BabuK
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- Jul 30, 2008
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Chained and shackled with iron bars and cuffs, slave bones believed to date about 1700 AD have been discovered at Kimu in Bweni, Pangani District in Tanga Region.
Speaking to this paper in an exclusive interview, an assistant lecturer from the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), History and Archelogy Department, Elinaza Mjema, reported that the find was made during routine excavation for artifacts at the site.
The site of discovery was the one that was being used to ship slaves to the Zanzibar slave market between 1700 and 1800 during the height of the trade. We think that this is the first of the oldest discoveries made in East Africa ," revealed the researcher.
Samples from the remains along with the iron chains will later this month be submitted for thorough examination to determine the exact age of the finds through carbon dating. Mjema suspects that said the chain was made in Africa but may very well be from elsewhere but if it was smelted and fashioned in Africa, then it must date about 1000 years.
Pangani is believed to be established before 6th Century BC as a coastal dhow port but later became a station on the caravan route from Lake Tanganyika for exporting slaves and ivory.
The town has historically served as a major terminus for caravan routes to the deep interior and archaeologists have found the remains of small 15th century settlements on the bluffs just north of Pangani. Several historical sites in and around the town serve as reminders for the strong Arabic influence and the later German, British colonial era in Tanganyika.
While residents of Pangani can expect an influx of tourists and associated earnings merited to the findings, it is the dark history that lingers in these shallow graves that they have to grapple with everyday.
The entire town is a constant reminder of the tragic and horrific past, of what man can do against his fellow man if not checked and governed by universal principles that respect each individuals freedom and right to life and the pursuit of happiness as they best deem fit.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
Speaking to this paper in an exclusive interview, an assistant lecturer from the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), History and Archelogy Department, Elinaza Mjema, reported that the find was made during routine excavation for artifacts at the site.
The site of discovery was the one that was being used to ship slaves to the Zanzibar slave market between 1700 and 1800 during the height of the trade. We think that this is the first of the oldest discoveries made in East Africa ," revealed the researcher.
Samples from the remains along with the iron chains will later this month be submitted for thorough examination to determine the exact age of the finds through carbon dating. Mjema suspects that said the chain was made in Africa but may very well be from elsewhere but if it was smelted and fashioned in Africa, then it must date about 1000 years.
Pangani is believed to be established before 6th Century BC as a coastal dhow port but later became a station on the caravan route from Lake Tanganyika for exporting slaves and ivory.
The town has historically served as a major terminus for caravan routes to the deep interior and archaeologists have found the remains of small 15th century settlements on the bluffs just north of Pangani. Several historical sites in and around the town serve as reminders for the strong Arabic influence and the later German, British colonial era in Tanganyika.
While residents of Pangani can expect an influx of tourists and associated earnings merited to the findings, it is the dark history that lingers in these shallow graves that they have to grapple with everyday.
The entire town is a constant reminder of the tragic and horrific past, of what man can do against his fellow man if not checked and governed by universal principles that respect each individuals freedom and right to life and the pursuit of happiness as they best deem fit.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
