Late-Holocene environmental variability at Munsa archaeological site, Uganda: a multicore, multiproxy approach
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Date
2005
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The Holocene
Abstract
Palaeoenvironmental data, in the form of 113 counts of pollen, fungal spores and charcoal
abundances, 121 counts of phytoliths and 15 AMS 14C dates (11 macrofossil and 4 bulk sediment samples),
have provided a means of reconstructing the late-Holocene environmental history of Munsa archaeological
site, Uganda. The data were extracted from sediment cores from what is today a papyrus swamp, located
within an area described by an outermost ring of earthworks at Munsa. Sediment core data indicate the
general presence of forested conditions to C. AD 1 100, although there is evidence for the local presence of
food plants prior to this date. Deforestation from c. AD 1100 is marked in both the pollen and phytolith
records, while fungal spores indicate the presence of increased numbers of herbivores post-deforestation.
Indicators of deforestation and increased herbivore numbers broadly accord with the archaeological
evidence for substantial occupation of the site at Munsa and the establishment of a mixed economy based
on crops, cattle and iron working. Evidence for forest recovery and reduced herbivore numbers locally from
C. AD 1780 could reflect abandonment of permanent settlement at the site, possibly during or following a
period of drought and/or political upheaval in the region. Fungal spores and phytoliths provide evidence of
agricultural activities at Munsa that have not left an imprint on pollen records, thus supporting the case
for the use of multiproxies in palaeoenvironmental research, while intercore differences between the
three sediment cores analysed, although relatively minor, confirm the benefits of a multicore approach.
Tentative evidence for the very early presence of Musa (cultivated edible banana) is provided and warrants
further study.
Description
Keywords
Africa, Uganda, Archaeology, Environmental variability, Banana cultivation, Charcoal, Climate change, Fire, Fungal spores, Pollen, Phytoliths, Late Holocene.
Citation
Lejju, B. J., Taylorl, D., & Robertshaw, P. (2005). Late-Holocene environmental variability at Munsa archaeological site, Uganda: a multicore, multiproxy approach. The Holocene, 15(7), 1044-1061.