Neolithic and Early Iron Age Settlements of Mount Kilimanjaro’s Southern Slopes

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Abstract Some received theories argue that the modern Chagga people of Mount Kilimanjaro are recent immigrants; however the findings assembled here suggest otherwise. Archaeological surveys and excavations conducted on the southern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro have revealed sites of the Early Iron Age (E.I.A.) and the Neolithic period. Thus archaeological analyses demonstrate that the Chagga, as Bantu speakers, are of cultural and genetic affiliation to E.I.A. and the Neolithic people, as has been found in many other parts of East Africa. The ceramic findings detailed here indicate that modern Chagga people living on these sites share a cultural continuity and genetic affinity with human settlements on Kilimanjaro established in prehistory.