Antiquity· 2012Q1
Early herders and monumental sites in eastern Africa: dating and interpretation
- 67citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2012year
Short summary
Megalithic pillar sites in eastern Africa were constructed starting by the fifth millennium BP, contemporary with the region's earliest herding, according to excavation and radiocarbon dating.
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Key points
- Megalithic pillar site construction in eastern Africa started by the fifth millennium BP.
- Monument construction was contemporary with the earliest herding in the region.
- Sites were built by mobile herders and/or hunter-gatherers.
- This demonstrates a relationship between early herding and monuments, not just cereal cultivation.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Using excavation and radiocarbon dating, the authors show that construction of megalithic pillar sites begins in eastern Africa by the fifth millennium BP, and is contemporary with the earliest herding in the region. Mobile herders and/or hunter-gatherers built and used these sites in a dynamic context of economic and social change. We are more familiar with monumentality as an adjunct of cereal cultivators—but this study demonstrates a relationship between early herding and monuments, with clear relevance to pre-cultivation monumentality of very much earlier periods elsewhere.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Antiquity, 2012 · DOI ↗
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Field: Archeology (Social Sciences)
ArcheologySocial Sciences