Akshay Sarathi

Archaeological excavations at Unguja Ukuu recovered a rock crystal cabochon seal with the word lillāh ("for God") inscribed in the Kufic script on its domed surface. The artifact is an intaglio amulet seal engraved in the negative. Microscopic examination of the seal surfaces reveals that a rotary tool was used to make the initial inscription. At some later point, a diagonal spall was removed across part of the inscription. The diagonal spall appears to be along a natural crystal plane. It is impossible to determine if this was the result of intentional defacement or an accidental process that might have resulted in the eventual deposition of the seal. Strata dated by radiometric and relative methods coupled with the style of the Kufic script date the seal to the late-8th to 9th centuries CE. This artifact is the earliest known example of an Islamic amulet seal and of writing in the Zanzibar Archipelago.

Seasonality study of Paleolithic archaeological faunal assemblages is important for reconstructing modes of animal death and ancient hominin strategies for prey acquisition. The dental cementum of animal teeth records the season of an individual animal in which it died, providing the necessary evidence for determining any patterns in season of death. This article presents the procedure and preliminary results of the application of cementum incremental analysis to equid teeth, which comprise the dominant component of the fauna from the Xujiayao Site—an early Late Pleistocene archaeological site in China. Results show multi-seasonal use in both the upper and lower layers of this site. Furthermore, attention is given to the method's future application in seasonality studies at Paleolithic archaeological sites in China.

From C. 200 BCE - 300 CE, a major maritime trade network flourished across the Indian Ocean, connecting diverse regions and economies. As these cultures were affected by interregional social, economic, and political forces, their participation in this trade network reflected ...

The East African coast and the Western Indian Ocean are regions of global historical significance. This volume contains papers first presented at the conference, Early Maritime Cultures of the East African Coast, held at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on October 23-24, 2015. Rather than limiting publication to the proceedings of the conference, additional contributions were solicited to expand the scope of the research presented and to place East Africa in its broader geographic and cultural contexts. The resulting volume focuses broadly on East Africa and the Western Indian Ocean and unites the papers under the general themes of movement and connection. These papers represent a multidisciplinary effort to examine East Africa and the Western Indian Ocean. Multiple lines of evidence drawn from linguistics, archaeology, history, art history, and ethnography come together in novel ways to highlight different aspects of the region's past and offer innovative avenues for future research. The papers cover a diverse array of topics, including but not limited to: subsistence, watercraft traditions, trade and exchange (especially concerning the Silk Routes), migration, food ways, and familial relationships. This volume is unique in that it includes some speculative research as well, intended to present novel methods to deal with data-poor topics and to start important conversations about understudied topics. The goal of this volume is to showcase aspects of the complex cultures and histories of this vast region and to emphasize its importance to world history. Ideally, it will generate scholarly and popular interest in the histories and cultures of the region and bring to the fore Africa's and the Western Indian Ocean's important (yet often overlooked) role in world historical narratives. It may also serve as a more advanced introduction to East Africa's and the Western Indian Ocean's history of interaction with other regions of the Old World and as a survey of methods used to understand the region's past. Akshay Sarathi is a graduate student of Archaeology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research interests include the zooarchaeology of maritime adaptations, Indian Ocean trade and exchange, and East African coastal archaeology. More specifically, his current research project focuses on the island of Zanzibar, where he has excavated the sites of Unguja Ukuu, Kizimkazi Dimbani, and Kuumbi Cave. Data from these sites will form the basis of his dissertation, which will examine how dietary preferences changed over time at each site in response to various stimuli over time. He currently resides in Madison, WI (USA) with his two feline overlords.

Seasonality study of Paleolithic archaeological faunal assemblages is important for reconstructing modes of animal death and ancient hominin strategies for prey acquisition. The dental cementum of animal teeth records the season of an individual animal in which it died, providing the necessary evidence for determining any patterns in season of death. This article presents the procedure and preliminary results of the application of cementum incremental analysis to equid teeth, which comprise the dominant component of the fauna from the Xujiayao Site—an early Late Pleistocene archaeological site in China. Results show multi-seasonal use in both the upper and lower layers of this site. Furthermore, attention is given to the method's future application in seasonality studies at Paleolithic archaeological sites in China.

You are cordially invited to submit abstracts/proposals for pieces to be included in the forthcoming volume, The Routledge Handbook of the History and Archaeology of the Indian Ocean World. This volume will showcase cutting-edge research and serve as a guide for beginners and experienced researchers alike.