UCL Institute of Archaeology

In this course we address current developments in the archaeology of socio-political complexity in historic and pre-historic Sub-Saharan Africa. Our approach is multi-disciplinary, combining and critiquing historical, anthropological and archaeological narratives.

Current developments in thinking about social complexity in Africa are breaking new ground in revising tired and constraining social evolutionary stadial categories – so this course is also relevant to students with a wider interest in the archaeology of social complexity – whatever their region of specialization.

Themes will include:

• Critical re-assessment of social evolutionary categories
• Archaeological Recognition of Heterarchy versus Hierarchy
• Attribute-based analyses of historical African political, ideological and economic systems
• Archaeologies of slavery/ enslavement and warfare

Aims & Objectives of the course

• Familiarise students with current developments in the archaeology and history of African political traditions (states) and their implications for the archaeology of social complexity beyond Africa
• Make students aware of the basic framework of the later prehistory and history of Sub-Saharan Africa
• Put the interpretation of African later prehistory and historic archaeology in the context of wider theoretical debates within the discipline
• Understand the opportunities and limitations posed by archaeological data for studying ancient settlement landscapes and socio-political systems, including variants ranging from stateless and heterarchical social structures, to systems of warfare and enslavement

Learning Outcomes

• critically assess interpretations of African complex societies and put them into a wider context
• have a general understanding of the main Sub-Saharan polities from the second millennium BC up to the colonial era
• be able to participate in general discussions on African socio-political traditions, their attributes and their archaeological study
• have a basic knowledge of the relevant material culture and important sites

Teaching Methods

Lectures with Post-Lecture Discussion

• Code: ARCLG225
• Credits: 15
• Coordinator: Kevin MacDonald and Andrew Reid
• Prerequisite: None
• Handbook:

For registered students

• Moodle page:
• Turnitin id: 202685
• Reading list: