Djenné-Djenno

Djenné-Djenno
Archaeological Site of Djenné-Djenno
Location	Djenné Cercle, Mali
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Old Towns of Djenné
Type	Cultural
Criteria	iii, iv
Designated	1988
Reference no.	116-01
State	Mali
Region	List of World Heritage Sites in Africa

Djenné-Djenno (also Jenne-Jeno) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the Niger River Valley in the country of Mail. Literally translated to "ancient Djenné", it is the original site of Djenné, Mali and considered to be among the oldest urbanized centers in sub-Saharan Africa. This archaeological site is located less than 3 Kilometers away from the modern town, and is believed to have been involved in long distance trade and possibly the domestication of African rice. The site is believed to exceed 82 acres; however this has been yet to be confirmed with extensive survey work. With the help of archaeological excavations mainly by Susan and Roderick McIntosh, the site is known to be occupied from 250 B.C. to 900 A.D. The city is believed to have been abandoned and moved where the current city is located due to the spread of Islam and the building of the the Great Mosque of Djenné.

Origins

Based on archaeological excavations, Radiocarbon dates have been collected showing that people first settled here permanently in about 250 B.C. This first occupation of the site (which lasted from 250 B.C. to A.D. 50) is known as Phase I and is some of the earliest evidence for iron production is sub-Saharan Africa. This initial phase is not associated with the Later Stone Age, and there has never been an occupation from this period at the site, or evidence for it has never been found. Until 250 B.C., the area surrounding Djenné-Djenno was either uninhabited or visited by nomadic groups that stayed for short periods. Geomorphological data shows that the region consisted mostly of swampland at this time. Groups only began permanently occupying the area after a dry episode in which annual flooding receded and decreased the size of the swamps. Faunal remains at the site from this occupation have included catfish and Nile perch but mostly cow, leading to the assumption that this first phase might be associated with Hunter-Gatherer or Pastoral modes of subsistence. During this period there is no evidence for rice production, however it is believed that these people might haves been rice producers, even though no definitive evidence has been discovered yet. Phase II is defined by a larger population and definitive evidence for the mass production of rice. we also see the borders of the site expand during this period (possibly covering 100,000 square meters or more), as well as the presence of permanent mud brick architecture. It is inferred from this that rice domestication might have lead to higher population, or higher populations lead to the domestication of rice in this period. Phase III dates from about A.D. 300 to A.D. 900 and is believed to have an even higher population based on crowded cemeteries. The site also has evidence for a more intensive occupation through deep house deposits, possibly from multiple generations. Since there is no evidence for a fourth phase, it is expected that towards the end of phase III, the city experienced a slow decline in population and eventually a total abandonment. However, very little is known about why this decline happened, and more research is needed.

At the end of the sites occupation stood as a large tear-shaped mound (also known as a Tell) consisting of layer upon layer of occupation that had built up over time. This Tell was surrounded by 69 hillocks, and created by its people through the building and rebuilding of their houses. Throughout the sites occupations, pottery fragments are abundant. We see some of the more interesting clay artifacts beginning in Phase II with the terra-cotta statuettes and representations of humans and animals on pottery. These statuettes are important to the understanding of Phase II because along with this art, we see the first evidence for large scale rice cultivation and population rise. All of these attributes are commonly associated with complex, state-level societies. It is believed that these artifacts posed ritual function as apposed to a domestic function. Some of these clay figurines are similar to those made by modern Fulani pastoralists for children, which might be evidence for the importance of domesticated cows at the site. One human statuette in particular has been the cause of much debate. It was found on a house floor around small bowls full of suspected offerings. Two others have been found in similar context 11 kilometers away from the site of Jenné-Jeno and it is hypothesized that they are the representations of a household spirit, as ancestral cults are known to have flourished in the area as late as the 20th century.

Terracotta figurines from the Inner Niger Delta region

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Agriculture and urban organization

Historically, the Inland Niger Delta has been an ideal location for the mass production of staples such as rice, millet and vegetables due to its predictable floods and summer rains. Many believe this area was the leader in African rice domestication, however more research is needed. Along with this, evidence for domestic cow, sheep and goat cultivation is present at the site. The land surrounding Djenné-Djeno lent itself to such high-yielding crops due to its mixture of highland and floodplain soils at different elevations that allowed floodwater farming of rice. Moreover, the Djenné-Djeno site lies in close proximity to dune landscape, which allows for necessary recreation needed for keeping cattle in floodplain environments. Overall, the diversified sources of food provided food security that allowed for permanent settlement in a region of volatile climate. It is believed that this food production, especially that of African rice, was one of the main contributors to population rise in the city of Djenné-Djeno and was widely exported to nearby centers (including Timbuktu). Many believe that domestic rice was introduced from areas outside the Delta, but the idea that it could not have been manipulated all over the region should not be rejected without further evidence. It is hypothesized that after the decline in aquatic resources we see being exploited in phase I, people adapted by cultivating rice, causing this population explosion

The Djenné-Djeno urban complex consists of 40 mounds within a 4 kilometer radius. The configuration of the mounds helped “segmented” communities to surmount the ecological challenges caused by the volatile weather patters characteristic of the Middle Niger. The fact that the mounds were disjointed allowed communities to specialize their trade while the relative proximity of the mound facilitated the exchange of goods and services between these communities. Thus, this urban configuration incentivized peaceful reciprocity between the communities, which in turn caused the communities to specialize further leading to the prosperity of the community as a whole. These separate communities may come together into an urban complex through the burden of debt or fictive ties of kinship.

Trade

it is suspected that Djenné-Djeno grew to such a vast size as a result of regional and local trade. For many years, it was assumed that complex societies, art and long distance trade come to this region with the arab arrival in the seventh and eighth centuries. Archaeological evidence however supports that Djenné-Djeno was part of a pre-Arab trans-Saharan trade network. It has been hypothesized that the city grew as a trade center due to it's location on the southern portion of the agriculturally productive region of the delta. It was likely that rice produced in this region would have been a valuable trade for saharan commodities such as salt, copper and dried fish. Specifically, glass beads found at the site have been dated to as early as the third century BC and appear to originate from Asia to the Mediterranean Near East. Copper ornaments have also been found in early Phase II deposits, which shows these trade networks date to earlier than previously thought. These discoveries lend support to the existence of sporadic contacts between West and North Africa throughout the first millennium AD.

Further reading

• McIntosh, Roderick J.; McIntosh, Susan Keech (1986). "Dilettantism and plunder: illicit traffic in ancient Malian art" (PDF). UNESCO Museum. 38 (1): 49–57. Link is to a file of the complete issue. It contains poor images. Also available from Rice University.
• McIntosh, Susan Keech (ed.) (1995). Excavations at Jenné-Jeno, Hambarketolo, and Kaniana (Inland Niger Delta, Mali), the 1981 season. Berkeley: University of California Press. doi:10.5555/AL.CH.DOCUMENT.sip100038. ISBN 0-520-09785-8. {{cite book}}: |first= has generic name (help); Check |doi= value (help) Link requires subscription to Aluka.
• McIntosh, Roderick J.; McIntosh, Susan Keech (1981). "The inland Niger delta before the empire of Mali: evidence from Jenne-jeno". Journal of African History. 22: 1–22. doi:10.1017/S0021853700018983. JSTOR 182149. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help) Also available from Rice University.
• McIntosh, Roderick J.; McIntosh, Susan Keech (2003). "Early urban configurations on the Middle Niger: Clustered cities and landscapes of power". In Smith, Monica L. (ed.). The Social Construction of Ancient Cities. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Books. pp. 103–120. ISBN 9781588340986. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• McIntosh, Roderick J. (2005). Ancient Middle Niger: Urbanism and the Self-organizing Landscape. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-81300-X. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

External links

• Archaeology of West Africa at Rice University