Transitions : a landscape approach to social and cultural changes in southern Mozambique 5000 BC-1000 AD

Sammanfattning: The discussion of interactions between foragers and farmers in southern Africa has conventionally been linked to the migrations of Bantu-speaking farmers and their associated material culture. Further, the transition from foraging to farming has typically been interpreted as a rapid replacement of the former lifestyle by the latter, allegedly superior socio-economic package. The aim of this thesis is to find alternative means of approaching transitions in technologies and activities through space and time in the landscapes of southern Mozambique. The new approaches are used for elucidating the nature of transitions and interactions through material culture in different types of landscapes. The methodological approaches employed here are tested against a range of potential scenarios of interactions between foragers and farmers. The material culture described and analysed in this thesis is derived from surveys and excavations of two ecologically distinctive landscapes in Maputo province. The material culture is analysed by employing a range of field and post-excavation analyses. The analyses are particularly focused on ceramic and lithic assemblages. The distribution and use of material culture are further considered in relation to the differing types of landscapes in the study area. The methodologies used for the analysis of material culture and landscape are evaluated and the applicability of the varied scenarios of interactions considered.