Early Settlement Pattern in South and Eastern Africa

Abstract

Settlement pattern of human society is a corollary to agriculture. The chapter encapsulates spatially and temporally settlements to settled pattern trajectory of development in South and Eastern Africa. This also revisits the iconic stretch of land in South and Eastern Africa, the simulacra of settlements originating from early Palaeolithic mobile campsites along with Oldowan tools to Middle and Late Stone Age Mesolithic settlement patterns, the cave sites, seasonal camps, stray places of emerging band society. The primary focus is on Neolithic settlement of the hyper-arid desert and linear oasis. The Bantu and Sotho settlements are followed to make a case for African clan settlements. The Mesolithic cultures of Halfan, Qadan, Sebitien and Harifan with their settlement structures are narrated. The neolithic structures of Merimde, Al Omri, Al Madi, Tesien, Badarian cultures invoked to arrive at a pattern of splendid settlement during Pharaohs’ period which has impacted entire Africa has been analyzed. The Nubian tradition is discussed. In the countries of Southern Africa the expansion of the cultural traditions are also narrated. Inundation, famines, catastrophes, and tumultuous developments affected the settled pattern is also viewed. Metaphorically it is shown that settlement and agriculture are intrinsically linked. At the end, the modern village settlement pattern to understand graphically intensive arable farmings in South and Eastern Africa is followed over.