Frame 6b. Cognitive Urban Ecology in Southern Africa

(Aim 4)

Participants: Prof. Paul Sinclair, Prof. Karin Holmgren, Prof. Innocent Pikirayi, Prof. Chantal Radimilahy and Prof. Gilbert Pwiti Dr Munyaradzi Manyanga, Dr Karl Johan Lindholm.

Study Field: The development c. 1000 CE of Mapungubwe and Great Zimbabwe, the first towns in southern Africa, occur in a context of hundreds of stone buildings on the Zimbabwe plateau and the Limpopo Basin. Excellent high resolution speleothem climate change data is available

Activities: Multiscalar GIS Analysis of archaeological source materials and modelled climate change data and high resolution speohem data

•(a) c. 800 stone built Zimbabwe settlements providing the broader spatial context (c. 800*900km) in which urbanism arose and
•(b) spatial syntax assessment of individual stone built zimbabwes and
•(c) available data from geochemical and geophysical mapping of 600 Ha around Great Zimbabwe coupled with results of oral traditions on the surrounding cognitive landscape including commemoration of past rulers and rain-making activities.
•(d) Comparison with similar source materials from Mapungubwe.

Deliverables: A detailed case study on multi scalar analysis of the development of urbanism in Medieval southern Africa as a chapter in the ‘Urban Mind’. Published analyses of spatial distri­butions of settlements in relation to results of climate change modelling.

Future perspective: Further analysis of the Urban Mind in different parts of Africa.