The Rise and Fall of Swahili States

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The Swahili civilization was a fascinating and complex system-a group of advanced cultures with large economic networks, international maritime trade, and urban sophistication. This book documents the growth of Swahili civilization on the eastern coast of Africa, from 100 B.C. to the time of European colonialism in the sixteenth century. Using archaeological, anthropological, and historical information, Chapurukha M. Kusimba describes the origins of this unique and powerful culture, including its Islamic ...
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1999 Hard cover Fair. Hardcover; may have some highlighting or annoations; tiny bit of water damage to a couple of the pages, does not affect text just a slight discoloration on ... the edge of page; some wear to the cover. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. 240 p. African Archaeology, 1. Audience: General/trade. Read more Show Less

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More About This Book

Overview

The Swahili civilization was a fascinating and complex system-a group of advanced cultures with large economic networks, international maritime trade, and urban sophistication. This book documents the growth of Swahili civilization on the eastern coast of Africa, from 100 B.C. to the time of European colonialism in the sixteenth century. Using archaeological, anthropological, and historical information, Chapurukha M. Kusimba describes the origins of this unique and powerful culture, including its Islamic components, architecture, language, and trading systems. Incorporating the results of his own surveys and excavations, Kusimba provides us with a remarkable African-derived study of the rise and collapse of societies on the Swahili Coast.

Author Biography: The Field Museum, Chicago

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Editorial Reviews

African-American Archaeology
This volume presents an excellent summary of the state of Swahili archaeology. Dr. Kusimba...is to be congratulated for all his efforts to make what could be seen as esoteric knowledge in modern Africa directly relevant to contemporary Kenyans and others.
— Adria LaViolette, Department of Anthropology, University of Virginia
Antiquity
Undoubtedly this is a highly significant publication. It is the first general synthesis by an archaeologist of the archaeology, history and ethnography of the communities which have flourished along Africa's Indian Ocean coastline.... More significantly, this book is produced by one of the new generation of African scholars whose collective talent will shape the future of archaeology on the continent.... In the context of contemporary knowledge systems within Kenya and along the Swahili coast, this volume is likely to have a much more profound influence on the way people draw on the past and think about themselves than would a comparable work on Europe or the USA. This book can make a difference.
— Andrew Reid, (Institute of Archaeology, University College London)
Anthropos
As an archaeologist of African origin, he has combined his extensive knowledge of the Swahili language and culture with a meticulous research methodology to arrive at an original study from a perspective that that is primarily Africa-centered. In this regard, The Rise and Fall of Swahili States is indeed a pioneering work of inestimable value to Africa in its continuing quest to reclaim its history.
— Alamin Mazrui
International Journal Of African Historical Studies
An excellent summary of the archaeological data involving the emergence and unfolding of this captivating civilization through the first 1300 years.
— Randall L. Pouwels, (University of Central Arkansas)
Journal Of African History
Dr Kusimba of the Field Museum of Natural History engage most if not all of the major issues in the contemporary archaeology of the East African Coast, and the book is therefore a major contribution to the field.... The book succeeds in its goal to 'help unravel the myths' concerning the Swahili, and it provides a much-needed overview of the archaeology of the Swahili coast. It should be on the shelf of anyone interested in the history and archaeology of eastern Africa.
— Thomas H. Wilson, (Beloit College)
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780761990512
  • Publisher: AltaMira Press
  • Publication date: 5/28/1999
  • Series: African Archaeology Series , #1
  • Pages: 240
  • Product dimensions: 6.36 (w) x 9.10 (h) x 0.79 (d)

Table of Contents

List of Figures, Maps, and Tables 7
Foreword 9
Preface 13
1 The Place of the Swahili Coast in the World 19
The Swahili Coast
The Swahili Language
The Swahili People
The Identity of the Swahili and the Origins of Their Culture
Swahili Society
The Colonial Period and Swahili Identity
The Swahili Coast in Western Historiography
A Historical Chronology
The Development of Social Complexity on the Swahili Coast
2 The Archaeology of the Swahili Coast 43
Colonialism and Colonial Perceptions
Notes Toward a History of Archaeology on the Swahili Coast
3 The Swahili Coast 67
A Background in Coastal Geography
The Resources of the Swahili Coast
Indigenous People of the Swahili Coast
4 Before the Swahili States 89
The Earliest Settlements
The Second Phase of Coastal Settlement
The Role of Ironworking on the Swahili Coast
The Ethnicity of the Precolonial Population
The Identity of the Prehistoric Swahili
5 The Swahili Civilization 117
Swahili Coast Settlement Patterns
The Swahili Economy
Interregional Trade and Islam
Swahili Coast Society
The "Foreigness" of the Coastal Elites
The Layout of Swahili Settlements
6 The Colonial Period and the Demise of the Swahili States 155
Local Politics in the Sixteenth Century
Portuguese Conquest of the Swahili Coast
Omani Rule and Changing Ethnic Identities on the Swahili Coast
7 Conclusion 179
Some Thoughts on State Formation and its Demise
Afterword 199
Bibliography 205
Author Index 225
Subject Index 228
About the Author 237
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