Prof. Kevin MacDonald and Dr. Éloïse Noc; UCL, Institute of Archaeology
Kevin and Éloïse’s work within the MAEASaM project is focused on Mali. In October 2022, they presented a UCL Institute of Archaeology departmental seminar on their MAEASaM remote sensing research, which is briefly summarised in this article.
The work has systematically gathered settlement data, site dimensions and plans to discuss modes of urbanisation and monumentality in ancient Mali. Research questions concern variability in the layouts of major (25ha+) settlement centres in the Middle Niger (e.g. clustered or nucleated?), the nature of rural settlement networks, and the place of Mali’s Lakes region heritage monuments in this wider landscape. Work has also focused on the spread, plans and dimension of Tichitt Tradition stone architectural sites in Mali first signalled by Peter Coutros in 2017.
The degree to which major early foci of urban development like Dia and Jenne-jeno are scattered across Mali’s landscape has been an ongoing mystery in the absence of comprehensive survey. Recent field surveys in the Segou region by MacDonald (et al. 2011), and Gestrich and Keita (2017 )have located major (70+ ha) ancient urban nucleations at Sorotomo, Duguné tu, and other localities dating to the time of the Empire of Mali. How many other such sites are out there?
Comprehensive satellite surveys of the Macina, Djenné, Mopti South, Méma and Lakes regions (c.13,000 square kilometres) have found that potential ancient settlement centres (tell sites of 20ha+ in dimension) are relatively rare, in the order of 1 per 1000 sq. km. Additionally, such sites are more frequently nucleated (a few very large mounds) (Fig. 1) rather than clustered (10’s of smaller mounds around a centre) – the distinctive dispersed and networked urbanism of Dia (Fig. 2) and Jenne-jeno being exceptional thus far.
Regarding monuments, tumuli such as El Oualadji and megalithic sites like Tondidarou, which have previously been viewed as isolated from domestic occupations, are now clearly in proximity to major settlement sites. Remarkably, the Tondidarou megalithic complex is dominated by a massive 70ha escarpment-top Tichitt Tradition site with stone enclosures, the site being heretofore unrecorded (Fig. 3). While the presence of Tichitt ceramics and occupations in Mali was indicated by MacDonald (1996, 2011) decades ago, Tichitt stone villages in the Lakes Region are proving more numerous and substantial than Coutros (2017) anticipated. There are both regional centres and smaller sites, with over 50 registered so far and more being found in adjoining areas.
The implications of this gradually expanding total survey of the Middle Niger and adjoining regions is transforming our understanding of Mali’s past and providing a sound basis for protecting and researching this heritage going into the future.
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Figure 1. Example of a Non-Clustered Centre – Pehe. Google Earth. -
Figure 2. Dia as a Clustered Centre. Sites in yellow are recorded based on publications (legacy data) and sites in pink are recorded by remote sensing. Google Earth. -
Figure 3. The Tondidarou megalithic complex is dominated by an escarpment-top 70ha Tichitt Tradition site with stone architectural enclosures and domestic spaces. Note that the satellite image shows only a portion of the Tichitt Tradition architectural site. Google Earth.
Further information
Further presentations on this subject by Kevin and Éloïse are scheduled at the June 2023 ‘Society of Africanist Archaeologists Conference in Houston (USA) and at the July 2023 ‘International Medieval Congress 2023’ in Leeds (UK).
References
- Courtos, P.R. 2017 “The Malian Lakes Region redefined: archaeological survey of the Gorbi Valley”, Antiquity 91: 474-489 (DOI: https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2017.30).
- Gestrich, N. and Keita, D. 2017 “Report on a season of prospection and excavation near Ségu, Mali”, Nyame Akuma 88: 48-55 (https://safarchaeology.org/Nyame-Akuma-Issue-88).
- MacDonald, K.C. 1996 “Tichitt-Walata and the Middle Niger: evidence for cultural contact in the second millennium BC,” in G. Pwiti and R. Soper (eds.) Aspects of African Archaeology: Papers from the 10th Congress of the Pan-African Association for Prehistory and Related Studies: 429-40. Harare: University of Zimbabwe Publications.
- MacDonald, K.C. 2011 “Betwixt Tichitt and the IND: the pottery of the Faïta Facies, Tichitt Tradition” Identity Fashion and Exchange: pottery in West Africa (special book issue edited by A. Haour and K. Manning) Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa 46(1): 49-69 (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0067270X.2011.553485).
- MacDonald et al. 2011 “Sorotomo: A forgotten Malian Capital?”, Archaeology International 13/14: 52-64 (DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/ai.1315).