Landcover Change and Economic Change During the Iron Age in Western Kenya

Summary

Archaeological evidence from numerous sites throughout Western Kenya show that the Iron Age was a time of considerable environmental and cultural change in this region. A short sediment core derived from lower Kingwal Swamp was collected and analyzed for its microbotanical, fungal, and charcoal content with the goal of clarifying the duration, context, and extent of these changes as visible through landscape modification. These sediments capture approximately the last 1800 years of ecological history in this area, and indicate that significant clearance for cultivation has taken place through this period, and particularly in recent centuries associated with maize agriculture. Additionally, microbial evidence suggests that considerable fluctuation in the local presence of large herbivores has occurred through time. A more nuanced picture of the ecology of a region with relatively poorly known archaeology is further made available.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage