The Swahili civilization was a fascinating and complex system_a group of advanced cultures with large economic networks, international maritime trade, and urban sophistication. This book documents the growth of Swahili civilization on the eastern coast of Africa, from 100 B.C. to the time of European colonialism in the sixteenth century. Using archaeological, anthropological, and historical information, Chapurukha M. Kusimba describes the origins of this unique and powerful culture, including its Islamic components, architecture, language, and trading systems. Incorporating the results of his own surveys and excavations, Kusimba provides us with a remarkable African-derived study of the rise and collapse of societies on the Swahili Coast.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Kusimba reminds us that pre-Colonial Africa inspired vital coastal civilizations, born of indigenous African folkways and nurtured the interior kingdoms into a world mercantile system. (Joseph O. Vogel )
This volume presents an excellent summary of the state of Swahili archaeology. Dr. Kusimba...is to be congratulated for all his efforts to make what could be seen as esoteric knowledge in modern Africa directly relevant to contemporary Kenyans and others. (LaViolette, Adria African-American Archaeology )
Undoubtedly this is a highly significant publication. It is the first general synthesis by an archaeologist of the archaeology, history and ethnography of the communities which have flourished along Africa's Indian Ocean coastline.... More significantly, this book is produced by one of the new generation of African scholars whose collective talent will shape the future of archaeology on the continent.... In the context of contemporary knowledge systems within Kenya and along the Swahili coast, this volume is likely to have a much more profound influence on the way people draw on the past and think about themselves than would a comparable work on Europe or the USA. This book can make a difference. (Andrew Reid Antiquity )
Dr. Kusimba's book is very well-organized. The geography, resources, languages and peoples of the coast are described in detail. This book not only provides for a better understanding of the complex Swahili polities between 100 B.C. and the sixteenth century, but also lends itself to an appreciation of the relevance of the Swahili society and culture in East Africa today. (David S. Fick African Studies Quarterly, Vol 4, Issue 1 )
As an archaeologist of African origin, he has combined his extensive knowledge of the Swahili language and culture with a meticulous research methodology to arrive at an original study from a perspective that that is primarily Africa-centered. In this regard, The Rise and Fall of Swahili States is indeed a pioneering work of inestimable value to Africa in its continuing quest to reclaim its history. (Alamin Mazrui Anthropos )
Dr. Kusimba's highly readable and stimulating book is very timely for all those interested in recent research and interpretation of Africa in later prehistoric and earlier historic times. Indeed, I would go further to propose that this book should be highly stimulating to those who work in other parts of the world, too. (Bernard Wailes )
An excellent summary of the archaeological data involving the emergence and unfolding of this captivating civilization through the first 1300 years. (Randall L. Pouwels Intl. Journal Of African Historical Studies )
Dr Kusimba of the Field Museum of Natural History engage most if not all of the major issues in the contemporary archaeology of the East African Coast, and the book is therefore a major contribution to the field.... The book succeeds in its goal to 'help unravel the myths' concerning the Swahili, and it provides a much-needed overview of the archaeology of the Swahili coast. It should be on the shelf of anyone interested in the history and archaeology of eastern Africa. (Thomas H. Wilson Journal Of African History )
This volume presents an excellent summary of the state of Swahili archaeology. Dr. Kusimba...is to be congratulated for all his efforts to make what could be seen as esoteric knowledge in modern Africa directly relevant to contemporary Kenyans and others. (LaViolette, Adria African-American Archaeology )
Undoubtedly this is a highly significant publication. It is the first general synthesis by an archaeologist of the archaeology, history and ethnography of the communities which have flourished along Africa's Indian Ocean coastline.... More significantly, this book is produced by one of the new generation of African scholars whose collective talent will shape the future of archaeology on the continent.... In the context of contemporary knowledge systems within Kenya and along the Swahili coast, this volume is likely to have a much more profound influence on the way people draw on the past and think about themselves than would a comparable work on Europe or the USA. This book can make a difference. (Andrew Reid Antiquity )
Dr. Kusimba's book is very well-organized. The geography, resources, languages and peoples of the coast are described in detail. This book not only provides for a better understanding of the complex Swahili polities between 100 B.C. and the sixteenth century, but also lends itself to an appreciation of the relevance of the Swahili society and culture in East Africa today. (David S. Fick African Studies Quarterly, Vol 4, Issue 1 )
As an archaeologist of African origin, he has combined his extensive knowledge of the Swahili language and culture with a meticulous research methodology to arrive at an original study from a perspective that that is primarily Africa-centered. In this regard, The Rise and Fall of Swahili States is indeed a pioneering work of inestimable value to Africa in its continuing quest to reclaim its history. (Alamin Mazrui Anthropos )
Dr. Kusimba's highly readable and stimulating book is very timely for all those interested in recent research and interpretation of Africa in later prehistoric and earlier historic times. Indeed, I would go further to propose that this book should be highly stimulating to those who work in other parts of the world, too. (Bernard Wailes )
An excellent summary of the archaeological data involving the emergence and unfolding of this captivating civilization through the first 1300 years. (Randall L. Pouwels Intl. Journal Of African Historical Studies )
Dr Kusimba of the Field Museum of Natural History engage most if not all of the major issues in the contemporary archaeology of the East African Coast, and the book is therefore a major contribution to the field.... The book succeeds in its goal to 'help unravel the myths' concerning the Swahili, and it provides a much-needed overview of the archaeology of the Swahili coast. It should be on the shelf of anyone interested in the history and archaeology of eastern Africa. (Thomas H. Wilson Journal Of African History )
About the Author
The Field Museum, Chicago
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Muslim Swahili - True Africans.,
By David Fick "Author: Africa: Continent of Econ... (Overland Park, Kansas USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)
This review is from: The Rise and Fall of Swahili States (African Archaeology Series) (Paperback)
The purpose of this book is to document the growth of Swahili civilization on the eastern coast of Africa, from 100 B.C. through the European colonialism in the sixteenth century. By using archaeological, anthropological, and historical information, Dr. Kusimba endeavors to describe the origins of this unique and powerful culture, including its Islamic components, architecture, language, and trading systems. He combines the results of his own anthropological surveys and archaeological excavations, providing a comprehensive study of the origins, rise, and collapse of societies on the Swahili Coast and their broader influence on African history.Dr. Kusimba definitely views the origins of the Swahili States as distinctly African in nature and he offers historical, anthropological and archaeological evidence in support of this idea. The underlying basis of Swahili societies were long-established populations and cultural mores of African origin. Despite other scholars suggestions supporting extensive Arab settlement and even colonization along the Swahili Coast, Dr. Kusimba maintains that Swahili culture was not simply imported or derivative, but a rich fabric of African manufacture, one woven with threads spun from local fiber as well as imported yarn. The author repeatedly emphasizes that the ancestors of modern Swahili settled in East Africa long before the ancestors of many ethnic groups. The evidence presented in this book suggests that the Coastal peoples are not biologically different from other East African groups. The cultural diversity of Coastal peoples is similar in magnitude to the general diversity one finds among African peoples. The author proclaims such diversity should be celebrated rather than demeaned by who believe that the Swahili states originated from foreign settlement. The author maintains that the Swahili elite (during the Omani regime) wished to be associated with places from which power and authority emanated. Therefore, they emphasized traditions of blood ties to Oman and Persia while minimizing their African roots. They even claimed to be Sharifs, the reputed descendants of the prophet Mohamed. Because of this myth that Swalili states originated from Arab settlements, many modern Africans consider the story of the Coast to be outside the African experience. Thus, the descendants of that colonial heritage occupy only a marginal position in the current order of things. Anti-Swahili sentiments among post-colonial East Africans have arisen from an under-appreciation of the relevance of Swahili history and culture. Dr. Kusimba's book is very well organized. The geography, resources, languages and peoples of the coast are described in detail. The earliest settlements and those that followed between 300-1000 are well documented and clearly described. The role of iron working, the importance of interregional trade, and the impact of Islam prior to 1500 are all discussed at length. Dr. Kusimba also examines the hierarchy of Swahili Coast society. This book not only provides for a better understanding of the complex Swahili polities between 100 B.C. and the sixteenth century, but also lends itself to an appreciation of the relevance of Swahili society and culture in East Africa today.
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