Universität zu Köln

Iminjili, Victor ORCID: 0009-0005-7318-2823 (2026). Isotopic and archaeo-informatic perspectives on ecological and economic change in late Holocene coastal eastern Africa. PhD thesis, Universität zu Köln.

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Abstract

Insights from isotopic and archaeo-informatic perspectives can complement those from other archaeological sciences, providing a holistic understanding of human–environment interactions in coastal eastern Africa during the late Holocene. These perspectives offer high-resolution, context-specific insights and broader views, respectively, providing information on diachronic ecological fluctuations and their relationship to the emergence of complex adaptive strategies for subsistence. Combining these methodologies and perspectives also enables exploration of spatiotemporal patterns in the emergence and dispersal of food production and highlights key research gaps. This thesis takes an interdisciplinary approach, combining isotopic and archaeo-informatic perspectives to provide in-depth insights into ecological fluctuations, emergence and dispersal of intricate subsistence strategies, and food-producing communities in the coastal region and the interior of eastern Africa. The first case study presents stable carbon and oxygen isotope analyses of zooarchaeological remains recovered from Kuumbi Cave on Unguja Island, spanning the late Pleistocene to the late Holocene. The second case applies a multi-isotope approach to Iron Age caprines, associated wild fauna and human remains from Unguja Ukuu and Fukuchani on Unguja Island and Panga ya Saidi in coastal mainland Kenya. The third case study analyses maps generated from the Wanyika dataset, which contains scientific dates and associated assemblages from archaeological sites in eastern Africa. The first case study reveals the persistence of foragers and their coexistence with food producers at Kuumbi Cave during the Iron Age in the face of ecological stability. The second study indicates the long-term settlement of immigrant agropastoralists at UU, who were involved in raising caprines in a setting rich in farmland and marine manure, away from wild animals. The third case study highlights patterns indicating that migration played a core role in the emergence and dispersal of food-producing communities to the coastal region. Overall, this thesis emphasizes the importance of new site-specific and larger informatics approaches for studying human socioeconomic relationships to the environment on different scales, providing a reference for assessing ongoing questions in sub-Saharan African archaeology.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD thesis)
Translated title:	Title Language Isotopic and archaeo-informatic perspectives on ecological and economic change in late Holocene coastal eastern Africa English
Translated abstract:	Abstract Language Insights from isotopic and archaeo-informatic perspectives can complement those from other archaeological sciences, providing a holistic understanding of human–environment interactions in coastal eastern Africa during the late Holocene. These perspectives offer high-resolution, context-specific insights and broader views, respectively, providing information on diachronic ecological fluctuations and their relationship to the emergence of complex adaptive strategies for subsistence. Combining these methodologies and perspectives also enables exploration of spatiotemporal patterns in the emergence and dispersal of food production and highlights key research gaps. This thesis takes an interdisciplinary approach, combining isotopic and archaeo-informatic perspectives to provide in-depth insights into ecological fluctuations, emergence and dispersal of intricate subsistence strategies, and food-producing communities in the coastal region and the interior of eastern Africa. The first case study presents stable carbon and oxygen isotope analyses of zooarchaeological remains recovered from Kuumbi Cave on Unguja Island, spanning the late Pleistocene to the late Holocene. The second case applies a multi-isotope approach to Iron Age caprines, associated wild fauna and human remains from Unguja Ukuu and Fukuchani on Unguja Island and Panga ya Saidi in coastal mainland Kenya. The third case study analyses maps generated from the Wanyika dataset, which contains scientific dates and associated assemblages from archaeological sites in eastern Africa. The first case study reveals the persistence of foragers and their coexistence with food producers at Kuumbi Cave during the Iron Age in the face of ecological stability. The second study indicates the long-term settlement of immigrant agropastoralists at UU, who were involved in raising caprines in a setting rich in farmland and marine manure, away from wild animals. The third case study highlights patterns indicating that migration played a core role in the emergence and dispersal of food-producing communities to the coastal region. Overall, this thesis emphasizes the importance of new site-specific and larger informatics approaches for studying human socioeconomic relationships to the environment on different scales, providing a reference for assessing ongoing questions in sub-Saharan African archaeology. UNSPECIFIED
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Iminjili, Victor iminjili@gea.mpg.de https://orcid.org/0009-0005-7318-2823 UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-813905
Date:	2026
Language:	English
Faculty:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Divisions:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Fächergruppe 2: Archäologie, Altertumskunde und Kulturen des Mittelmeerraums > Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte > Abteilung D - Forschungsstelle Afrika
Subjects:	Earth sciences
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language Isotopic UNSPECIFIED Archaeo-informatics UNSPECIFIED Paleoecology UNSPECIFIED
Date of oral exam:	28 September 2026
Referee:	Name Academic Title Roberts, Patrick Prof. Dr.
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/81390