Ranging from the earliest hominin remains in the world, attested in Southern and East Africa, to the magnificent mudbrick mosques and tumuli of West Africa; from the network of large stone walled urban centres in Southern Africa and the coral palaces of the East African coast to the pyramids of Sudan and the sacred stone churches of Ethiopia, the archaeology of Africa is diverse, unique and mesmerising.
Archaeological research by African scholars and their international partners is flourishing – generating invaluable insights for understanding the origins of our species and symbolic behaviour, the evolution of hunting-gathering-fishing societies, the origins and spread of livestock herding and farming, metallurgy, urbanism, complex socio-political systems, transoceanic trade, and many other topics, thanks to its deep chronology and comparative value over a vast geographical expanse. Yet, with the exception of a selection of its World Heritage sites, the archaeology of Africa is little known to the world.
The rapid growth in the use of social media and access to the internet in the last few decades offers an excellent opportunity to celebrate Africa’s archaeology, especially if this information can be made publicly accessible via an open access platform. As public understanding of the continent’s rich heritage grows, so will the levels of care and protection it is given.
The need to raise awareness is becoming more urgent as the continent’s archaeological heritage is currently facing escalating threats from multiple factors. Among these are rapid, unmonitored urban expansion; large-scale agricultural intensification and irrigation projects; oil, gas and mineral extraction; dam construction and other major infrastructure developments including ports and railways; as well as climate change; inter-community violence and international terrorism; looting; and steady demographic growth.
The MAEASaM project is drawing upon rapid and reliable means of mapping and documenting archaeological sites and monuments using freely available satellite imagery, then making this information available in open access formats (with necessary protections for sensitive datasets). This approach offers a very cost-effective means of addressing the challenges – and coupled with the ingenuity and contribution of all project members and stakeholders, the digital methods being used support the integration of archaeological information across Africa to enable trans-national monitoring and the cross-fertilisation of research priorities.