Pearl Millet and Other Plant Remains from the Early Iron Age Site of Boso-Njafo (Inner Congo Basin, Democratic Republic of the Congo)

Abstract

This article is devoted to an analysis of plant remains from the Early Iron Age site of Boso-Njafo on the Lulonga River (Democratic Republic of the Congo). They were excavated in the context of archaeological research in 1985 but—due to unfavorable circumstances—could not be analyzed at that time. The site belongs to the Imbonga group, the earliest ceramic style group to date in the Inner Congo Basin. The archaeological context of the botanical remains is dated to the first millennium cal bc. The most salient fact concerning the plant remains is the evidence of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum). A correlation between cultivation of this crop, that is primarily adapted to semi-arid environments, with the climatic changes taking place in the second and first millennium cal bc is discussed. However, regional palaeoecological proxy data for the Inner Congo Basin are still missing. Further plant species present in Boso-Njafo include trees with edible fruits like Musanga cecropioides, Raphia, and Elaeis guineensis, Afromomum sp., and some grasses and herbs exploitable as leafy vegetables. They indicate a forest environment including swamps and secondary Guineo-Congolian forests as well as disturbed ruderal vegetation.