From 10th century
Northern and central Zambia and Malawi
The Luangwa tradition was a later Iron Age archaeological tradition that replaced Early Iron Age pottery traditions in northern and central Zambia and Malawi around the eleventh century. It is presented as ancestral to traditions practiced by several modern populations of the region and may have been introduced from southern Zaire together with improved metallurgy and a stronger emphasis on cattle-keeping alongside cereal agriculture.
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The Story
The Luangwa tradition emerged as the successor to Early Iron Age pottery traditions in northern and central Zambia and in Malawi. The transition occurred around the eleventh century, bringing an abrupt end to a cultural sequence that had maintained substantial continuity through the first millennium. The tradition is defined in the excerpt primarily through its pottery and its position in the regional archaeological succession.
Only the Chondwe group has pottery described as remotely resembling the Luangwa tradition. This similarity has encouraged the proposal that the pioneers of the Luangwa tradition entered central Zambia from southern Zaire. The interpretation remains cautious, but it links the archaeological change to a possible movement of a new population element into the region.
The incoming tradition is associated with improved metallurgical techniques and a strong emphasis on cattle-keeping as an adjunct to cereal agriculture. It is also described as ancestral to traditions practiced by the Chewa, Nsenga, Ngoni, Tumbuka, Soli, Lala, Lamba, Bisa, Bemba, Lungu, Mambwe, and eastern Lunda. The excerpt therefore presents Luangwa as an important bridge between earlier archaeological cultures and later regional populations.
From 10th century
Northern and central Zambia and Malawi
The Luangwa tradition was a later Iron Age archaeological tradition that replaced Early Iron Age pottery traditions in northern and central Zambia and Malawi around the eleventh century. It is presented as ancestral to traditions practiced by several modern populations of the region and may have been introduced from southern Zaire together with improved metallurgy and a stronger emphasis on cattle-keeping alongside cereal agriculture.
Continue exploring
The Story
The Luangwa tradition emerged as the successor to Early Iron Age pottery traditions in northern and central Zambia and in Malawi. The transition occurred around the eleventh century, bringing an abrupt end to a cultural sequence that had maintained substantial continuity through the first millennium. The tradition is defined in the excerpt primarily through its pottery and its position in the regional archaeological succession.
Only the Chondwe group has pottery described as remotely resembling the Luangwa tradition. This similarity has encouraged the proposal that the pioneers of the Luangwa tradition entered central Zambia from southern Zaire. The interpretation remains cautious, but it links the archaeological change to a possible movement of a new population element into the region.
The incoming tradition is associated with improved metallurgical techniques and a strong emphasis on cattle-keeping as an adjunct to cereal agriculture. It is also described as ancestral to traditions practiced by the Chewa, Nsenga, Ngoni, Tumbuka, Soli, Lala, Lamba, Bisa, Bemba, Lungu, Mambwe, and eastern Lunda. The excerpt therefore presents Luangwa as an important bridge between earlier archaeological cultures and later regional populations.
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