Abstract
Angoche was an important historic trading port on the northern Mozambique coast. A maritime archaeological survey was undertaken of the islands and mainland to study Swahili trade, clarify the sequence of settlement development and record the exploitation of resources during the medieval and post-medieval periods. Previous archaeological investigations have revealed local ceramics from the early second millennium AD and imports from the late fifteenth century. According to oral traditions and ancient sources, Angoche’s growth is associated with the arrival of coastal settlers from Kilwa in 1485. The survey revealed evidence for occupation dating from c. AD 500 and trading evidence from the late first millennium AD. Artefacts from the thirteenth to sixteenth century on the islands are similar to those found at Kilwa and Sofala, which shows a link to Kilwa earlier than the oral traditions and the name of one of the Angoche Islands ‘Quilua’, is Kilwa in Portuguese. The islands are well resourced in terms of rice, mangrove wood, seafood and farmland and offer sheltered inlets and access to the coastal trade route. The name of Angoche relates to a port of call and the presence of ninth-tenth-century- storage vessels from southern Iran supports this theory. Traded glass and ceramic artifacts and beads increase from the late medieval period revealing that Angoche became an important and wealthy entrepôt. The lack of coral limestone and reef coral, on the sandy Angoche Islands, indicates some building materials would have had to have been imported. Although many buildings would have been made of wood, some stone ruins are likely to have been demolished and burnt to make lime. The original stratigraphy of many sites has been destroyed by aeolian and marine processes but the survey has shown that valuable information on settlement location and ethnographic practices can still be recovered.
Résumé
Angoche était un important port de commerce historique sur la côte nord au Mozambique. Une enquête archéologique maritime d'Angoche des îles et du continent a été entreprise pour étudier le commerce swahili, clarifier la séquence de développement des colonies et enregistrer l'exploitation des ressources pendant les périodes médiévales et post-médiévales. Des recherches archéologiques antérieures ont révélé des céramiques locales du début du 2ème millénaire après JC et des importations de la fin du 15ème siècle. Bien que la croissance d'Angoche soit associée aux colons venant de Kilwa et à la réorientation du commerce de l'or à la fin du 15ème siècle, l'enquête a révélé des preuves d'occupation datant du 500 après JC et des preuves de la pratique du commerce dès le début du IXe siècle après JC. Les artefacts du 13ème et 16ème siècle trouvés sur les îles sont similaires à ceux trouvés à Kilwa, et Sofala. Ce qui montre un lien avec Kilwa plus tôt que les traditions orales ne l'établissent, et le nom de Quilua, une des îles d'Angoche, renforce cette idée. Les ressources des îles sont le riz, les bois de mangroves, les halieutiques, et des terres arables. Ces îles représentent, également, un abri pour les navires et permet un accès aux routes commerciales côtières. Le nom d'Angoche se rapporte à un port d'escale et la présence de navires de stockage du 9ème au 10ème siècle du sud de l'Iran soutient cette théorie. Les artefacts échangés de verre, de perles et de céramique augmentent à partir de la période médiévale tardive, révélant qu'Angoche est devenu un entrepôt important et riche. L’absence de coraux calcaires et de coraux de récif, indique que les matériaux de construction ont dû être importés. Bien que de nombreux bâtiments étaient fait de bois, quelques ruines de pierre sont susceptibles d'avoir été démolies et brûlées pour faire de la chaux. La stratigraphie originale de nombreux sites ont été détruits par des processus éoliens et marins, mais l'enquête a montré de précieuses informations sur l'emplacement de l'établissement et les pratiques ethnographiques peuvent encore être recueillies.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank director Joost Fontein, graduate attaché Alex Walmesley and surveyor John Kanyingi from the British Institute in Eastern Africa; Justin Willis from the University of Durham; and Abudo Faquira from Eduardo Mondlane University. We are also grateful to Adria LaViolette and to three anonymous reviewers for their comments and encouragement. A licence to do archaeological work around Angoche was provided by the República de Moçambique, Ministério da Cultura Direcção Nacional de Cultura.
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This study was funded by the British Institute in Eastern Africa.
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Pollard, E., Duarte, R. & Duarte, Y.T. Settlement and Trade from AD 500 to 1800 at Angoche, Mozambique. Afr Archaeol Rev 35, 443–471 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10437-018-9308-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10437-018-9308-0