Population variation within the Iron Age of southern Africa: an assessment using dental anthropological and cranio-mandibular metric techniques

Evidence for iron smelting, agriculture, elaborate pottery styles and increased sedentism appears abruptly in areas previously inhabited by hunter-gatherers and herders during the Early Iron Age (EIA) of southern Africa from around 250CE. Ceramic evidence connects these (cultural) populations to the second millennium Iron Age sites in eastern Botswana. This material culture differs from second millennium Late Iron Age (LIA) sites in South Africa which are attributed to migrations from east Africa and are connected, via the material culture, to modern Sotho-Tswana and Nguni speakers. Although the material culture of this period is well-studied, there is a gap in correlating Iron Age biological identity with the established cultural identity. Here I present an analysis of metric and nonmetric dental and cranial variation to better understand biological relationships among these samples. Specimens from the LIA, EIA and Eastern Botswana are compared with each other, and to specimens from Iron Age Zambian sites, modern Bantu-speakers and a historic Ndebele site from the midnineteenth century. This research indicates few differences between the EIA and LIA groups, although surprisingly a sample from eastern Botswana is more similar to the LIA group than the EIA group. The Iron Age samples are significantly different from the modern sample, while the historic sample lies intermediate to the Iron Age and modern samples, indicating that Iron Age peoples had a pattern of dental and cranio-mandibular variation that differs from what is seen in modern (admixed?) descendants. This research has important implications for our understanding of the sub-Saharan African dental complex, showing population differences within this complex (between Khoesan and Iron Age peoples) as well as variation over time (between Iron Age peoples and modern Bantuspeakers). This indicates that, while farmers within the Iron Age of southernmost Africa are generally homogenous, there are important differences between populations in sub-Saharan Africa that reflect complex and differing histories.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Department of Archaeology

Year dc:date.issued

2013

Author dc:creator

• Warren, Kerryn Ashleigh

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Ackermann, R R
• Hall, Simon

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/9794

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/9794