‘This blessed city’: excavations at the second-millennium AD trade town of Jenné (Inland Niger Delta, Mali)

Excavations at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Old Towns of Djenné, Mali, revealed a continuous occupation from the late 13th to early 20th century AD, providing unprecedented insights into the trade town's development and cultural evolution. Radiocarbon dating confirmed that the site's earliest phase overlapped with the final occupation of Jenné-jeno, its ancestral settlement, indicating strong temporal and cultural continuity. Five distinct phases of building, accumulation, and leveling were identified, documenting architectural and material culture changes over centuries. The study also sheds light on subsistence economy shifts and trade interactions, contributing significantly to understanding the site's historical significance as a key trade hub in West Africa.

McIntosh, S. K., Cain, C., Cissé, M., Murray, S., Stoker, K., Stone, A. C., & McIntosh, R. J. (2025). ‘This blessed city’: excavations at the second-millennium AD trade town of Jenné (Inland Niger Delta, Mali). Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa, 60(2), 165–232. https://doi.org/10.1080/0067270x.2025.2479376