a brief note on new discoveries in African archeology and the stone ruins of Cameroon.
Among the first ancient Egyptian accounts on its southern neighbors is an old kingdom inscription that describes a trading expedition to an unspecified region called the land of Punt. Egyptologists had long debated about the location of this mysterious territory before recent archeological discoveries at Mahal Teglinos in eastern Sudan and the Red Sea port of Mersa eventually solved the riddle of Punt’s precise location.
Archeology plays a central role in reconstructing Africa's history, despite the rather complicated relationship between the two disciplines. On a continent where the limitations of written and oral histories have been acknowledged, archeologists and historians often work together to develop an interdisciplinary study of Africa's past.1
Most of the latest research into the history of different African societies has been the product of interdisciplinary cooperation between archaeologists and historians. The locations of many African historical sites that were amply described by historians have since been identified and rediscovered by archeologists, helping to expand our understanding of Africa's past.
For example in northern Ethiopia, where there are several historical accounts describing the highly urbanized kingdom of Ifat, recent archeological excavations have uncovered many ruined cities and towns which include the kingdom’s capital, whose cemetery contained inscribed tombs of the kingdom's rulers.
ruins of a mosque at Beri-Ifat
Partially excavated ruins of a 15th century building complex at Field A, Old Buipe, Ghana
In northern Ghana, there are multiple internal and external accounts describing the kingdom of Gonja which was founded by migrant elites from the Mali empire. Recent archeological work has identified the old capital of the kingdom as well as several complex structures whose construction resembles the architectural style of medieval Mali.
In South Africa, oral and written accounts about heterogeneous groups of Sotho-Tswana and Nguni-speakers referred to as "Koni" have helped historians and archeologists to identify the builders of the Bokoni ruins, a widely distributed complex of terraced stone-walled sites in the escarpments of the Mpumalanga province.
Bokoni ruins near near Machadodorp, South Africa.
Similar discoveries abound across most of the continent, from the kingdom of Ife, to the painted churches of medieval Nubia, all of which demonstrate the usefulness of interdisciplinary studies.
Recent archeological work in the mountains of northern Cameroon has uncovered more than sixteen complexes of stone ruins whose construction between the 14th and 17th centuries coincided with the expansion of the Bornu empire and the lesser-known kingdom of Mandara, during an era when the region’s history was well documented.
My latest Patreon article explores the history of the stone ruins of Cameroon within the context of the documented history of the Mandara kingdom during the 16th century.
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Cathedral of Dongola, Medieval Nubia, Sudan. This is one of the most recent discoveries in African archeology.
Trouble with Siblings: Archaeological and Historical Interpretation of the West African Past, By Christopher DeCorse and Gerard Chouin, The intersection of archaeology, oral tradition and history in the South African interior by Jan CA Boeyens.
Great article