Papers by Niwahereza Amon
History in Africa, Mar 15, 2024
Recent archaeological and paleoenvironmental research in the Ndali Crater Lakes Region (NCLR) of ... more Recent archaeological and paleoenvironmental research in the Ndali Crater Lakes Region (NCLR) of western Uganda provide important new insights into anthropogenic impacts on moist forests to the East of the Rwenzori Mountains. This research significantly changes previous interpretations of paleoenvironmental records in western Uganda and helps to distinguish climate change from human impacts. By drawing on multiple sources such as historical linguistics, archaeological evidence, and environmental proxies for change, a new picture emerges for a region that was a cultural crossroads for early Bantu-speakers and Central Sudanic-speakers between 400 BCE and 1000 CE. Detailed archaeological data and well-dated sites provide fine-grained evidence that closely fits episodes of significant environmental change, including a later and separate phase of forest clearance, soil degradation, and lake pollution caused by the saturation of the landscape by Bigorelated populations between 1300 and 1650 CE. Fresque de changements environnementaux induits par l'homme et le climat dans l'ouest de l'Ouganda : la région des lacs du cratère de Ndali De récentes recherches archéologiques et paléoenvironnementales dans la région des lacs du cratère de Ndali (NCLR), dans l'ouest de l'Ouganda, donnent de nouvelles indications importantes sur les impacts anthropogéniques sur les forêts humides à l'est des Monts Rwenzori. Ces recherches modifient de manière significative les interprétations précédentes des traces paléoenvironnementales dans l'ouest de l'Ouganda et aide à distinguer
A Tapestry of Human-Induced and Climate-Driven Environmental Change in Western Uganda: The Ndali Crater Lakes Region, 2024
Recent archaeological and paleoenvironmental research in the Ndali Crater Lakes Region (NCLR) of ... more Recent archaeological and paleoenvironmental research in the Ndali Crater Lakes Region (NCLR) of western Uganda provide important new insights into anthropogenic impacts on moist forests to the East of the Rwenzori Mountains. This research significantly changes previous interpretations of paleoenvironmental records in western Uganda and helps to distinguish climate change from human impacts. By drawing on multiple sources such as historical linguistics, archaeological evidence, and environmental proxies for change, a new picture emerges for a region that was a cultural crossroads for early Bantu-speakers and Central Sudanic-speakers between 400 BCE and 1000 CE. Detailed archaeological data and well-dated sites provide fine-grained evidence that closely fits episodes of significant environmental change, including a later and separate phase of forest clearance, soil degradation, and lake pollution caused by the saturation of the landscape by Bigorelated populations between 1300 and 1650 CE. Fresque de changements environnementaux induits par l'homme et le climat dans l'ouest de l'Ouganda : la région des lacs du cratère de Ndali Résumé De récentes recherches archéologiques et paléoenvironnementales dans la région des lacs du cratère de Ndali (NCLR), dans l'ouest de l'Ouganda, donnent de nouvelles indications importantes sur les impacts anthropogéniques sur les forêts humides à l'est des Monts Rwenzori. Ces recherches modifient de manière significative les interprétations précédentes des traces paléoenvironnementales dans l'ouest de l'Ouganda et aide à distinguer
Historical Archaeology & Landscape Perspectives by Niwahereza Amon
Uganda Museum of Uganda, 2023
Fort Luba-Thruston was the center of the Sudanese mercenary rebellion in 1897-98. An outpost of t... more Fort Luba-Thruston was the center of the Sudanese mercenary rebellion in 1897-98. An outpost of the Uganda Protectorate, the fort was seized by "Nubian" rebels in late 1897, six years after its construction. The murders of three British citizens, including the commanding officer, Major Thruston, by the mutineers were later memorialized along with the loss of many Baganda lives with a pyramid-like structure near the fort in 1900. Excavations revealed a small, trenched structure/fort hastily-constructed during the British siege of two months. Also, excavations uncovered important older evidence for Early Iron Age iron smelting and ceramics of that period with what appear to be contemporary Kansyore ceramics. Notably, the EIA ceramics are decorated with Kansyore motifs, pointing to syncretism in material culture reflective of inter-cultural interaction. Finally, the presence of Late Stone and and Middle Stone Age artifacts attest to a site with a deep history before it became the locus of a significant challenge to British military control of Uganda.
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Papers by Niwahereza Amon
Historical Archaeology & Landscape Perspectives by Niwahereza Amon