ABSTRACT

Here I describe research and findings from three first-millennium sites in northern Pemba Island, Tanzania. Each has well-preserved contexts marked by assemblages of Early Tana Tradition (ETT) pottery and related artefacts that date from the seventh to mid-tenth century ce. Despite their similarities in material culture, the sites are different in size and degree of their interaction with the Indian Ocean trade system. At one end of the spectrum is Tumbe, a large settlement with high densities of imported ceramics, glass and metals and, at the other, is Kimimba, a small village site with only a handful of imported artefacts despite its large local assemblage. The diversity among the three in a small region in which they probably interacted often offers key insights into first-millennium regional networks: island and coastal settlements had variable engagements with overseas trade networks, populations at sites like Tumbe may have asserted some degree of control over the importation and flow of goods regionally, and some degree of ranking may have characterised early settlement systems.