Pearl millet and iron in the West African Sahel: Archaeobotanical investigation at Tongo Maaré Diabal, Mali

Abstract

Recent archaeobotanical analysis revealed that the botanical remains from the site of Tongo Maaré Diabal (Mali) are composed primarily of pearl millet remains (up to 85%). Contemporaneous West African sites (500–1200 Cal AD) usually display more diverse patterns, especially by the end of this period. Indeed, contemporary urban sites of the West African Sahel often comprise combined and diversified farming systems of millet (Pennisetum glaucum), African rice (Oryza glaberrima), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), Echinochloa sp. and fonio (Digitatia exilis). This article seeks to explain the near-exclusive focus of Tongo Maaré Diabal’s agricultural economy on millet, particularly with regard to the site’s status as a settlement of iron workers.