The Archaeology of Pre-Islamic Kilwa Kisiwani (Island)

Abstract

The Swahili coast is well known for its town, dated by colonial and post-colonial scholars to the 10^th century who attribute them to Middle Eastern immigrants. Post-1980s work by Mark Horton demonstrated the growth of Swahili Islamic settlements from the ancestors of the Swahili people themselves who adopted Islam and engaged in trade. This author’s excavations have demonstrated cultural continuity from the Early Iron Working communities. This work is another demonstration of cultural continuity of the largest Swahili town of Kilwa, beginning in about 3000BC. The ceramics dating to the last three millennium BC are known in the Rift Valley and the Nile Valley as Neolithic.