Trade and society on the south-east African coast in the later first millennium AD: the case of Chibuene

The south-east coast of Africa in the later first millennium was busy with boats and the movement of goods from across the Indian Ocean to the interior. The landing places were crucial mediators in this process, in Africa as elsewhere. Investigations at the beach site of Chibuene show that a local community was supplying imported beads to such interior sites as Schroda, with the consequent emergence there of hierarchical power structures. Keywords: south-east Africa, Chibuene, first millennium AD, trade and exchange, social complexity, social hierarchy, port, beach market, beads
Introduction The dynamics behind the onset of and increased reliance on long-distance trade and its links with the development of regional socio-political complexity in southern Africa have been widely debated [...]