Mortuary Archaeology of Burials from Two Swahili Stone Towns, Mtwapa and Manda, Dated to Circa 1600 CE.

Summary

Two ancient Kenyan Swahili sites were excavated over the course of five field seasons, from 2008-2012. Mtwapa (ca. 1000-1750 CE), located on the southern coast of Kenya, and Manda (ca. 800-1600 CE), located on the Northern coast, were once wealthy cosmopolitan polities involved in the Indian Ocean trade network. Both towns had populations of 5,000-10,000 at their height of occupation, and contained large central mosques.

Mtwapa excavations occurred between 2008 and 2011 and produced a minimum of 87 individuals buried across 13 crypts in the cemetery located next to the central mosque, with an average of 7 individuals per crypt. 18 individuals were C14 dated to circa 1647 CE. Crypts contained both men and women, as well as children, and all individuals uncovered were lain on their right side, extended, facing mecca.

Excavations at Manda began in December 2012, with a total of 19 individuals being exhumed (13 complete burials, 6 partial remains in fill). Five individuals produced C14 dates that clustered to circa 1612, and one individual was interred circa 1285. Burial orientation for all individuals was similar to that observed at Mtwapa, however burial organization was more variable.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage