IIIᵉ siècle av. J.-C. – Vᵉ siècle
Interlacustrine East Africa
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The Urewe Early Iron Age culture was an interlacustrine African pottery and iron-working tradition associated with dimple-based vessels, grooved decoration, and iron-smelting installations. Its distribution extended across sites in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, eastern Zaire, and adjacent regions. Archaeological evidence places some occurrences from approximately the third century BC through the fifth century AD, while the passage presents Urewe as part of a broader cultural development lasting more than a millennium.
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Urewe ware is identified by dimple-based pottery, fine textured paste, smooth surfaces, bevelled rims, and characteristic grooved decoration. Concave-necked vessels with dimpled bases were dominant, while scrolls and looped motifs enriched the shoulders of pots and bowls. The tradition is especially associated with the interlacustrine region of East Africa.
The archaeological distribution of Urewe-related pottery was extensive. Finds were reported from roughly fifty sites between Kenya’s Nyanza province and the Kivu province of eastern Zaire, with isolated occurrences at Tshikapa on the upper Kasai, Katoto near Lake Kisale, Kalambo Falls, and Lelesu in central Tanzania. This wide distribution makes Urewe the most broadly represented Early Iron Age pottery type discussed in the passage.
Urewe contexts also document iron production. In Rwanda, Burundi, and Kivu, dimple-based vessels occurred with iron slag and carefully constructed furnaces made from wedge-shaped clay bricks. At Urewe sites in western Kenya, pottery was found with occasional iron objects, charcoal, and patches of baked clay, although erosion and water action have obscured the nature of the settlements.
The chronology indicates considerable antiquity. Urewe I produced radiocarbon dates ranging from about the third to the fifth century AD, while related Katuruka and Rutare evidence was interpreted as placing the emergence of the interlacustrine Early Iron Age several centuries earlier than previously believed. The passage presents this continuity as potentially important for understanding population growth and the later expansion of Iron Age food-producing communities.
IIIᵉ siècle av. J.-C. – Vᵉ siècle
Interlacustrine East Africa
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
The Urewe Early Iron Age culture was an interlacustrine African pottery and iron-working tradition associated with dimple-based vessels, grooved decoration, and iron-smelting installations. Its distribution extended across sites in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, eastern Zaire, and adjacent regions. Archaeological evidence places some occurrences from approximately the third century BC through the fifth century AD, while the passage presents Urewe as part of a broader cultural development lasting more than a millennium.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
Urewe ware is identified by dimple-based pottery, fine textured paste, smooth surfaces, bevelled rims, and characteristic grooved decoration. Concave-necked vessels with dimpled bases were dominant, while scrolls and looped motifs enriched the shoulders of pots and bowls. The tradition is especially associated with the interlacustrine region of East Africa.
The archaeological distribution of Urewe-related pottery was extensive. Finds were reported from roughly fifty sites between Kenya’s Nyanza province and the Kivu province of eastern Zaire, with isolated occurrences at Tshikapa on the upper Kasai, Katoto near Lake Kisale, Kalambo Falls, and Lelesu in central Tanzania. This wide distribution makes Urewe the most broadly represented Early Iron Age pottery type discussed in the passage.
Urewe contexts also document iron production. In Rwanda, Burundi, and Kivu, dimple-based vessels occurred with iron slag and carefully constructed furnaces made from wedge-shaped clay bricks. At Urewe sites in western Kenya, pottery was found with occasional iron objects, charcoal, and patches of baked clay, although erosion and water action have obscured the nature of the settlements.
The chronology indicates considerable antiquity. Urewe I produced radiocarbon dates ranging from about the third to the fifth century AD, while related Katuruka and Rutare evidence was interpreted as placing the emergence of the interlacustrine Early Iron Age several centuries earlier than previously believed. The passage presents this continuity as potentially important for understanding population growth and the later expansion of Iron Age food-producing communities.