Global InformationArchaeology of Zilum information
  Site Location in Nigeria | |
| Location | Borno State, Nigeria |
|---|---|
| Region | Northeastern Nigeria |
| Coordinates | 12°25′46″N 13°21′14″E / 12.4295°N 13.3540°E |
| Type | Archaeological |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 & 2006 |
| Archaeologists | Carlos Magnavita, Peter Breunig |
| Condition | Excavated |
| Ownership | Nigerian Government |
Zilum is a settlement of the Gajiganna culture located in the Chad Basin of northeastern Nigeria, 72 km north of Maiduguri in Borno State and is dated to ca 600-400 BCE. The site itself is relatively flat, sits on a large sand ridge, and is bordered to the south by a clay depression. Zilum was discovered in 1997 by Peter Breunig and from 2000-2002, Carlos Magnavita began several test excavations at the site.
Zilum covers a settlement area of approximately 12 hectares and emerged from the Final Stone Age food-producing communities of the Gajiganna culture. The majority of the inhabitants of Zilum would have been occupied by the cultivation of crops and perhaps animal husbandry, while select groups of artisans would have contributed to the production of goods such as pottery, leather goods, and possibly beads and/or bone points.[1] Zilum belongs to Gajiganna Phase III sites, which are thought to be younger and exhibit more sedentary communities. While ceramic analysis makes correlations between Zilum's pottery assemblages and those of the Final Stone Age Gajiganna, radiocarbon measurements on organic samples from the site date Zilum to between the 7th and 5th centuries BCE, notably a transitional period between the Late Stone Age and Early Iron Age in West Africa. Despite this transitional occupation period, Zilum does not show direct evidence for iron or iron working.[2]
As Carlos Magnavita became an advocate for magnetic survey and the application of geophysical methods to archaeological work in sub-Saharan Africa, magnetometry, the analysis of micro-botanical evidence, and ceramic analysis form the basis of archaeological conclusions and interpretations currently drawn from this site.
- ^ Magnavita, Carlos; Breunig, Peter; Ameje, James; Posselt, Martin (June 2006). "Zilum: a mid-first millennium BC fortified settlement near Lake Chad". Journal of African Archaeology. 4 (1): 153–169. doi:10.3213/1612-1651-10068. ISSN 1612-1651.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:1was invoked but never defined (see the help page).