This article summarises the results of four seasons of excavation at Tongo Maaré Diabal (AD 500-1150), near Douentza, Mali. Deep stratigraphic excavations were directed by MacDonald and Togola in 1993, 1995 and by MacDonald in 1996. Complementary, large exposure excavations of the abandonment layer were undertaken by Gestrich in 2010. The combined excavation results speak to topics of craft specialisation, trade, and social organisation. They provide evidence of a specialised blacksmithing community situated at the margins of early Middle Niger and Niger Bend statehood and urbanisation.

The nitrogen isotopic composition of charred wheat and barley grains reflect manuring intensity and have been used to reconstruct manuring practices at archaeological sites across Europe and western Asia. To assess whether this analytical method can be applied to a staple crop in the West African Sahel, pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), the nitrogen isotope value of pearl millet grains in this region were determined and the effect of charring ascertained. Pearl millet ears were collected from fields in northeast Senegal, where the fertilisation histories of the plots (manure and/or household waste) were known. The nitrogen isotope values of these millet grains provide an insight into the values to expect for pearl millet grains grown with low-moderate addition of manure/household waste in a similar climate. Charring of grains by heating at 215-260°C for 4-24 hours increases the nitrogen isotope values of pearl millet grains by a maximum of 0.34‰. In light of these modern data, the nitrogen isotope values of millet grains recovered from the archaeological settlement mound of Tongo Maaré Diabal, Mali can be interpreted as evidence for modest levels of manure/household waste input throughout the occupation of the site from cal A.D. 500-1150. This study demonstrates the potential for nitrogen isotope values of pearl millet grains to shed light on past farming practices in West Africa.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract