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Trade and society on the south-east African coast in the later first millennium AD: the case of Chibuene

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 June 2015

Paul Sinclair ,
Anneli Ekblom  and
Marilee Wood
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Extract

The south-east coast of Africa in the later first millennium was busy with boats and the movement of goods from across the Indian Ocean to the interior. The landing places were crucial mediators in this process, in Africa as elsewhere. Investigations at the beach site of Chibuene show that a local community was supplying imported beads to such interior sites as Schroda, with the consequent emergence there of hierarchical power structures.

Keywords

south-east AfricaChibuenefirst millennium ADtrade and exchangesocial complexitysocial hierarchyportbeach marketbeads

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Type
Research article
Information
Antiquity , Volume 86 , Issue 333 , September 2012 , pp. 723 - 737
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd. 2012 

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