The Chronology of Kilwa Kisiwani, AD 800–1500

Horton, Mark; Olsen, Jesper; Fleisher, Jeffrey; Wynne‐Jones, Stephanie

doi:10.1007/s10437-022-09476-8

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…This timing coincides with archaeological evidence for a substantial cultural transformation on the coast, including the widespread adoption of Islam 10 . At Kilwa, coin evidence has dated a ruler linked to a Shirazi (Persian) dynasty, Ali bin al-Hasan, to the mid-eleventh century 33 . The genetic evidence suggests that this arrival was accompanied by mixture, which began by ad 1000, and continued later.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Entwined African and Asian genetic roots of medieval peoples of the Swahili coast

Brielle

Fleisher

Wynne‐Jones

et al. 2023

Nature

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The urban peoples of the Swahili coast traded across eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean and were among the first practitioners of Islam among sub-Saharan people1,2. The extent to which these early interactions between Africans and non-Africans were accompanied by genetic exchange remains unknown. Here we report ancient DNA data for 80 individuals from 6 medieval and early modern (ad 1250–1800) coastal towns and an inland town after ad 1650. More than half of the DNA of many of the individuals from coastal towns originates from primarily female ancestors from Africa, with a large proportion—and occasionally more than half—of the DNA coming from Asian ancestors. The Asian ancestry includes components associated with Persia and India, with 80–90% of the Asian DNA originating from Persian men. Peoples of African and Asian origins began to mix by about ad 1000, coinciding with the large-scale adoption of Islam. Before about ad 1500, the Southwest Asian ancestry was mainly Persian-related, consistent with the narrative of the Kilwa Chronicle, the oldest history told by people of the Swahili coast3. After this time, the sources of DNA became increasingly Arabian, consistent with evidence of growing interactions with southern Arabia4. Subsequent interactions with Asian and African people further changed the ancestry of present-day people of the Swahili coast in relation to the medieval individuals whose DNA we sequenced.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Entwined African and Asian genetic roots of medieval peoples of the Swahili coast

Brielle

Fleisher

Wynne‐Jones

et al. 2023

Nature

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“…This admixture is consistent with one strand of the history recorded by the Swahili themselves, the Kilwa Chronicle, which describes the arrival of seven Shirazi (Persian) princes on the Swahili coast. At Kilwa, coin evidence has dated a ruler linked to that Shirazi dynasty, Ali bin al-Hasan, to the mid-11 th century [54]. Whether or not this history has a basis in an actual voyage, ancient DNA provides direct evidence for Persian-associated ancestry deriving overwhelmingly from males and arriving on the eastern African coast by about 1000 CE.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Entwined African and Asian Genetic Roots of the Medieval Peoples of the Swahili Coast

Brielle

Fleisher

Wynne‐Jones

et al. 2022

Preprint

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The peoples of the Swahili coast of eastern Africa established a literate urban culture by the second millennium CE. They traded across eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean and were among the first sub-Saharan practitioners of Islam. An open question has been the extent to which these early interactions between Africans and non-Africans were accompanied by genetic admixture. We report genome-wide ancient DNA from 80 individuals in five medieval and early modern (1300-1800 CE) coastal towns, as well as people from an inland town postdating 1650 CE. Over half of the ancestry of most coastal individuals came from African ancestors; these African ancestors were primarily female. A slightly smaller proportion of ancestry was from Asia. This Asian component was approximately eighty to ninety percent from Near Eastern males and ten to twenty percent from Indian females. Peoples of African and Asian origins began to mix by around 1000 CE, a time when archaeological evidence documents changes on the coast that are often interpreted as marking the large-scale adoption of Islam. Before roughly 1500 CE, the Near Eastern ancestry detected in the individuals was mainly Persian-related, consistent with the narrative of the Kilwa Chronicle, the oldest history told by the Swahili themselves. After this time, the sources of Near Eastern ancestry became increasingly Arabian, consistent with the archaeological and historical evidence of growing interactions between the Swahili coast and parts of southern Arabia. Subsequent interactions of Swahili coast peoples with other Asian and African groups further changed the ancestry of present-day peoples relative to the ancient individuals we sequenced, highlighting how Swahili genetic legacies can be more clearly understood with ancient DNA.

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“…Kilwa Kisiwani was a prominent Swahili port town and city-state located in modern-day Tanzania, and occupies a special place in the history of the Swahili coast. It was most likely initially settled in the 9 th century (Horton et al, 2022) and, due to its extensive trade network, experienced significant expansion in the 13 th and 14 th centuries, which included the founding of the nearby town of Songo Mnara. It was also during the 14 th and 15 th centuries that monumental building took place, as 120 km of the East African coast north and south of Kilwa became lined with coral causeways and likely indicates Kilwa's expanding influence (Pollard et al, 2012;Pollard, 2011 ; (figure 2).…”

Section: Figure 2 the Distribution Of Causeways From Kilwa To Lindi O...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Weather Landscapes and Archaeology: Material Weathering Practices and Tangible Climates

Petek-Sargeant,

J. Lane

2022

ASE

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Climate and climate change can be impenetrable statistical concepts and the sometimes hegemonic scientific narratives around them can make them seem the purview of specialists, while at the same time create an epistemic, geographic and temporal distance between the individual and possible future consequences. However, the climate has already changed and communities throughout the world have most closely experienced it through weather. Weather is the medium through which the statistical reality of climate is felt immediately, is re-socialised, given cultural meanings and functions, and through which long-term environmental knowledge is gathered. Communities build social institutions through which they make long-term weather and climate manageable. Moreover, these experiences are part of identity, local histories and landscapes, key themes that effective climate discussions need to include. Archaeology, with its broad audiences and histories of resilience, has the potential to be an effective tool in climate change messaging. Its focus on local narratives and the material outcomes of human experiences goes beyond the economic discussions surrounding climate change, making it a social issue. In this paper we discuss why weather needs to become more prominent in archaeological narratives and discuss the ways weather can be directly or indirectly included in archaeological analyses and interpretations. Although climate research has been prominent in archaeology, an explicit focus on weather has been almost completely absent. By highlighting weather-centred materialities and practices in the past on the East Africa coast at Kilwa Kisiwani, we show how experiences of weather shape daily life, the built environment and social networks and how it makes the consequences of climate change much more tangible. Archaeologies of weather offer the chance to make archaeology a key partner in projects addressing community values around climate and environment through tangible and relatable components. RÉSUMÉ.Le climat et le changement climatique sont étudiés à travers des concepts statistiques qui peuvent paraître impénétrables. Les récits scientifiques parfois hégémoniques qui les entourent peuvent aussi donner l'impression qu'ils sont l'apanage des spécialistes. Cela amène une distance épistémique, géographique et temporelle entre l'individu et les éventuelles conséquences futures du changement climatique. Pourtant, le climat a déjà changé et les communautés du monde entier en ont fait l'expérience par le biais de la météo. Cette dernière est le moyen par lequel la réalité statistique du climat est ressentie immédiatement, est resocialisée et se voit attribuer des significations et des fonctions culturelles. C'est aussi le moyen par lequel des connaissances environnementales à long terme peuvent être recueillies. Les communautés construisent des institutions sociales qui leur permettent de gérer leur relation au temps et au climat sur le long terme. Ces expériences font partie de l'identité des sociétés, de l'histoire locale et ...

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The Chronology of Kilwa Kisiwani, AD 800–1500

Cited by 6 publications

References 45 publications

Entwined African and Asian genetic roots of medieval peoples of the Swahili coast

Entwined African and Asian genetic roots of medieval peoples of the Swahili coast

The Entwined African and Asian Genetic Roots of the Medieval Peoples of the Swahili Coast

Weather Landscapes and Archaeology: Material Weathering Practices and Tangible Climates

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