Experts dig up Tenth Century artefacts

• Kenyan and Chinese archeologists are investigating how far back trade existed between two countries

Archaeologists digging a historic site in Malindi have come across interesting findings that show there was settlement in the area by 10th century and trade links with the other parts of the world.

Chinese and Kenyan archaeologists have pitched tent in Mambrui area, to unravel historical connections between the two countries way before the arrival of Europeans in the East African Coast.

The head of Kenya’s Coastal Archaeology, Dr Herman Kiriama, said the excavators who have not gone beyond one metre since they started the works on Tuesday last week have found pottery and artefacts that point to existence of early settlement and trade.

“The progress is good because we have been able to find local pottery that can be traced to the Tenth Century and Islamic pottery of the 14th century.

One of the key items

“Other interesting findings include Chinese porcelain, one of the key items that the Chinese experts led by archaeologists from Peking University have been interested in,” Dr Kiriama said in an interview.

The new historical journey, according to archaeologists, starts in Malindi where a terrestrial excavation has already started before a complicated underwater survey in a few months’ time off the Lamu archipelago.

The experts are probing say a 9th Century kingdom in Malindi is the subject of a major archaeological research.

The archaeologists have teamed up with their counterparts at the National Museums of Kenya.
There are seven archaelogists from China and eight from the NMK assisted by a group of about 40 local people.

The underwater excavation near Shanga will try to unravel a Chinese ship that sank 600 years ago.