Revisiting site history and regional interaction at the Dia settlement mound complex, Mali

Abstract

Previously unpublished results of test excavations in 1986–1987 at Dia, an extensive occupation mound complex on the western margins of the Inland Niger Delta in Mali, have been augmented by a series of new AMS dates. This article explores how the excavation and radiocarbon data together provide new insights into occupation sequences and site formation processes. It presents details on the depositional contexts, chronology and associated material culture at each of the 1986–1987 excavation units. Using these data, we examine the role of post-depositional disturbance, secondary deposition and re-use of earlier cultural deposits in interpreting site formation processes at the Dia settlement mounds. In addition, we emphasise the important role that studies of well-contextualised pottery from excavation can play in evaluating regional interactions through comparisons with other documented sequences in neighbouring areas, including Jenne-jeno and the Méma. This focus on site formation and regional interaction enables new interpretations that also interrogate and expand the results of the larger-scale excavations at Dia by an international team between 1998 and 2002.