On August 29th Peter Coutros (CongUbangi), Igor Matonda (UNIKIN), Henri Zana (CongUbangi), Lucien Pierre Nguerede (CongUbangi) and Sara Pacchiarotti (CongUbangi) presented their research on “Central African archaeology of the northern Bantu borderlands: Initial Results of the CongUbangi research project” at the annual European Association of Archaeologists conference in Rome. The presentation was in The Archaeology of Ancient Borderscapes: Multiple Approaches, New Paradigms session and focused on the results from the team’s recent archaeological and ethnoarchaeological fieldwork in Sub-Ubangi province DRC. The preliminary results revolved around:
- Archaeology: The team identified 23 new sites and conducted excavations at six of these locations. These efforts have resulted in several new Early Iron Age and Late Iron Age material culture assemblages.
- Ethnoarchaeology: The team conducted ethnographic studies of pottery production at two Ubangi-speaking communities near Gemena and Libenge, DRC. Interviews were conducted with four potters who provided descriptions and demonstrations of the pottery forming and decorating processes.
