Some recent radiocarbon dates from Southern Africa

Hall, M and Vogel, JC 1980, 'Some recent radiocarbon dates from Southern Africa' , The Journal of African History, 21 (4) , pp. 431-455.

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Abstract

In this paper we review radiocarbon dates which have become available over the past three years for the more recent archaeological sites south of the Cunene and Limpopo Rivers, assessing the determinations within the broader context of economy and society. For a framework, we make use of broad physiographic divisions of southern Africa, thus breaking from the artificial constraints of modern political divisions and allowing greater possibilities of synthesis Within the set of new dates there are several fields in which recent radiocarbon determinations have been particularly important. The nature of hunting and gathering and herding communities in the arid western regions of the sub-continent is now more fully understood and more information is available about the succession of lithic industries in the south-western interior. In the south-eastern coastal areas the geographical extent of the earliest farming communities has been firmly dated. New determinations are beginning to provide a firmer chronology for the succession of ceramic industries in the east, and reassessment of the dating of the important sites of Mapungubwe and Great Zimbabwe demands a revision of concepts of early state development and trading contact with the east coast.

Item Type:	Article
Themes:	Subjects / Themes > C Auxiliary Sciences of History > CC Archaeology Memory, Text and Place
Schools:	Schools > No Research Centre Schools > School of Health and Society > Centre for Applied Research in Health, Welfare and Policy
Journal or Publication Title:	The Journal of African History
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Refereed:	Yes
ISSN:	0021-8537
Depositing User:	AL Sherwin
Date Deposited:	10 Dec 2009 10:56
Last Modified:	16 Feb 2022 09:05
URI:	https://usir.salford.ac.uk/id/eprint/2655

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