A dataset of scientific dates from archaeological sites in eastern Africa spanning 5000 BCE to 1800 CE
Abstract Large collections of archaeological spatiotemporal data can reveal past cultural and demographic trends, land use strategies, and processes of environmental adaptation. Within Africa, archaeological Big Data can contribute to the study of the spread of agriculture, domesticated species, and...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Scientific Data |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-05138-x |
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| author | Victor Iminjili Alison Crowther Michael T. Fisher Andrea Kay Patrick Roberts Steve Goldstein Nicole Boivin Ricardo Fernandes |
| author_facet | Victor Iminjili Alison Crowther Michael T. Fisher Andrea Kay Patrick Roberts Steve Goldstein Nicole Boivin Ricardo Fernandes |
| author_sort | Victor Iminjili |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Large collections of archaeological spatiotemporal data can reveal past cultural and demographic trends, land use strategies, and processes of environmental adaptation. Within Africa, archaeological Big Data can contribute to the study of the spread of agriculture, domesticated species, and specific artefacts and technologies, as well as their ecological impacts. Although reviews addressing these topics are available for different parts of the continent, existing mid-late Holocene archaeology datasets have yet to be compiled into a central, open-access, standardized informatic-oriented dataset. Here we present Wanyika, a dataset of scientific dates from archaeological sites in eastern Africa spanning almost 7 millennia, from ~5000 BCE to 1800 CE. This dataset compiles published scientific dates and associated botanical, faunal, iron, and ceramic finds from sites in Kenya, Tanzania, the Comoros Islands, and Madagascar. The records also include data for megafauna extinctions in Madagascar. We describe the spatiotemporal coverage of the dataset, how the data were collected, the structure of the dataset, and the applied quality control measures. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-34fa7c5fe8434bbe8a19e59f2d846c7e |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2052-4463 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Data |
| spelling | doaj-art-34fa7c5fe8434bbe8a19e59f2d846c7e2025-08-20T03:10:18ZengNature PortfolioScientific Data2052-44632025-05-0112112510.1038/s41597-025-05138-xA dataset of scientific dates from archaeological sites in eastern Africa spanning 5000 BCE to 1800 CEVictor Iminjili0Alison Crowther1Michael T. Fisher2Andrea Kay3Patrick Roberts4Steve Goldstein5Nicole Boivin6Ricardo Fernandes7Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute of GeoanthropologySchool of Social Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLDDepartment of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute of GeoanthropologyDepartment of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute of GeoanthropologyDepartment of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute of GeoanthropologyDepartment of Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh, 3302 WWPHDepartment of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute of GeoanthropologyDepartment of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute of GeoanthropologyAbstract Large collections of archaeological spatiotemporal data can reveal past cultural and demographic trends, land use strategies, and processes of environmental adaptation. Within Africa, archaeological Big Data can contribute to the study of the spread of agriculture, domesticated species, and specific artefacts and technologies, as well as their ecological impacts. Although reviews addressing these topics are available for different parts of the continent, existing mid-late Holocene archaeology datasets have yet to be compiled into a central, open-access, standardized informatic-oriented dataset. Here we present Wanyika, a dataset of scientific dates from archaeological sites in eastern Africa spanning almost 7 millennia, from ~5000 BCE to 1800 CE. This dataset compiles published scientific dates and associated botanical, faunal, iron, and ceramic finds from sites in Kenya, Tanzania, the Comoros Islands, and Madagascar. The records also include data for megafauna extinctions in Madagascar. We describe the spatiotemporal coverage of the dataset, how the data were collected, the structure of the dataset, and the applied quality control measures.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-05138-x |
| spellingShingle | Victor Iminjili Alison Crowther Michael T. Fisher Andrea Kay Patrick Roberts Steve Goldstein Nicole Boivin Ricardo Fernandes A dataset of scientific dates from archaeological sites in eastern Africa spanning 5000 BCE to 1800 CE Scientific Data |
| title | A dataset of scientific dates from archaeological sites in eastern Africa spanning 5000 BCE to 1800 CE |
| title_full | A dataset of scientific dates from archaeological sites in eastern Africa spanning 5000 BCE to 1800 CE |
| title_fullStr | A dataset of scientific dates from archaeological sites in eastern Africa spanning 5000 BCE to 1800 CE |
| title_full_unstemmed | A dataset of scientific dates from archaeological sites in eastern Africa spanning 5000 BCE to 1800 CE |
| title_short | A dataset of scientific dates from archaeological sites in eastern Africa spanning 5000 BCE to 1800 CE |
| title_sort | dataset of scientific dates from archaeological sites in eastern africa spanning 5000 bce to 1800 ce |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-05138-x |
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