Archaeological Explorations of Gender, Power, and Climate Change on the Swahili Coast, c. 600-1600 CE

CGII funding is contributing to a project addressing Swahili women’s roles from 600-1600 CE on the East African coast in the realms of agricultural production, cuisine, cultural transmission, craft production, and leadership. This is a millennium that witnessed the development of Swahili urbanism, building of international trade, and wide-ranging Islamic practice on the coast, and that was also marked by dramatic climatic changes yet to be contextualized alongside Swahili history. Our project seeks to elucidate the role(s) of women over this period, posing different research questions at the intersection of archaeological, historical, and climate data.