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46-629: The settlement complex at Dia consists of an agglomeration of three separate large archaeological sites: Dia-Shoma, Dia, and Dia-Mara. With an area of 49ha, Dia-Shoma is the largest and oldest, dating back to the 9th century BCE. The civilization of Djenné-Djenno was located in the Niger River valley in Mali and is considered to be among the oldest urbanized centres and the best-known archaeological sites in Sub-Saharan Africa . The site

92-624: A broader 'state-level' identity during the period. Indeed, it has been widely acknowledged that the identities of each group are highly amorphous, which is attested by the Somono. Dia's oral and written sources portray conflicting pasts, as the multiethnic communities support multiple versions of its cultural history and the arrival of Islam. The latter issue is particularly complex, as Dia prides itself on its Islamic traditions, while archaeological excavations have revealed relatively recent evidence for non-Islamic religious practices, diet, and rituals. It

138-404: A carved stone as part of a broader system of structures, stone walls, as well as cemeteries with stones positioned in the head and foot areas of the graves. Additionally, there are stones that are 2 meters in diameter are set within circular patterns are found among a few stone structures, grindstone and millstone remnants, and pottery with decorative patterns. Within the region, nearby Tondidarou ,

184-401: A different argument, saying although similar in shapes, ceramics discovered in the two regions exhibit different decoration styles. Also, some types of vessels are widely discovered in one region but not in the other. For example, Djenné-Djenno's burial jars or funerary urns are completely absent at Dia Shoma and Mara, which provides evidence for different funerary practices, probably indicating

230-534: A fully decomposed state, one of the human remains were able to be determined to be a young adult (17–25 years old) female, who was buried with two copper bracelets - one on each wrist, 13 cowrie shells , 11 stone beads, and a fully intact pot. Dia, Mali Dia ( Jà ) is a small town and seat of the commune of Diaka in the Cercle of Ténenkou in the Mopti Region of southern-central Mali . It

276-578: A large number of Stone Age villages, succeeded by hundreds of Iron Age cities, far pre-dating the settlement of Djenne-Jeno . Historically, Méma was one of the smaller Soninke states, an important vassal or province of the Wagadou Empire . According to local legends it was founded by Biranin Tounkara, a slave or companion of Dinga , the legendary founder of Wagadou. Historian Dierk Lange has argued that Ghana, rather than being situated to

322-485: A reason for their migration to Inland Niger Delta, which is known for its vast and rich pastures . However, for the last two centuries, they have nearly all been sedentarised. The Peulh of the Macina is 95% Muslim. Despite the complicated occupation history, Dia's material and cultural record including ceramics is surprisingly stable, particularly during the last 800 years. This might be explained in light of conformity to

368-545: A recognizable occupational group sometime before the 17th-century state of Segu. Marka , which is also known as Soninke or Sarakole, typically lives further west between the Senegal River and Nioro in Mali. They are viewed as a cultural and historically derived group principally from earlier Soninke ethnic formations. Since the end of the Mali empire, the term 'Soninke' has preserved religious signlivesificance, which

414-406: A stone wall may have served as a regional boundary, stone tumuli and circles that may be cemeteries, and a couple of drystone fortification remnants; there are also pottery and stone tools at Mobangou , as well as mounds and stone structures nearby Mobangou. On the eastern side of Lake Fati, there are large enclosures on the massifs containing dozens of conjoined circular drystone structures, and on

460-526: A weekly market, and even French who created an administrative post at Dia, were quickly suppressed, which was hailed as a religious victory. Peulh(Fulani) is a major population group of the Macina, now dominating the entire region, except for Dia which is governed by the Soninke. Due to their relatively light skin, many theories connect that with the North African Berber, but their language

506-570: Is muslim . They cultivate rice, have landowner rights over vast regions, and exercise important ritual functions. Marka of modern Dia is often described as marabouts , having followed the Tidjianist branch of Islam. They teach in Islamic schools and are renowned for their manufacture of powerful Islamic talismans, which are known as ' gris-gris '. The Marka have accentuated Dia's originality by abolishing all sorts of profane activities including

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552-513: Is important to understand that Dia's historical records have been subject to a continual process of change in order to justify present institutions, power structures, and religious authorities. Most of the public and official archives regarding Dia are based on manuscripts written by Arab chroniclers. These records contribute to the understanding of the relatively recent history of Dia. Scholarly literature regarding Dia constitutes works by historians, anthropologists, and geographers. While most of

598-517: Is in a 5 km radius around the principal settlement mounds. The spindle whorls , which is an object used to spin both wool and cotton threads, have been identified in Shoma and Mara in a variety of contexts. A wide variety of shapes and sizes are observed among them, and most of them are elaborately decorated with incised lines, triangles, circles, and dots. They are common black terracotta types found in many regions of West Africa. The presence of

644-509: Is located about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) away from the modern town of Djenné and is believed to have been involved in long-distance trade and possibly the domestication of African rice. The site is believed to exceed 33 hectares (82 acres). The city is believed to have been abandoned and moved to its current location due to the spread of Islam and the building of the Great Mosque of Djenné . Towns similar to Djenné-Jeno also developed at

690-670: Is part of the Niger-Congo family , not Afro-Asian such as in Berber. Rather, it indicates that their origin might be traced to what is modern Senegal . However, genetic evidence points out the Afro-Asiatic connection for modern Fulfulde speakers. This difference would be to postulate the existence of a coherent pastoral substrate in the Sahel prior to the eastward Fulfulde language expansion. Their pastoral lifestyles are considered as

736-647: Is situated at the western edge of the Inland Delta floodplain, and is watered by the Diaka, one of the Niger River 's major distributaries and the only permanent watercourse in the region. Tigemaxo and also some Fulfulde are spoken in Dia. The three-settlement mound complex of Dia, located at the western edge of the Inland Niger Delta of Mali, is known for rich oral and written resources, and predates

782-584: Is situated north of Massina , west of Lake Debo and the Inner Niger Delta , and southwest of the Lakes Region. The now-senescent basin may have been the first settlement area for communities who migrated from distressed homelands of the Sahara during the last two millennia BC. Méma was inhabited by 3800 BCE at the earliest by migrants from Azawad fleeing the drying Sahara. It was host to

828-445: Is the largest and oldest, dating back to the 9th century BCE. It is the only one of the three that was permanently abandoned. Dia, measuring 23ha, is still occupied today, while Dia-Mara, measuring 28ha, has been largely abandoned but is still partly in use as a burial site. These sites dates to the sixth century BCE and the height of settlement at this complex reached around the 10th century AD. Meanwhile, occupation does not begin until

874-689: The Mali Empire , within which Mema held a special, more autonomous status. In 1433 the kingdom regained its independence before falling to the Songhai Empire by the middle of the century. Toladié, which dates between at least 430 CE and 670 CE, is the largest occupation site (76 hectares) in Mema. As a primary center in the region, Toladié utilized smelted iron tools produced by the communities of Akumbu, Boubou, Boundou, Boulel, Kobadie, Kolima, and Nampala for purposes of tribute and trade with

920-615: The Tichitt Tradition . In the Malian Lakes Region, there is a drystone enclosure that is greater than 4 meters in height and several hundred meters in circumference, two cemeteries, and within the enclosure, a possible cistern building with remnants of a room that is between 6 meters and 7 meters in diameter; there are also other drystone structures of different sizes and kinds, which include a large rectangular enclosure, enclosures with small-sized circular structures,

966-519: The Ghana Empire. At the Akumbu mound complex, in Mema, its archaeological findings date between 400 CE and 1400 CE; at the cultural deposit of AK3, which contained three human remains, the dates range between 400 CE and 600 CE. While two out of three human remains were in a fully decomposed state, one of the human remains were able to be determined to be a young adult (17–25 years old) female, who

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1012-524: The Inland Niger Delta of Mali, it has been shown that all the different ethnic groups had their distinctive ceramic traditions, which are characterized by their vessel-shaping techniques and decorative styles. Among the Mande -speaking peoples of West Africa, potters belong to a major professional class of artisans. Known as ' nyamakalaw ', they have been distinguished from the class of former nobility and from that of slaves. Also in Dia, potters usually belonged to

1058-498: The Inland Niger Delta. Although the language of Bozo and Somono is different, they may have the same family names as both groups today claim Soninke ancestry from ancient Ghana. A fundamental difference between them is that the Bozo is an ethnic group, while the Somono is an occupational group. Thus, it has been said that "One must be born a Bozo, but anyone can become a Somono." Oral history portrays indigenous Bozo hunters and fishermen as

1104-541: The Tichitt culture. The Malian Lakes Region and the Mauritanian Tichitt cultural region bear strong geographic resemblance (e.g., escarpments) and similar complex settlement patterns on and below the escarpments. In the Malian Lakes Region, the stone villages may have been constructed between the 2nd millennium BCE and the 1st millennium BCE. In 1st millennium CE, earthen tells were created in the plains, along

1150-533: The archaeological evidence on and below the Malian Lakes Region escarpments of the 2nd millennium BCE - 1st millennium BCE may serve as connective evidence between Mema, Tondidarou and other Middle Niger sites of the 1st millennium CE, and the Tichitt Tradition of Mauritania. Toladié, which dates between at least 430 CE and 670 CE, is the largest occupation site (76 hectares) in Mema . As a primary center in

1196-530: The blacksmith caste of the Somono, and they generally used a combination of a concave mold with a coiling technique in the initial phase of construction. It has been suggested that Shoma and Mara's occupation and pottery assemblages are synonymous with that of Djenné-Djenno . The ceramic assemblages from Djenne-Jeno and Dia both consist of similar rim shapes and the application of red slip and were used as evidence that confirms some kinds of affinities between people in Dia and Djenne-Jeno. However, recent studies make

1242-532: The case of Dia. Dia's oral tradition lacks a unified coherent tradition, which might be understood in the light of its multiethnic communities. One of the main themes of the story is the autochthonous tradition of Dia's first inhabitants, the foundation of Dia, and the arrival of Islam. Mema Méma is a region and former state in Mali , Africa , a key constituent kingdom in the Wagadou , Mali and Songhai Empires . A plain of alluvial deposits , Méma

1288-525: The chronicles written by Arab scholars emphasize the ancient history of Islam in the region, scholarly literature often rejects this claim. It has been widely acknowledged that manuscripts written by Muslim chroniclers should be viewed with a certain amount of skepticism as it could lead us to an Orientalist discourse on sub-Saharan Africa, which considers Islamic influence as the driving force for important developments. Indeed, many places hae exclusively been mentioned due to their strong adherence to Islam, as in

1334-558: The eastern side of Lake Faguibine , there are similar enclosures and structures spanning 74 kilometers north from its eastern shoreside; there are also stone walls ranging about one meter in height. The Malian Lakes Region sites share connections with Tichitt Tradition sites via one of its categorized sites. Tell-type site pottery of the Malian Lakes Region also is similar in appearance (e.g., folded strip roulettes, thickened rims) to Faïta pottery. In total, there are 180 villages, hamlets, and many types of stone structures and enclosures. Among

1380-476: The first inhabitants of Dia, which entered the Middle Niger region around 2000 BC. Somono has been portrayed as namakalaw, a term that describes occupationally defined artisans who guard their professional secrets through endogamy and esoteric ritual procedures. The arrival of the Somono remains a contested issue, especially due to the malleable character of their identity. It is assumed that they developed

1426-458: The history of the region is linked to that of former western Sudan with the successive empires of Ghana , Mali and Songhay . The water system provided a favorable route for trade between the southern and northern Sahara , making Dia as one of the key trade sites in the region. Since 1980, efforts have been made to make an inventory of the archaeological sites in the Inland Niger Delta to better understand their size and preservation. One of them

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1472-541: The monochrome glass beads found in the region has been identified as a folded glass bead, which is usually known from the Middle East. These beads have been correlated with the Islamic world in North Africa and the near East, which had a prospering bead production between the 7th to 14th centuries. Furthermore, red carnelian beads are also used as evidence of long-distance trade connections. Archaeologists suggest

1518-554: The much better-known cities of nearby Djenne and Timbuktu . According to Levtzion, the Diakhanke "remember Dia in Massina as the town of their ancestor, Suware, a great marabout, and a saint." This vast site thus offers the possibility of studying the beginning of urbanization in this part of Africa and the structure of an early West African city. Favorable climate and water supply have favored human settlement for centuries, and

1564-622: The northwest of the Niger Delta, was in fact centered in the Méma area. After Wagadou's collapse around the end of the 12th century, Méma was one of the most important Soninke successor states. It appears several times in the Epic of Sundiata . The Tunkara (king) of Mema shelters Sundiata when he flees the Manding region , then provides cavalry to help him overthrow Soumaoro Kante and establish

1610-590: The possibility of the import of these beads from Egypt , which is the most cited source for carnelian in Africa. Some point out India as a source, which was another major supplier of red carnelian beads. Glass beads thus provide evidence that a trans-Saharan trade already existed as early as the beginning of the first millennium AD, and that Dia was involved in this trade. Dia seems to have participated not only in inter-regional trade but also in long-distance trade with places as far away as Egypt or maybe even India. In

1656-610: The presence of different population groups. At Shoma, a total of 86 inhumations was identified, which suggests that sampling is not the cause for the seeming absence of funerary urns at Dia. Dia's occupational history is characterized by the usurpation of local power by a series of incoming groups; which includes Bozo(Somono), Marka( Soninke ), and the Peulh (Fulani). This may due to the highly irregular nature of Middle Niger's annual rainfall and flood, and thus each population group developed highly adaptable exploitation habits. The climate of

1702-467: The region has not only resulted in the collapse of the consistent cultural systems but had also led to cultural richness and various ancient towns. The region's population groups have mainly been identified by their specialized economies such as the Bozo and Somono fisherfolk, Soninke rice cultivators and traders, and Peulh pastoralists. Bozo(Somono) is the Mande-speaking fishing population of

1748-481: The region show a variety of shapes and are either black or bluff-colored with smooth undecorated surfaces. They have been discovered in small numbers in deposits of all sites in Dia, but they seem to occur in much larger quantities at Shoma as seven clay beads have been recorded from one unit. The stone materials of the beads may also indicate the long-distance trade that happened at Dia. The stone material includes monochrome glass, red carnelian , and quartz . One of

1794-446: The region, Toladié utilized smelted iron tools produced by the communities of Akumbu, Boubou, Boundou, Boulel, Kobadie, Kolima, and Nampala for purposes of tribute and trade with the Ghana Empire. At the Akumbu mound complex, in Mema, its findings date between 400 CE and 1400 CE; at the cultural deposit of AK3, which contained three human remains, the dates range between 400 CE and 600 CE. While two out of three human remains were in

1840-537: The shoresides and in floodplains of the Niger River at Tondidarou; the difference in distance and dates may indicate that there was gradual change in settlement sites, from the regional section of the Malian Lake Region where the escarpments are located toward the regional section where Tondidarou is located, as well as gradual technical shift toward construction of earthen settlement mounds. Altogether,

1886-509: The site of Dia , also in Mali along the Niger River, from around 900 BC. Considerable commonalities, absent in modern North African cultures, are present and able to be found between Round Head paintings and modern Sub-Saharan African cultures. Modern Saharan ceramics are viewed as having clear likenesses with the oldest ceramics found in Djenné-Djenno , which have been dated to 250 BCE. The egalitarian civilization of Djenné-Djenno

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1932-493: The sixth-century AD at the neighboring mound of Dia-Mara. The only attempt at a detailed geomorphological study of the Dia was the one by Haskell et al.(1988), which resulted from an explorative field season consisting of text excavations at Shoma and Mara, and the survey of Dia's hinterland. The survey discovered Dia and its hinterland which are extensively cultivated with rice during the annual Niger flood. Also, some 37 further sites have been identified by Haskell et al., which

1978-559: The spindle whorls indicate a local weaving tradition and may serve as evidence for string or yarn production. Indeed, the identification of cotton seeds and seed fragments indicates that cotton was grown locally, and several Islamic chronicles state that in the Sahel, thriving markets existed for cotton cloth and the cloth was considered a principal commodity of trade. However, there is no archaeological evidence of cotton cloth manufacture at Dia, as weaving materials such as looms and other equipment were not discovered. Glass beads found in

2024-485: The total constructed stone villages, 30 stone villages may have evidence of concessions with stone pillar structures in them; there is also Fati 6 where a drystone tell is of an intermediary architectural status between the earlier drystone structures in the escarpment region and the later drystone structures of the Tondidarou region; both show close resemblance and apparent connection with the architectural structures of

2070-584: Was likely established by the Mande progenitors of the Bozo people , which spanned from 3rd century BCE to 13th century CE. Macina is a small town and rural commune in the Cercle of Macina in the Ségou Region of southern-central Mali . The commune covers an area of 1,100 square kilometers and contains the main town and 20 villages. The Malian Lakes Region may have served as the second regional center of

2116-483: Was the large-scale excavations initiated by Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde at Leiden, within the framework of a long-term Malian-Dutch cultural heritage program. The initial prospection was carried out in 1998 in the Inland Delta, and the vicinity of Dia was chosen as the principal research zone for the project. The settlement complex at Dia consists of an agglomeration of three separate large archaeological sites: Dia-Shoma, Dia, and Dia-Mara. With an area of 49ha, Dia-Shoma

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