from outside West Africa. At least in the case of the gold artefacts, this is quite surprising, as we expected to come across pure West African gold. The results hint at a hitherto little known facet of the medieval African gold trade. It is concluded that, in addition to the acknowledged mass export of West African raw gold toward North Africa, there was also a thus far widely ignored traffic of alloyed gold (and silver) into West Africa.
Rupp, N., Beck, C., Franke, G. & Wendt, K.P. (eds), Winds of Change. Archaeological Contributions in Honour of Peter Breunig. Frankfurter Archäologische Schriften 35. Habelt, Bonn, 2017
The eastern Niger Bend in the cross-border space between Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso is an espec... more The eastern Niger Bend in the cross-border space between Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso is an especially interesting region concerning the early emergence of African urbanism, sociopolitical complexity and long-distance contacts. Despite that significance, the region has mostly only seen sporadic and localized field research in the course of the last fifty years. One of this virtually blank zones encompasses the western margins of the Niger between Niamey and the Sirba and Dargol river valleys. In 2008 and 2009, we conducted field surveys and test-pitting that aimed at evaluating the archaeological potential of the area. This paper succinctly presents original results of that work and provides a perspective for future research.
Some of the most notable and largely endangered archaeological remains from the Lake Chad area co... more Some of the most notable and largely endangered archaeological remains from the Lake Chad area consist of the ruins of fired-brick elite constructions connected to the Kanem-Borno Empire (ca. eighth–nineteenth century AD). In the course of the last 200 years, several of the elite structures known west of the lake were destroyed as a consequence of war, later having their fired-bricks looted for constructions elsewhere. One of the largest and most thoroughly plundered of those structures once stood within the walled settlement of Garumele, SW Niger Republic. In the scope of an experimental field study at that location and with a view to future work at related sites, we demonstrate that it is still possible to retrace the ground plans of Kanem-Borno fired-brick structures, even if these have been already completely pillaged. In addition, we present new chronological evidence suggesting that Garumele—as a walled urban settlement—was founded sometime between the mid-fifteenth and mid-seventeenth centuries, but most probably between the late sixteenth to mid-seventeenth centuries AD.
In western and central Senegal, several thousand burial mounds are known, but only a very few hav... more In western and central Senegal, several thousand burial mounds are known, but only a very few have been archaeologically investigated. The result is that an important portion of the later prehistory of this region remains poorly understood. This concerns the monuments themselves but equally their direct environs, where settlements are supposed but remain largely undiscovered despite extensive standard surveys. The situation is especially distressing given that a high number of sites are prone to destruction due to erosion and agriculture; an unknown number has already been lost and with them an important archive of the African past. Geophysical prospecting is an efficient method for pre-exploring and documenting not only the tumuli, but also their immediate environs. It is in this context that a first trial geophysical exploration that integrated fluxgate gradiometry and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) surveys was undertaken at sites near the town of Mbacké. That study delivered useful information on the preservation, layout and inner structure of the sites and its results are presented here.
Early first millennium AD trans-Saharan contacts between North and West Africa long have been deb... more Early first millennium AD trans-Saharan contacts between North and West Africa long have been debated and disputed, mainly due to lack of archaeological evidence. However, recent excavations in the Mare de Kissi region, northeastern Burkina Faso, recovered a number of exotic and imported materials in cemetery contexts mainly dated from between the 3rd to 7th centuries AD. Copper-based artifacts were recovered from some graves and were subjected to elemental and isotopic analyses. Lead isotopic analysis results suggest that metal used in the manufacture of some Kissi copper-based objects originated, at least partly, from North African and eastern Mediterranean ore sources. Strong similarities also were observed with metallurgical debris and ingots from the site of Marandet, Niger, suggesting connections between Kissi, Marandet and North Africa. Elemental analysis results indicate that the many copper-based objects shared common production histories, and the presence/absence and concentrations of alloying and minor impurity elements corroborated that much of the metal was wholly or partially produced outside West Africa. Isotopic and elemental analyses strongly support a North African and eastern Mediterranean origin for much of the Kissi metals, suggesting Roman era trade existed across the Sahara in the early first millennium AD. Résumé Les contacts trans-sahariens entre l'Afrique du Nord et l'Afrique de l'Ouest au début du premier millénaire AD sont débattus et discutés depuis longtemps, principalement à cause du manque d'indices archéologiques. Néanmoins, de récentes fouilles dans la région de la mare de Kissi, au nord-est du Burkina Faso, ont permis de découvrir dans des contextes sépulcraux un grand nombre de matériaux allogènes et importés, datés pour la plupart entre le troisième et le septième siècles de notre ère. Des analyses de composition élémentaire et d'isotopes ont été effectuées sur les artefacts en alliage à base de cuivre découverts dans les tombes. Les résultats des analyses isotopiques laissent entrevoir que le métal utilisé pour la fabrication de ces objets proviendrait, au moins en partie, de minerai d'Afrique du Nord et de Méditerranée orientale. De fortes similitudes ont aussi été observées avec les débris et les lingots du site de Marandet, suggérant l'existence de connexions entre Kissi, Marandet et l'Afrique du Nord. L'analyse de composition élémen-taire a montré que de nombreux objets en alliage à base de cuivre partageaient des processus de production identiques. L'hypothèse selon laquelle la plus grande partie du métal était produite en-dehors de l'Afrique de l'Ouest a été corroborée par la composition des alliages et la concentration des éléments traces. Les résultats des analyses isotopiques et élémentaires permettent d'affirmer que l'origine d'une grande partie des métaux découverts à Kissi se situe en Afrique du Nord ou sur les rives de la Méditerranée orientale, suggérant que le commerce de l'ère romaine traversait le Sahara au début du premier millénaire après Jésus-Christ.
In: Magnavita, S. et al. (eds), Crossroads / Carrefour Sahel. Cultural and Technological Developments in First Millennium BC/AD West Africa. Journal of African Archaeology Monograph Series, Vol. 2, pp. 79-104, Dec 2009
Chemical analysis of glass from African archaeological sites has become a standard research tool ... more Chemical analysis of glass from African archaeological sites has become a standard research tool over the past decades. Despite the multiplication of studies, the continent still exhibits vast unexplored regions. One of these is the surroundings of Lake Chad. This paper discusses the results of LA‐ICP‐MS analysis of recently excavated glass beads from the late medieval Chadian site of Tié. We demonstrate that the composition of those glass beads largely matches assemblages from along the East African coast. This indicates that most of the beads examined entered the region via a hitherto undocumented east–west Sudanic route linking Northeast Africa with Lake Chad.
Silver and gold artefacts from a 12–13th c. CE tumulus in Senegal were recently analysed by means... more Silver and gold artefacts from a 12–13th c. CE tumulus in Senegal were recently analysed by means of XRF and LA-ICP-MS. The identification of major, minor and trace elements allowed gaining a rare insight into the composition of precious metals circulating in that part of Africa in medieval times. The results show that all objects were made of polymetallic alloys. Comparisons with analyses from other West African as well as North African and European silver and gold artefacts suggest that the metal from the studied objects most probably originate from outside West Africa. At least in the case of the gold artefacts, this is quite surprising, as we expected to come across pure West African gold. The results hint at a hitherto little known facet of the medieval African gold trade. It is concluded that, in addition to the acknowledged mass export of West African raw gold toward North Africa, there was also a thus far widely ignored traffic of alloyed gold (and silver) into West Africa.
Rupp, N., Beck, C., Franke, G. & Wendt, K.P. (eds), Winds of Change. Archaeological Contributions in Honour of Peter Breunig. Frankfurter Archäologische Schriften 35. Habelt, Bonn, 2017
The eastern Niger Bend in the cross-border space between Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso is an espec... more The eastern Niger Bend in the cross-border space between Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso is an especially interesting region concerning the early emergence of African urbanism, sociopolitical complexity and long-distance contacts. Despite that significance, the region has mostly only seen sporadic and localized field research in the course of the last fifty years. One of this virtually blank zones encompasses the western margins of the Niger between Niamey and the Sirba and Dargol river valleys. In 2008 and 2009, we conducted field surveys and test-pitting that aimed at evaluating the archaeological potential of the area. This paper succinctly presents original results of that work and provides a perspective for future research.
Some of the most notable and largely endangered archaeological remains from the Lake Chad area co... more Some of the most notable and largely endangered archaeological remains from the Lake Chad area consist of the ruins of fired-brick elite constructions connected to the Kanem-Borno Empire (ca. eighth–nineteenth century AD). In the course of the last 200 years, several of the elite structures known west of the lake were destroyed as a consequence of war, later having their fired-bricks looted for constructions elsewhere. One of the largest and most thoroughly plundered of those structures once stood within the walled settlement of Garumele, SW Niger Republic. In the scope of an experimental field study at that location and with a view to future work at related sites, we demonstrate that it is still possible to retrace the ground plans of Kanem-Borno fired-brick structures, even if these have been already completely pillaged. In addition, we present new chronological evidence suggesting that Garumele—as a walled urban settlement—was founded sometime between the mid-fifteenth and mid-seventeenth centuries, but most probably between the late sixteenth to mid-seventeenth centuries AD.
In western and central Senegal, several thousand burial mounds are known, but only a very few hav... more In western and central Senegal, several thousand burial mounds are known, but only a very few have been archaeologically investigated. The result is that an important portion of the later prehistory of this region remains poorly understood. This concerns the monuments themselves but equally their direct environs, where settlements are supposed but remain largely undiscovered despite extensive standard surveys. The situation is especially distressing given that a high number of sites are prone to destruction due to erosion and agriculture; an unknown number has already been lost and with them an important archive of the African past. Geophysical prospecting is an efficient method for pre-exploring and documenting not only the tumuli, but also their immediate environs. It is in this context that a first trial geophysical exploration that integrated fluxgate gradiometry and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) surveys was undertaken at sites near the town of Mbacké. That study delivered useful information on the preservation, layout and inner structure of the sites and its results are presented here.
Early first millennium AD trans-Saharan contacts between North and West Africa long have been deb... more Early first millennium AD trans-Saharan contacts between North and West Africa long have been debated and disputed, mainly due to lack of archaeological evidence. However, recent excavations in the Mare de Kissi region, northeastern Burkina Faso, recovered a number of exotic and imported materials in cemetery contexts mainly dated from between the 3rd to 7th centuries AD. Copper-based artifacts were recovered from some graves and were subjected to elemental and isotopic analyses. Lead isotopic analysis results suggest that metal used in the manufacture of some Kissi copper-based objects originated, at least partly, from North African and eastern Mediterranean ore sources. Strong similarities also were observed with metallurgical debris and ingots from the site of Marandet, Niger, suggesting connections between Kissi, Marandet and North Africa. Elemental analysis results indicate that the many copper-based objects shared common production histories, and the presence/absence and concentrations of alloying and minor impurity elements corroborated that much of the metal was wholly or partially produced outside West Africa. Isotopic and elemental analyses strongly support a North African and eastern Mediterranean origin for much of the Kissi metals, suggesting Roman era trade existed across the Sahara in the early first millennium AD. Résumé Les contacts trans-sahariens entre l'Afrique du Nord et l'Afrique de l'Ouest au début du premier millénaire AD sont débattus et discutés depuis longtemps, principalement à cause du manque d'indices archéologiques. Néanmoins, de récentes fouilles dans la région de la mare de Kissi, au nord-est du Burkina Faso, ont permis de découvrir dans des contextes sépulcraux un grand nombre de matériaux allogènes et importés, datés pour la plupart entre le troisième et le septième siècles de notre ère. Des analyses de composition élémentaire et d'isotopes ont été effectuées sur les artefacts en alliage à base de cuivre découverts dans les tombes. Les résultats des analyses isotopiques laissent entrevoir que le métal utilisé pour la fabrication de ces objets proviendrait, au moins en partie, de minerai d'Afrique du Nord et de Méditerranée orientale. De fortes similitudes ont aussi été observées avec les débris et les lingots du site de Marandet, suggérant l'existence de connexions entre Kissi, Marandet et l'Afrique du Nord. L'analyse de composition élémen-taire a montré que de nombreux objets en alliage à base de cuivre partageaient des processus de production identiques. L'hypothèse selon laquelle la plus grande partie du métal était produite en-dehors de l'Afrique de l'Ouest a été corroborée par la composition des alliages et la concentration des éléments traces. Les résultats des analyses isotopiques et élémentaires permettent d'affirmer que l'origine d'une grande partie des métaux découverts à Kissi se situe en Afrique du Nord ou sur les rives de la Méditerranée orientale, suggérant que le commerce de l'ère romaine traversait le Sahara au début du premier millénaire après Jésus-Christ.
In: Magnavita, S. et al. (eds), Crossroads / Carrefour Sahel. Cultural and Technological Developments in First Millennium BC/AD West Africa. Journal of African Archaeology Monograph Series, Vol. 2, pp. 79-104, Dec 2009
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Books by Sonja Magnavita
Papers by Sonja Magnavita
composition of precious metals circulating in that part of Africa in medieval times. The results show that all objects were made of polymetallic alloys. Comparisons with analyses from other West African as well as North African and European silver and gold artefacts suggest that the metal from the studied objects most probably originate from outside West Africa. At least in the case of the gold artefacts, this is quite surprising, as we expected to come across pure West African gold. The results hint at a hitherto little known facet of the medieval African gold trade. It is concluded that, in addition to the acknowledged mass export of West African raw gold toward North Africa, there was also a thus far widely ignored traffic of alloyed gold (and silver) into West Africa.
composition of precious metals circulating in that part of Africa in medieval times. The results show that all objects were made of polymetallic alloys. Comparisons with analyses from other West African as well as North African and European silver and gold artefacts suggest that the metal from the studied objects most probably originate from outside West Africa. At least in the case of the gold artefacts, this is quite surprising, as we expected to come across pure West African gold. The results hint at a hitherto little known facet of the medieval African gold trade. It is concluded that, in addition to the acknowledged mass export of West African raw gold toward North Africa, there was also a thus far widely ignored traffic of alloyed gold (and silver) into West Africa.