Distribution of Sites of Iron-working Communities in Dodoma Region, Central Tanzania: Results of a Recent Archaeological Reconnaissance

Abstract

Abstract This paper reports on an archaeological reconnaissance undertaken in 2023 in Dodoma, central Tanzania, to examine the distribution of Iron Age sites. The study area falls within five districts: Dodoma Urban, Chamwino, Kongwa, Chemba, and Kondoa. Fieldwork strategies encompassed ethnohistorical interviews, archaeological surveys, and test excavations. Archaeological materials collected consist of potsherds, iron slag, tuyéres, daubs, and lithics. Laboratory analysis entailed physical attribute analysis for all types of materials, AMS radiocarbon dating for selected samples, and XRD analysis for samples of pottery and clay materials. Analysis results, especially of pottery, suggest the occurrence in the region of the entire Iron Age sequence, with the discovered Kongwa Maji site showing this sequence. The study also sheds light on the Wambambali people, mentioned in local oral histories as earliest occupants of the region. The findings seem in line with early archaeological interpretations that placed Wambambali to a recent past.