An Urewe burial in Rwanda: exchange, health, wealth and violence c. AD 400

Abstract

The ‘Urewe culture’ dominates the archaeology of Great Lakes Africa from approximately 500 BC to AD 800. However, whilst much is known about the production and distribution of Urewe ceramics and iron metallurgy, social and symbolic information regarding Urewe users is scarce. Within this context the discovery of an Urewe burial preserving pathological conditions, the products of iron production technology and a long distance exchange artefact, radiocarbon dated to the mid-first millennium AD, is highly significant. This article presents the first human remains analysis of two individuals associated with the ‘Urewe culture’ and the first archaeometallurgical analysis of the products of iron technology during this period. The discussion of these results allows us to explore socially important aspects of Urewe users’ lives, including health, wealth and violence.